How to (not) get on the air
Radio announcers of all stripes and types are subject to the offerings of public relations professionals. In all-news radio there isn’t much room to use the average news release about an event or a product. If somebody is trying to get on the air, there has to be some legitimate news value to what they’re pushing. Too often it’s just an attempt to circumvent the usual process and “sneak one in” when we’re not looking.
I have received all sorts of gizmos and gifts over the years. Let’s call them what they are – bribes. But they’re only bribes in the sense that no deal has been made for them to be sent. The sender is operating on pure optimism alone.
Besides the usual promotional goodies, I was once delivered a fully cooked and stuffed turkey by someone wanting to talk on air about the new basting method a frozen turkey company was using to ensure the meat stayed moist. The bird was still hot out of the oven and it pained me to turn it and its deliverer away! I guess they thought no one in their right mind would turn down a cooked turkey but they were wrong.
The days of opening up the studio door to whoever drops by were over decades ago. We take our news tips by phone, e-mail or fax. And if you are writing a news release on a topic that may be of interest to our listeners, there are some general guidelines to follow.
First, get to the point fast. We don’t have a lot of time to wade through paragraphs of fancy storytelling before we learn what you’re trying to tell us. We are all working against deadlines and we like to take information the way we give it – quickly and cleanly without a lot of filler.
Explain to us why it matters to listeners of an all-news radio station. If you can do that, you may actually have a legitimate reason for contacting us. If you can’t then maybe you need to rethink your approach.
Find out to whom you should be sending your material. If it’s about a musician, then you need Rudy Blair. If it’s with regard to movies, you want Leslie James. Jennifer Young is our midday health specialist. If you take the time to find out who the right person is you’ll have a better shot at accomplishing your goal. I’m amazed at how many people call me in the middle of the afternoon and are surprised that I’m not at the station! I work on the morning show, people – I’m up at 3 a.m. so there’s no way I’m in the newsroom at 3 p.m.
It’s not always easy to get coverage but doing a little bit of homework before you try could end up paying off.