"We are in the communications business, the business of conveying messagesto the human brain," said the late David Sarnoff, founder and president of RCA."No man is wise enough to know which avenue to the brain is best. Therefore,the sensible idea is to make all avenues available for carrying the message."
In short, a sophisticated promotional effort, even for the most fledgling charityorganization must target the electronic media to effectively reach the audienceyou want as contributors and volunteers. This article will show you how to tapinto the great world of radio.
UNDERSTANDING THE MEDIUM OF RADIO
Radio is the oldest of the electronic media, and it has a number ofcharacteristics that are important to understand if you want to use radioproperly in your promotional campaigns.
First, radio is the medium that brings you closest to your audience. Radio canmake you feel like you're having a chat with millions of listeners, just asPresident Franklin Roosevelt had his famous "fireside chats" with the nation, viaradio, during the Depression. For listeners, radio calls the senses into activeinvolvement with the message to a degree that television doesn't. The mind'seye goes to work, creating images to go along with the inflection of the voiceon the radio and the pictures painted by the words. Old-time radio dramas andcomedies had that effect, con, luring up vivid pictures in the minds of familiesgathered around "the wireless."
The possibilities for you and your charity to give mental pictures to youraudience, and to capture their interest in deep and probing ways, is powerful.
I speak with experience on the ability of radio to link speaker and listener. I doa weekly radio commentary on KFWB, an all-news station in Los Angeles, and Iam a frequent guest on talk-radio programs across the country. I am alsofrequently interviewed national and local radio-news people for comments onHollywood culture, the media, and marketing and publicity.
The response I get from people who hear me over the radio airwaves is quiteextraordinary. Invariably I find people grappling with the content of mycomments far more when they've heard me over the radio than when they'veseen me say something on television. A listener who has heard me on the radiowill typically ask me to explain, elaborate, or provide justification for somepoint I made. In contrast, people who have seen me on TV are more likely togive me a simple comment, such as "I saw you on TV!" without pursuing anyissue or stance I may have taken on the television show.
Second, radio is a fast medium, allowing you to get out a message quickly.While it took five months to get word back to Queen Isabella about the voyageof Columbus, and two weeks for Europe to hear about Lincoln's assassination,it took only 1.3 seconds to get the word from Neil Armstrong that a personcould walk on the moon. Today, it takes less than thirty seconds to let theworld know about anything, from the latest turn in Middle Eastern diplomacy,to a report that Madonna had her baby. The speed of radio is useful to keep inmind whenever you have a timely announcement that you believe you must getacross quickly.
Third, radio is still largely unfiltered, allowing ideas to be tested and tossedaround in robust debate. While some of the hosts and callers of talk radiosensationalize their messages, or are pure-and-simple wacky, radio at its bestoffers a modern-day equivalent of the old town-hall gatherings, whereeveryone is free to give vent to their opinions and complaints and themarketplace of ideas is at its most vibrant. This can be useful for charities andnonprofits that can benefit by tapping into the collective social conscience of acommunity through discussion and debate.
Finally, radio is still a regulated medium that is supposed to carry a modicumof public-interest fare. According to the Communications Act of 1934, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) is empowered to issue radio- broadcasting licenses "if public convenience, interest, or necessity will beserved."
Although these words are interpreted very broadly today, many radio stationssee themselves as having a social responsibility to broadcast interviews,feature stories, and public-service announcements (PSA'S) designed to promotelocal charitable ventures. This is obviously a significant advantage for charitiesand nonprofit groups.
DESIGNING YOUR RADIO STRATEGY
Tapping into your local radio network is actually not difficult. The first step isto become familiar with the radio stations in your area. Which ones havepublic-interest segments or programming themes that are compatible with themessage you're trying to get out?
The only way to discover which stations are best for you is to systematicallylisten to every station in your community. To save time, a good approach is toapportion out the listening task among many members of your organization.Each person can be assigned a few stations to listen to and report on. Irecommend that you listen to each station over the course of a week, studyingand getting familiar with their announcers, their style and type ofprogramming, and the audience they appeal to.
After listening to the stations, begin making contact with the programmanager at each station. Begin by calling the stations and asking for theprogram manager's name. Then write a letter to the person, asking about thestation's policies on feature programs, special interviews, and public-information spots to profile a charity such as yours.
In most cases, you will receive a reply letter spelling out the policies. Pay closeattention to every point and nuance that the manager includes in the letter youget back, because if you submit material for use by the radio station, it mustcomply in form with any rules or parameters that the station has given you. Forexample, you can't expect station personnel to rewrite a press release or apublic-service announcement that is longer than station rules dictate. Youmust take note of those rules from the outset, and make sure anyannouncement you send the station abides by them.
When checking out radio stations, don't be put off by a radio station'semphasis, whether it is an all-music or mostly-music format, or all-news. Allof these formats potentially provide some opportunity for a charity to get itsmessage broadcast. Even all music or all-sports formats often make space forspot announcements during breaks for advertising.
To improve your chances of being of interest to a station, you must thereforebe closely in tune with the station's audience. You need to figure out theirinterests, their age ranges and demographics, so you can make your pitch inlanguage that they can relate to and with examples that draw them in. If it's asports-oriented station, for example, sports analogies would make sense.
Look for the second part of this article, next week.
Michael Levine is the founder of the prominent public relations firm LevineCommunications Office, based in Los Angeles. He is the author of Guerrilla PR,7 Life Lessons from Noah's Ark: How to Survive a Flood in Your Own Life.
GuerrillaPR.net is a resource for people that want to get famous in the media,without going broke. http://GuerrillaPR.net Michael@guerrillaPR.net |
