Publicity/Public Relations
Substantive knowledge of broad-based public relations skills are essential for the promotion director. Familiarity with seven predominant publicity skills broaden a station's promotional relationship with its audience.
News Releases
The news release to focus on upcoming station events, stunts, or new personalities is still a standard of the promotion industry. Building extensive relationships, not only with in-city newspaper editors and reporters, but with those in outlying areas is invaluable. Quality written communication skills are at a premium for contact with the print media.
Photos
Quality photographic skills enhance the promotion director's marketability. Pictures of station personalities and promotional events for local newspapers and in-house publications reinforces the station's image. Likewise, for promotional events, developing pictures of air personalities for distribution to the general public builds a one-to-one relationship with the audience.
Press Kits
Developing kits for the media which contain pictures, press releases, biographical sketches of station personalities, station histories, and general station information is a boon for new print reporters who cover the entertainment beat in a city. An essential for press kits is to update them regularly when air personalities or station formats change.
Program Listings
Particularly for the television promotion manager, keeping an accurate program listing is one of the most underrated and necessary skills. TV Guide, the nation's most widely-read entertainment magazine, provides local program information in each of its regional sections and promotion managers are responsible for seeing that program information is available for the magazine two weeks prior to publication. When programs of special interest are locally-produced, the promotion manager is called on to negotiate with TV Guide for a section to spotlight the special, called a closeup.
Promotions managers are also responsible for updating program listings regularly with local and area newspapers. Typically, the largest complaints which are received in the promotions department are when inaccurate program listings are published in magazines or newspapers.
News Conference
Concurrent with the press kit, occasional news conferences assist in promoting station charitable work and stunts. Typically, when a stunt is arranged during a rating period, a news conference enhances attention to the event to attract listeners. The charity sponsorship (such as a fundraiser during the holidays for the Salvation Army or a Christmas charity) helps promote the station as a community servant.
Celebrities
Periodically, a radio or television station can attract attention with the spnosorship of celebrity personal appearances. Television stations frequently attempt to negotiate appearances with regulars on their network's series (in smaller markets, greater success is gained by bringing in soap opera performers, rather than prime time stars). Radio stations often attempt to bring in music performers for concerts which build a live relationship between the station and the audience. Celebrity appearances test the negotiating skills of the promotion manager in scheduling time, appearances and fees for the imported talent.
Screenings
This element is further crucial to building relationships with community leaders and newspaper writers. Periodically, promotions managers will arrange for newspaper writers to see advance satellite feeds of made-for-television movies or series episodes which have special interest in a community. In some instances, community leaders view programs of occasional controversial nature, primarily to create feedback and a regular forum on content and the value of specific programming.
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