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Make a contact list of the TV stations in the area. Call the
station and ask for their mailing address and the names of the station
manager, program director, public service director (PSD) and the news
director. This is important, for you will be using them all at a later time.
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Then pick the station you want to contact first and
call to make an appointment with whoever handles PSAs. Have available
different types and lengths of PSAs.
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If you receive an appointment, then you have the opportunity
to send trained volunteers to make a brief PI presentation.
Take written information in order to share about who we are and
what we are trying to do.
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If you don't receive an appointment in your initial telephone
call, get as much information as possible into the technical requirements of
the TV station. What format video tapes do they use? Is there a
limit on length of PSA?
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Remember to present information only. Don’t promote! The
media has no responsibility to follow our traditions, that is our job.
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Wherever possible, quote from or discuss NA
Conference-approved literature. This will ensure a consistent message and
provide information on the literature we have available.
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All persons involved in the contact should feel prepared, be
polite and be patient! Creating a good rapport with the media will make
future contacts more productive.
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If the Public Service Director doesn’t have time for an
appointment, ask if you can drop off a PSA at the front desk.
Make sure to include a cover letter or more information about
NA so they will know what the content of the PSA is without having to view
it.
In each case, try to find out when they would start airing.
Remember, most stations do not have a process for returning video
tapes, so your committee should consider it as a donation.
In smaller communities, you can sometimes develop a relationship with
the PSD that will enable your tape to be reused or returned to you, but
rarely is this possible in metropolitan areas.
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Immediately after the contact is made, send a thank you note
for the appointment and/or their time regardless of whether you got to see
them or not.
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In about two weeks, call the PSD and inquire when you might
pick up your copy of the tape. This serves two purposes. One, the PSA won’t
get lost in the shuffle. Two, it offers you the chance to enhance the
relationship and show continued interest.
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Always report to the ASC/RSC about which stations have the
spot and ask groups to let you know if a member reports seeing it. This
gives the opportunity to send another thank you letter to the station. This
time, send it to the station manager, thanking him for the station’s
efforts.
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Take a new selection to each of your stations regularly and
review their commitment to air your PSAs.
The new 10-second TV PSAs are less expensive for the committee and may have
a greater chance of being aired more often.
You may want to discuss with the PSD, if possible, their preferences.
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Keep a calendar of contact dates and action taken.
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As always, regional and area
boundaries must be considered prior to any contact. Although you may
feel quite prepared for the outcome of any media contact, a nearby area
that may be affected by the contact and might not be prepared.
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The advantage of this type
of contact is that you are asking the media to broadcast our message,
rather than fulfilling their informational needs. It is important to
have all information to be presented prepared prior to the actual
contact.
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Don’t get frustrated if your
PSA effort does not seem to be resulting in new members or increased
phoneline activity. At first, there may be a good deal of concern about
phonelines being flooded with calls. In many cases, the amount of
incoming calls stay about the same. Remember our primary purpose and if
just one addict calls, it’s worth the effort.
