News Feeds
News managers attempt to exercise even greater control by offering radio stations
news feeds containing audio "bites" of a politician's speech complete with "wrapped around" context narrated by someone on the politician's staff. Statements recorded specifically for "feeding" are also distributed. Such news
Thomas Sabo Earrings feeds are common on Capitol Hill, in political campaigns, and in the executive branch. They are being used increasingly by business as well. A. Kent MacDougall of the Los Angeles Times reports:
Business is supplying pre-recorded interviews with business advocates to television and radio stations which slip them into their newscasts, usually without reference to their source. And business is flooding small newspapers with ready-to-use canned editorials, columns, and cartoons that carry hidden corporate messages.
By accepting such feeds, the broadcast producer or editor is spared the cost of gathering the material or sending a reporter to the event but sacrifices the ability to make editorial judgments. Small stations and small papers are more likely to accept such feeds than larger ones. Most large stations and newspapers refuse as a matter of policy to accept such prepared materials, with the exception of opinion-editorials and paid advocacy advertising.
Cost prevents small radio and television stations from having their own correspondents in Washington or following the major campaigns, yet an interview with an important government official or candidate is a news coup. If the staff at small stations can make it appear that they have such desirable access, they may be tempted to sup-press details about how information was obtained. The Federal Communications Commission Code (Section 73.1212.d) requires that at both the beginning and end of a segment, broadcasters disclose the source of any such prepackaged news other than mimeographed or printed press releases. This restriction applies to feeds obtained when the station calls a predestinated number as well as materials sent or delivered to the station. This rule applies to political candidates and to anyone dealing with political subjects or controversial issues.
Video news releases (VNRs) were inefficient as long as they relied on videocassettes as their means of transport. Cassettes began to clutter newsrooms, unwatched and unaired. In the mid-1980s, public relations firms began switching to satellite transmission of news feeds. Medialink, a firm specializing in the production, distribution, and tracking of video, audio, Internet, print, and photographic material on behalf of public relations clients, reports that it has distributed more than 1,000 VNRs per year since 1994. Estimates place the number of VNRs distributed each year at between 5,000 and 15,000. When Nielsen Media Research surveyed 200 stations in 1988, it found that 93 percent had the capacity to downlink VNRs from satellite and that almost three-quarters reported that they were willing to use such releases. In 1999, both of those numbers stood at 100 percent.
To increase the likelihood that VNRs will be used, their producers include a 90-second B-roll of visuals accompanied only by natural sound. Local announcers can then "voice" the narration, making it appear that the station itself produced the material.
Use of VNRs has enabled advertisers to circumvent bans on the advertisement of certain products. "In 1987, for example, the James B. Beam Distilling Company took to heart the admonition to hook an item to a news trend, and made a video news re-lease that affirmed the patriotic preference of American
Thomas Sabo Bracelets distillers for domestic, instead of Canadian, grain. Television viewers in some 40 cities saw the report, illustrated with footage of workers packing crates with Jim Beam bourbon, on their local newscasts."
Electronic press kits, the video equivalent of the written press release, now air routinely on hundreds of local television stations, as coverage of entertainment news in-creases. Frequently, this material is neither labeled nor described as film studio publicity. No one knows how often local reporters insert themselves into these publicity kits, but the videotapes are carefully created to allow local reporters to do so.
Major studios have produced dozens of these kits. Producing the kits is expensive but far less costly than comparable advertising. George Armstrong, who developed the electronic press kit at Universal Pictures as vice president in charge of advertising, noted that the kit for E.T. cost $125,000 but that it "brought in the equivalent of $700,000 worth of air time if we had [had] to buy it."
On August 8, 1995, Sony released "Spirit of'73: Rock for Choice," a compilation featuring fourteen female music artists supporting abortion rights. One of the major marketing vehicles, said the director of marketing of the product, was a 10-minute electronic press kit featuring interviews with the artists and a behind-the-scenes look at the process of making the recording.
Public relations firms attest that their materials are often used by television and radio stations. For example, following a Food and Drug Administration ruling favorable to a client's product, one public relations firm made a videotape for the client in the form of a news report on the FDA ruling, which was distributed to hundreds of television stations, most of whom used it. Similarly, those advising clients on how to obtain news coverage suggest that if the news media do not cover the event, you should do it your-self--audiotape or videotape the event, edit it into a 90-second package, attach a script for announcers, and ship it to radio or television stations in time for the evening news.
by: Blown
Colombian Pride Connecting Your Switch To A Router Personal Trainer- Why Should You Hire One? When Have To A Person Swap Your Spa Heater? Patk, Nwtt, & De: John Deere Responds To Logger Challenges With Improved H-series Skidders Free Expertise: All You Need To Know About Flag Pole Cleaning New Picassos To Arrive In Malaga 5 Challenges When Making A Quilt How To Win Back Your Ex Means Gaining Trust Why People Cant Stop Alcohol Cravings About The Phlebotomy Essentials Manual Hula Hoop Buyers Guide - Find The Perfect Hoop For You Hula Hoops - Size Does Matter!