U n i t F: Planning Your Media Campaign

Goal

Objectives















Materials























Appendix









Handouts

  
To help youth plan for a local media campaign/event.

By the end of the unit, youth will be able to:

1. Develop at least one media bite that describes an actual or proposed media campaign.

2. Develop a local media list.

3. Identify possible spokespersons.

4. Pitch a story to media professionals using both individual persuasion and community support.

5. Write a news release.

6. Identify appropriate media outlets.

  • Overhead: What Does this News Release Need?

  • Overhead: What Is News?

  • Overheads of media organizational charts

  • Media List Outline

  • Sample Media List

  • Pitching a Story Exercise

  • Overhead: Master Worksheet

  • Overhead: News Release Worksheet

  • Day Two/Course Evaluation

  • Written Evaluation




  • Pitching a Story Exercise

  • Small Group Instructions

  • News Release Worksheet

  • Master Worksheet




  • Sample Media List

  • News Release Worksheet

  • Master Worksheet

    • Unit Outline

    		  

    I. How To and Who Should Deliver Your Message

    A. News Releases

    B. How Media Work

    C. Media Lists


    D. Pitching a Story

    II. What Youth and the Communities Can Do

    A. Critique past media efforts

    B. Identify local ATOD needs/issues

    C. Choose Issues and Identify Small Groups

    III. Developing Action Plans

    A. Choosing the Issue/Event

    B. Choosing Media

    C. News Release Worksheet

    D. Determine Role Play Pitch

    E. Develop Media Bites

    F. Practice Pitch

    G. Practice On-site Interview

    IV. Report/Role Play

    A. Read News Release Worksheet

    B. Read Excerpts from Master Worksheet

    C. Role Play Pitch

    D. Role Play On-site Interview

    E. Debrief

    DAY TWO/COURSE WRITTEN EVALUATION

    (Note to Trainer: If group plans to implement a specific media event or campaign, break here for lunch. Then move onto Unit G.)

    I. How To and Who Should Deliver Your Message

    (45 minutes)

    Materials

    Overhead of bad news release

    Materials

    Overhead: What is News? Overhead: Media Organizational Elements

    Materials

    Media list outline and sample Media list Overhead: General vs. Target Marketing

    Materials

    Pitching a story exercise

























    II. What Youth and the Community Can Do (45 minutes)












































    III. Developing Action Plans (60 minutes)

    Materials

    Small group instructions

    News release worksheet




































    IV. Role Play to Large Group (45 minutes)

    		 

    A. News Release (5 minutes)



  • Distribute a bad news release for the group to critique (see appendix for copy of overhead). Show overhead and ask group to critique aloud.

  • Discuss changes.

    B. Review How Media Works (5 minutes)

  • Show "What is News?" overheads. (Place particular emphasis on "Whatever the assignment editor says is news.").

    Briefly review structure of media major points including who decides news and community power in the media business.

    C. Media Lists (5 minutes)

    Handout and review media list outline (in appendix).

    Note general vs. target marketing issues as related to different media (i.e., radio is more effective in reaching youth than daily newspapers).

  • Weekday vs. weekend opportunities

  • Double check and update

    Make sure your list reflects the audience you want to reach

    D. Pitching a Story (30 minutes)

    The purpose of this exercise is to allow the group to apply their understanding of how media works and their power to affect media.

    (Refer to instructions in appendix of this unit.)
  • Show organization charts if necessary. Come up with a proposed local media action. It could be a positive media campaign or reaction to negative coverage (give examples)

  • In the role play pitch, have volunteers pitch their story in front of large group

  • Debrief role plays - starting with what was good before moving on to what could be done better.



    A. Critique Past Media Efforts

    (15 minutes)
  • Brainstorm: How the teenagers would like to use the media.

  • Probe: Why use media? What can media do for you? What does all this mean to you here and now?

  • Critique what was done in the past - use local examples of video and/or print.

    B. Identify Local ATOD Needs/Issues

    (15 minutes)

  • Maintain policy focus.

  • List possible issues on newsprint.

    C. Choose Issues and Identify Small Groups (15 minutes)

  • Eliminate issues of least interest.

  • Allow participants to self-select as much as possible but maintain small groups of 5-9 people.

  • Prepare for small groups (see large group preparation in appendix).

  • Distribute worksheets.

    BREAK (15 minutes)

    This section is designed to encourage participants to use all skills learned at this point in the course. Participants should be encouraged to work at their own pace. However, trainers should periodically monitor groups to answer questions and ensure that trainees are on track. All groups should be prepared to present a three-minute pitch and a two-minute interview at the end of this activity.



    A. Choosing the Issue (10 minutes)

  • Match issue and event.

  • Identify target audience(s).

    B. Choosing Media (5 minutes)

  • Decide which media outlets youth want to use.

    (Trainer should instruct youth to choose one or more media options.)

    C. News Release Worksheet

    (10 minutes)

  • Write news release (headlines and lead paragraph).

    D. Determine Role Play Pitch (10 minutes)

  • Determine how to pitch story. Identify community spokesperson(s), supporter(s), and media person.

    E. Develop Media Bites (10 minutes)

  • Develop media bite for local initiative.

    F. Practice Pitch

    (5 minutes)
  • Identify spokesperson.

  • Note reason why this individual was selected.

    G. Practice On-site Interview (10 minutes)





    A. Read news release worksheet

  • Read all information filled in

    B. Read excerpts from master worksheet

  • Issue, event, and media to be used (do not read media bites)

    C. Role play pitch

    D. Role play on-site interview

  • Large group tries to pick out media bites

  • After guesses, small group reads media bites from master worksheet

    E. Debrief (10 minutes)

    Trainer-led critique:

    1. What did they do well?

    2. What could have been even better?

    3. Applaud each group.

    DAY TWO/COURSE EVALUATION

    (written and oral) (Note to Trainer: If group plans to implement a specific media event or campaign, break here for lunch. Then move onto Unit G.)


    • Television







































    Radio





























    Print

    		 

    A P P E N D I X     F

    Media List Outline

    General Manager

    Station Manager

    Sales Manager

    Public Affairs Director

    News Director

    Assignment Editor

    Weekend Assignment Editor

    Reporters

    Deadlines (Don't call an hour before a news program. People will likely be busy and short tempered.)

    Name ____________________________________

    Address _________________________________

    Station Telephone #______________________

    Newsroom #_______________________________

    Advertising #____________________________

    Consumer #_______________________________

    (i.e. Call for Action)




    Station Manager

    Sales Manager

    Program Director

    Public Affairs Director

    News Director

    Weekend Contacts

    DJ's

    Name_________________________

    Address______________________

    Station Telephone #____________________

    Newsroom #___________________

    Deadline notes_________________________





    Publisher

    Managing Editor

    Advertising Manager

    Community Service Director

    Columnists

    Requirements for Letter to the EditorB
    Requirements for Op Ed page

    Name_________________________________

    Address______________________________

    Telephone #___________________

    City Desk #___________________

    Weekend #_____________________

    Deadline Notes________________


    Large Group Exercise































    Large Group Preparation

















    Small Group Instructions

    		 

    A P P E N D I X     F

    Pitching a Story Exercise

    The purpose of this exercise is to help the group apply their understanding of how media works and their power to affect it.

    1. Review the "What is News?" overhead

    2. Review the structure and power of media, including who decides news and the business perspective of the news. (Show organizational charts to help review, if necessary.)

    3. Group should develop proposed media action. Ask for suggestions. If no consensus, the trainer should choose. The action could be a positive media campaign initiated by the community or it could be the community's response to negative media coverage.

    4. Show Pitching a Story worksheet overhead and have the group fill it in together. For instance, the media person could be a reporter, a station manager, assignment editor, etc.

    5. Ask for volunteers to play roles. Give players a few minutes at back of room or wherever, to work out their roles.

    6. Role play pitch.

    7. Debrief, starting with what was good before moving on to improvements.



    1. Based on the number of participants, have youth count off so there will be groups of 8-10 youth. (For instance, if there are 40 people, have youth count from 1-4 and repeat until everybody has a number so that there would be 4 groups of 10. All the "ones" would be in group #1, the "twos" in group #2, etc.).

    2. Ask for a volunteer recorder from each group—someone who doesn't mind writing. The recorder has to make sure that the worksheets are filled out for each group (one master and one news release worksheet).

    3. Distribute worksheets to everyone. Review them. Remind group that the recorder will fill out both worksheets (one of each) for every group.



    1. Fill out master worksheet on

  • Choosing issue/event/target audience

  • Choosing media

    2. Go to separate worksheet for news release (Fill out)

    3. Go back to filling out master worksheet

  • Identify individuals who will act out the pitching exercise

    4. Role play pitch

    5. Continue filling out master worksheet

  • Develop media bites

    Choose spokesperson (Note why you selected this person.)

  • List key interview points on worksheet

    6. Role play on-site interview

    Remember media bites

    Remember key points

    7. Review/refine all of the above — (write out news release, if there is enough time. Don't worry about it if there is only time to fill out the worksheet.)