Lesson 7. Understanding of the news media

Text A Studying the Press

Text В Organization of Publishing Houses

Text A Studying the Press

" Knowing about the media— knowing how to work with each medium, produce content for each, meet the deadlines for each, write in specific style, and address each medium's audience— is a major part of many PR practicioners' job. Practicioners respon­sible for dealing with the media and media gatekeepers must build and maintain relationships of two-way respect and trust." Effective Public Relations by S. Cutlip, p. 299

It is necessary to understand how newspapers and magazines are published and how radio and television programmes are produced. This can be done partly from the outside by researching publications and by analysing broadcast programmes. Visits to publishers, printers and studios are also very important. Very often, better understanding of the media can be achieved by telephoning journalists and editors and asking them questions about the latest deadlines for stories. This is all part of the PR manager's continuous job of finding out. If the PR practitioner cannot find out, he or she will make mistakes such as sending a news release to a publication after it has been printed.

Here is the summary of what the PR practitioner needs to know about the press:

• The editorial policy — the journal's philosophy and the kind of material it prints. For example, does the newspaper regularly print brief details of business appointments?.

• Frequency of publication — daily, weekly, twice weekly, fort­nightly, monthly, quarterly, annually.

• Copy date — what is the last date or time to supply material for the next issue? This depends on frequency and printing process.

• Printing process — with what technology is the journal being printed?

• Circulation area — is it international, national, regional, urban or suburban, and in the case of regional press — what part of the region does it cover?

•Readership profile — what type of people read the journal — sex, jobs, special interests, nationality.

• Distribution method — book store or newsstand (retail), sub­scription (mailed), free newspaper (door-to-door), by request.

Vocabulary

to be produced — делаться, производиться

partly — частично

analyzing broadcast programmes — анализируя вещательные програм­мы

printers — издатели

can be achieved — может быть достигнуто

deadline — дедлайн, дата (время) окончания приема материалов в но­мер

continuous job — постоянная работа

finding out — выяснение деталей, узнавание

nature of the press — природа СМИ

editorial policy — редакционная политика

business appointments — назначения на должности

frequency of publication — периодичность

fortnightly — раз в две недели

quarterly— один раз в квартал (три месяца)

copy date — окончание приема материалов в номер

circulation area — территория распространения

urban — городской

suburban — пригородный

readership profile — портрет аудитории

age — возраст

sex — пол

distribution method — метод распространения

book store — книжный магазин

newsstand — киоск с газетами

subscription— подписка

retail — розница

door-to-door— адресная доставка

by request — по запросу

Questions to the text:

1. Is knowing about media a major part of the PR practitioner's job?

2. How can one understand how the newspapers are published and TV programmes produced?

3. Why should a PR manager telephone journalists and editors?

4. What is a continuous job of PR manager?

5. What will happen if a PR manager will not find out?

6. What is the editorial policy?

7. What types of frequency of publication are mentioned in the text?

8. What is the copy date?

9. What is a circulation area?

10. What distribution methods are mentioned?

Exercise A. True/false

1. It is necessary to understand how magazines are researched.

2. Visits to publishers, printers and studios are not very impor­tant.

3. Better understanding of the media can be achieved by calling journalists and editors and asking them questions about their media.

4. PR manager must continuously find out.

5. PR manager can make a mistake after the publication has been published.

6. Frequency of publication can be only daily, monthly and an­nually.

7. Printing process is with what technology is the journal being printed.

8. Readership profile tells PR manager what kind of people read, listen or watch the medium.

9. Among the distribution methods are retail, mailed and door-to-door delivery.

Exercise B. Finish the sentences:

1. It is necessary to understand how newspapers and magazines are...

2. Visits to publishers, printers and studios are...

3. Better understanding of the media can be achieved by...

4. If the PR practitioner cannot find out, he or she will....

5. The editorial policy is...

6. Copy date is the last...

7. Readership profile is what sort of...

8. Methods of distribution can be...

Exercise Translate into English:

1. Пиарщику необходимо понимать, как издаются журналы и газеты и как изготавливаются телевизионные программы.

2. СМИ можно исследовать частично, наблюдая' за публикация­ми и анализируя программы в эфире.

3. Лучшее понимание СМИ достигается после телефонных раз­говоров с журналистами и редакторами.

4. Постоянной работой специалиста по связям с общественно­стью является выяснение (разведка).

5. Редакционная политика — это философия издания и тип ма­териалов, которые в нем публикуются.

6. Дата подписки в печать — это дата (время), до которого (-ой) можно сдать материал для следующего номера.

7. Территория распространения может быть международной, национальной, региональной, городской и пригородной.

8. Профиль читателей — это какой тип людей читает журнал, их возраст, пол, профессия, особые интересы и националь­ность.

9. Метод распространения включает в себя продажу в розни­цу, подписку, доставку по адресам, и т. д.