May 2013
Vol 11 No 5
May 2013
In this issue:
· Special Field Day Webinar recording
Special Field Day Webinar Posted
In April, the Public Relations Committee held a live webinar for PIOs and others. We recorded the entire webinar and it is now available at http://p1k.arrl.org/pub/pr/ . Look for the FD webinar folder and download the zip file. Among the topics the PR Committee covered are:
· Getting inactive hams involved
· Getting VIP's to actually show up
(Elected officials, served agency heads, media)
· Amateur Radio: What it is and how to get started packets
· Leveraging social media to improve attendance
(Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
Depending on your system, you may be able to both see and hear it all, or some players seem to only play the audio part. I have no idea why one or the other. But even if it is just the audio, it is worth listening to!
As you know, the ARRL will be celebrating our Centennial in 2014. One part of it will be gathering as many short pairs of video clips as we can get showing radio amateurs in their “normal/work” settings saying “I am ___name___. I like ___activity___ and I am the ARRL” and then another clip of the same person using or working with radio gear. For example, a shot of a car mechanic in coveralls working over an engine looks at camera and says “I am Henry Smith, N0XCC. I like to talk to strange countries and I am the ARRL” and a paired shot of him at home talking on the radio. Or a lab technician in a white coat, a doctor with a stethoscope, a teacher in a classroom, a cook in a kitchen – you get the idea. We are “that guy down the street” and we are the ARRL.
These clips will be gathered and assembled into one video that we expect will be shown at the national convention. We will be holding a drawing from the names of submitters for many prizes, including a top winner of a mini-library of major ARRL publications such as the ARRL Handbook, Antenna Book and more! (One “ticket in the hat” for each usable paired clip submitted.) With Field Day coming up three months, that’s an ideal place for getting both Part A and Part B clips as long as those being video recorded bring with them their "work costume" and the shooter knows how to be a little creative with creating Part A. Part B clips are just a matter of grabbing a shot of the person at one of the Field Day stations -- shooting each from a different angle, etc.
If at all possible, the clips should be shot in 9:16 format (widescreen) and 720 or higher definition. MP4 or .mov files preferred. No VHS tapes as we cannot use them.
As usual, ARRL must have the full rights for use of the video clips submitted. Releases for the participants shown can be found at http://www.arrl.org/adult-picture-release-form
And –
A second contest that just about everyone can take part in.
30 second PSA
PIOs are among the more creative folks in our community, and here’s a chance to show off a little. We soon will be having a contest to see who can create the best video public service announcements on the topic of “Ham Radio – new friends made daily.” While the full rules are not finished yet, a few things we know already are:
(a) while we hope you will shoot it in high resolution (MP4 or .mov) formats, we will accept whatever is the best you can do as we don’t want to keep anyone out. So even if it is just with your smart phone – go for it.
(b) it needs to be dead-on 30 seconds black to black.
We will be looking for creativity and your ability in getting the message across that ham radio is fun and interesting.
(c) Submissions need to include form giving full permission for the ARRL to freely use the material as it chooses. Releases for people in the videos are at http://www.arrl.org/adult-picture-release-form
(d) there will be prizes! – good ones! Judging will be done by the ARRL Public Relations Committee.
So dust off that video camera and try your hand at a 30 second Public Service Announcement.
The generic Field Day release is on the web release page at http://www.arrl.org/press-releases .
Lots of other FD material is in the Field Day page http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Field-Day/2013/2012%20FD%20PR%20info.pdf
Thanks to Angel Santana, we even have it in Spanish to expand our audience. Look for http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Field-Day/2013/Kit_de_Prensa_del_Field_Day_Spanish_v2_0.pdf
The Public Relations Email Reflector
Every now and then we need to have a refresher on the PR@arrl.org email reflector for PIOs and others involved in promoting our hobby. Most recently there have been a rash of emails sent by members to the reflector but.... they are sent from an email address different from the one they registered with when they joined up. The system will not recognize these new addresses and deletes the emails. Be sure you send from the same address you registered with.
Here’s more information about the reflector:
The PR reflector was designed to provide a forum for sharing information and ideas about Amateur Radio related PR topics. Share your successes, your PR dilemmas or ask a question. The list contains a lot of PIOs, media professionals and League officials who can offer helpful advice. It is important that we keep all postings on the topic of public relations. Many participants belong to other reflector groups and receive a good deal of e-mail on a regular basis. Messages that are off-topic are an inconvenience for those who are here to discuss Amateur Radio public relations.
Post a message to pr@arrl.org, everyone on the list will see it. There are over 500 people on the reflector! Reply to a message that someone else has posted, and only the initial poster will see your response. While having the entire group see your response may be a good way to stimulate further conversation, many topics are better one to one.
Depending on your own internet service provider and how they have set up your service, you may or may not be able to post with an @arrl.net address but need to be listed with your actual email address. Most providers do not cause this problem, but some still do. The system will only recognize you and allow you to post from the EXACT SAME email address as your subscription.
Whenever you send a message to the list, please add your name, call sign, section and any other information that is appropriate so others know who and where the message is from.
Please refrain from posting copyrighted news articles on the PR Reflector. Instead, please just post the URLs and please be sure to put in the source and LOCATION of the subject. Having to look up a paper’s name just to find it is in Montana is annoying! Many news articles assume you know where they are talking about. We often don’t know what state, let alone what town.
If you'd like to be removed from the list or you would like to join us, please e-mail newsmedia@arrl.org with your name, call and email address.
Last but not least, please advise us of any e-mail address changes or additional addresses that you may have occasion to use to access the reflector. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks.
While there will not be a PR information booth at Dayton this year, several members of the ARRL Public Relations Committee will still be on hand to help out new PIOs and renew friendships with veterans. Look for them in the Education booth.
I have been an ARRL PIO for a little over a year without creating much success and not really obtaining any contacts. Because of a rival Florida Section that made the QST's EmmCom columnist think that only one club did anything at the recent Florida RADAR II exercise, I set out to change that impression. I gathered the information (sorry for the long story) and thought about how I could get someone's attention. Perish the thought, I went back to the PIO course and pulled up the information that the course said should be in a press release. Then I reviewed the examples provided.
From there I set about creating the attached press release (RADAR II NEWS RELEASE). I sent copies to the QST Emmcom columnist and his CQ counterpart. Bingo! Strong hit from the man at CQ. He requested pictures, which I sent, he checked the web site whose link I had included and pulled information from a members log. The result showed up in the May issue of CQ Magazine with a total of 3 full pages spread over 4.
Thinking that was great. Life went on. The next day I received an e-mail from a MARS Regional Director correcting a name change to MARS from Affiliate to Auxiliary. Attached was the e-mail from the HQ Army MARS Public Affairs Officer which is really the subject of this story. He really liked the Press Release, complimented you on the excellent publicity that the ARRL is obtaining, and indicated that my Press Release will be used in their training of Assistant Public Affairs personnel.
This note is to let you know that the training worked great for me. It just took me some time to assimilate it. It is also to let you know that other organizations are noticing the result of your efforts. Thanks for everything!
George "Pat" Geran, KK4AXV
If you have not taken PR-101, you’re really missing something good.
May is here at last and events are in full swing as the weather warms up. Dayton and Field Day are coming up soon. I will not be at Dayton this year but several of the PRC folks will be there, so if you also are going, please be sure to stop by and see them at the Education booth. They like to hear from you as it is helpful in planning out things that we all need to promote our great hobby.
Note also the TWO video contests we have going. Our hope is that the “I am the ARRL” clips will end up in a very good video showing that hams are all sorts of people you meet every day and the joys of the hobby. The PSA one should result in a flock of ideas and YouTube and other web options. I am excited about both of them.
In the background, a lot of work has been going on here at headquarters to prepare for the 2014 Centennial celebrations. The convention plans look VERY good. Meanwhile, I am working on a major presentation piece that can be used all over the country. If ever you thought about going to a major Amateur Radio convention, the 2014 Centennial in Hartford will be the “one in a lifetime” to make it happen.
Finally... I am putting a very helpful calendar below here. Hope it is a help in making for a great Field Day.
-Allen w1agp
FD Calendar
About ARRL >> Media and Public Relations >> Contact Issues >> Contact 2013 >> May 2013
