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November is a good time to be a PIO.
As the Fall winds begin to chill the air, keyboards across the country warm up as clubs, sections and events begin their winter events. Perhaps your group has a special Fall event-- publicize it! Maybe you do something special on Thanksgiving -- publicize it! Do you have classes for new hams or special recognitions for people who have been exceptional in promoting the hobby in the past year -- publicize it!
If your section or area is involved in CERT activities, there is a recent rise in publicity about this program, so join in!
Even if things are quiet in your neck of the woods, the nation-wide toy drive is a perfect chance to get positive publicity for amateur radio. The holiday season, the real needs of children, and the tie in with hams' volunteer work in Florida work together to create a natural, winning PR event -- publicize it!
Toy Drive Release for Club Use
ARRL and MY CLUB Hold Holiday Toy Drive for Homeless Florida Children
Town, St., date - The American Radio Relay League, the national association of ham radio, has announced it will come to the aid of homeless children in Florida this season by conducting a nation-wide toy drive. MY CLUB has joined in with other hams to show we remember these children.
Over the past weeks, we have all heard of the devastation in central Florida. Many hams actually heard it first hand through volunteer service or on the HF nets. While many areas of the country were affected to differing degrees, Florida was the worst. Thousands of families are without a place to live and will be homeless over the coming Holiday Season. For a child suddenly living out of a tent, or car, or someone else's home, the 2004 holiday season will be anything but jolly. But hams are coming to their rescue in a new way.
Between now and Thanksgiving, hams across the country are being asked to purchase a new child's toy and send it with a QSL card or 3x5 showing their callsign to:
Ham Radio
The United Way White Dove
Project
50 Kindred Street - Suite
207
Stuart, FL 34994
"The storms and their aftermath have been especially traumatic for children. In addition to the frightening experience of going through the hurricanes, youngsters are coping with a great deal of stress felt within their families and at school," writes Carol Hodnett, a Director at the United Way site, who will be handling the distribution end of the program.
"Because of the overall strain on our state, we have been looking outside the area for help in supporting the White Doves Holiday Project this year. We are so incredibly thankful to you and the American Radio Relay League for thinking of the children of our area in planning your toy drive."
The Martin County United Way in Stuart still has the facilities to manage a large toy Drive. They have agreed to serve as the collection point and also coordinate distribution to the surrounding counties whose agencies are no longer capable of managing such a project.
"Just let me know what you need," offered Steve Blary, N1XC, the ARES Emergency Coordinator for Martin County, Florida. "This is a great idea and we're ready to help at this end."
Unwrapped toys for boys and girls of ages 1 to 14 will be gathered and shipped by amateur radio operators to the Stuart facility between now and Thanksgiving for distribution over the holidays. Non-hams are also encouraged to join in this effort to provide for the thousands of children suddenly homeless due to the series of hurricanes. Those wishing to donate money instead of toys can send a check to:
White Dove, c/o United Way of Martin County
50 Kindred Street, Suite
207, Stuart, FL 34994
Recent figures from FEMA and the Red Cross showed over 22,000 homes destroyed and over 40,000 severely damaged. Whole families who once had their own home or apartment are now living wherever they can, in vehicles, or tents, or sharing undamaged homes or shelters. It is not simply a shortage of affordable housing; it is a lack of ANY housing.
The ARRL is asking all hams to make the coming Holiday Season a little bit brighter for a child by participating in this toy drive. Purchase a new toy and ship it to the Ham Radio/United Way-White Dove address. Maybe it's not a new home to live in, but knowing that someone "out there" remembers you is a start for these children.
Further information can be found at www.arrl.org
###
DO'S AND DON'TS IN DEALING WITH THE MEDIA
from the US State Department Via ARRL NYC/LI Section Public Information Coordinator K2DO@arrl.net
Do's
"Frustration is almost built into the fabric of the job," says former vice presidential spokesman David Beckwith. "Unless you have a sense of humor, it is a grim business indeed."
Don'ts
If you have the material prepared before a press conference, you can spend your time after an announcement explaining it to the press.
One way for Publicity Hounds to form relationships with media contacts is to take them to lunch.
If you've never done this before, it can sound daunting and maybe even downright dangerous. What if you say something stupid? What if you end up with a piece of spinach on your front tooth? What if the reporter asks you something you don't know?
Relax.
First, it doesn't have to be frightening. Remember, if you have something reporters want--like information on topics they cover, or story ideas, or other sources they can contact--they will welcome the chance to meet you.
Second, spinach on your teeth isn't the end of the world. I have known reporters who barely know the difference between a fork and a spoon.
And if they ask you something you don't know, just say "I don't know, but I'll try to find out."
Lunch, or coffee at the local sandwich shop, or even a 15-minute meeting at the newspaper office, are great ways to introduce yourself and ask the all-important question: "How can I help you?" When they tell you, listen to what they say, then help them. Be sure to take your media kit and offer it.
The monthly column I wrote for WomensCalendar.org includes 22 tips on what to do when taking a reporter to lunch, including helpful advice on why you shouldn't dive for the check. You can read the column or listen to the audio version. The tips are excerpted from my ebook, "How to be a Kick-Butt Publicity Hound," an excellent how-to guide for wanna-be Publicity Hounds or even those of you who already think you know the ropes.
Reprinted from "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," a free ezine featuring tips, tricks and tools for generating free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.PublicityHound.com and receive free by email the handy list "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."
Promote it: The whole idea of bouncing radio signals off the trails of charged air left behind by meteors is amazing beyond the world of ham radio. Plus, most people don't know there are thousands of meteors entering our atmosphere every day -- not just during meteor showers. A digital transmission mode developed by a Nobel-prize winning ham (Joe Taylor, K1JT) makes it possible to communicate via these meteor trails up to 1300 miles -- on frequencies normally used for local contacts. The only people doing this are hams ... and the U.S. Navy. (W2VU)
Promote it: Explain the importance of QSL cards, and the importance of volunteer-run QSL bureaus. This is particularly good if your newspaper regularly profiles a community volunteer. (W2VU)
Promote it: Papers love stories involving kids; especially if it doesn't involve internet chat rooms. (W2VU)
There are almost 5 times as many "hams" today as there were in the 1950's. The number of Amateur Radio license holders in the USA has gone from 144,000 back in 1955 to over 680,000 in 2004. While there are different classes and categories, any way you count it the predictions that the internet, computers, cell phones and other developments would be the end of Amateur Radio were obviously mistaken.
Each Amateur Radio "Ham" must receive training and is licensed by the FCC. Pundits expected few people would bother meeting these requirements with the deployment of many alternative communications options in the past decades. But with along with the licensing standard came several benefits as hams freely talk across town or around the world. Instead of being challenged by these new alternatives, hams have assimilated them into their hobby. Morse Code keys share desktops with computers, high speed modems and digital radios. Hams even have their own satellites and repeater networks which are similar to cell phone networks. But hams quickly point out the difference that if a cell tower fails, your cell phone is useless -- while a ham's radio will still work just fine all by itself.
NOMINATE A LOCAL REPORTER FOR THE LEONARD AWARD
If you've seen a particularly good article on ham radio in print, on television, or heard one on the radio, you might want to nominate the reporter for the 2004 Bill Leonard, W2SKE, Professional Media Award. The deadline for nominations is December 3, 2004. Nominated work must have appeared between December 3, 2003 and December 3, 2004.
The annual award honors a professional journalist whose outstanding coverage in TV, radio, print or multimedia best reflects the enjoyment, importance and public service value of Amateur Radio. The award was created as a tribute to the late CBS News President Bill Leonard, W2SKE. He was an avid Amateur Radio operator, and most active on the air during the 1960s and 1970s.
Nominations are judged by members of the League's PR Committee, and the final decision is made during the ARRL Board meeting in January. The winner receives an engraved plaque and a cash award of $500. Please note that some news organizations prohibit journalists from entering contests that offer monetary awards. Checking with your potential nominee ahead of time is a good idea.
For more information about the award, or to obtain a nomination form and the official rules for entry, contact ARRL's Media Relations Department, newsmedia@arrl.org, 860-594-0328.
PR volunteers who enjoy writing or want to improve their skills can find some great tools and tips at http://aboutpublicrelations.net/index.htm
