Lexington, KY - I remember the days, not so long ago, when reporters were plentiful. They covered specific beats, the world was interested in real news, and the media was a watchdog. It's never been a breeze to get news coverage, but in today's media climate, it's becoming more difficult.
One national commentator recently said we've become the United States of Entertainment. In today's world, he said, celebrity trumps everything. Consider this: two days after his death, more than 90 percent of news on cable television was about Michael Jackson.
Recently, a news assignment editor told my company that if we wanted coverage of a story, we may need to shoot someone out of a cannon. He was joking of course, but his point was not lost.
"It's an indication of the times," according to Cliff Feltham, who's been on both sides of the camera. "TV news has evolved into infotainment."
Feltham, statewide media relations manager for Kentucky Utilities, was a television and radio reporter from the early 1970s until 1996. He said today's media goes for "whatever's sexy that day" rather than informing the public about the most pressing issues of the day. He believes the reasons are two-fold. Number one, it seems to be what viewers want, and number two, there aren't enough reporters to learn about and cover in-depth issues.
Cutbacks are being felt throughout the media, including those who cover state and federal government issues. Roger Alford, an Associated Press reporter based in Frankfort, said the number of newspaper and television reporters assigned full-time to cover legislative sessions has dwindled significantly. During the special session, he estimated there might have been eight reporters on site daily. If that sounds like a lot, think about this: Alford said that's probably fewer than the state's two largest newspapers used to have on the ground. This was especially surprising to him because of the many big issues affecting Kentucky's business community.
"For the special session, you would think television news would lead with those stories," he said. "But if they played at all, it was 10 minutes into the newscast."
Alford, who worked for newspapers in Kentucky and Ohio before joining the AP, agrees with Feltham that the nation's appetite for news has changed.
"It used to be during times of war that people were interested in news from the war front," he said. "Now, it seems so few people are touched by that. They're more interested in celebrity news than real news."
Doug Hogan, news director at WTVQ, said his station does have a reporter dedicated to covering politics. His station also is the only one in Central Kentucky with dedicated health care and education reporters, he said.
"We try to be as connected to the community as possible," Hogan said. "We want to report news that resonates with viewers - something they get emotionally attached to."
Hogan also has been on both sides of the news and public relations equation and said he sees the challenges from both sides.
"We've had to rethink our approach to news gathering," he said. "Technology opens up a whole new realm of news. We have to realize that we're no longer appointment TV."
Because people are getting their news online and from social networking sites whenever they want it, media outlets face challenges unlike they've seen before. Hogan said his station is embracing every delivery platform. In fact, the station posts its lead story on its Web site before the 6 p.m. newscast.
So what do these experts recommend for business owners and communications people who want news coverage? Hogan said building personal relationships with reporters and editors is important and he recommends hand delivering news releases.
"Try to see a news director or an assignment editor," he said. "I'm old school in that regard."
Feltham said his strategy is to use a variety of methods: blogs, Web sites and Twitter in addition to traditional methods.
There is an advantage, he said, to posting your own news: you control your message. Feltham also said Central Kentucky is hungry for business news and recommends approaching publications like the Lane Report and Business Lexington versus the traditional sources.
To get AP interested in your story, it must appeal to a broad base of people either statewide or nationally, Alford said.
Two-thirds of Americans are still getting local news from television, according to the 2009 Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism's State of the News Media. In spite of the decline in viewership, that's a significant number. To reach younger audiences, however, social media, blogs and Web sites are definitely the way to go.
The changes in the media are not the fault of hard-working reporters. Newspapers and television stations are part of large corporations. So, the economy affects the news business just like it does yours.
To get coverage in today's media, think beyond the usual story lines and traditional approaches. If you have a good story to tell, a good reporter will want to tell it.
Mary Hemlepp, APR, is co-owner of the Lexington-based public relations firm Wiser, Hemlepp & Associates.