9/23 Media Days

Press Releases and Managed News Events

  • Press releases are the oldest and most prevalent method used by information professionals to convey information from organizations to the media.

Packaged News Events

  • Managed news events, also known as packaged news events, are utilized by organizations to deliver messages to the media.

    • Popular Types of Packaged News Events:

    • Media days are a type of packaged news event used by sports organizations.

    • Professional Sports Organizations:

      • Typically hold one media day event annually, occurring approximately one month before the season begins.

    • Colleges and Universities (Mainly Division 1):

      • Generally conduct two media day events each year:

      • Football/fall media day (approximately one month before the season begins).

      • Spring media day.

      • One-time special events (like NASCAR races, tournaments) generally have a media day about a month prior to the event.

      • Media day events usually occur on campus or at a nearby facility.

Characteristics of Media Days

  • Media days often involve accompanying activities such as golf tournaments.

  • Professional Sport Organizations:

    • Media day events are often held at their training facility or the facility post-event.

    • These events are intended to express gratitude to the media for their coverage during the season.

    • Special treatment is offered to media participants, such as:

    • Gift bags

    • Paid golf

    • Complimentary food and drinks

    • An unwritten expectation exists where coverage is anticipated in return from the media.

    • Quote: "They want to guilt you into covering them that season. It's almost like a bribe."

  • Examples of Engaging Media Events:

    • Ottawa Senators Media Day: Media invited to play a scrimmage against players.

    • NASCAR Media Day: Media invited to race against NASCAR drivers in go-karts.

Importance of Enjoyable Events

  • The speaker enjoys fun elements at media day events (golf, racing, free food, and gift bags), emphasizing their importance to drive media attendance.

  • If media days lack engaging elements, attendance may dwindle, particularly if attendance requires travel.

  • Fall media day serves as an essential opportunity for reporters to meet athletes in person for the first time each year.

Networking Opportunities at Media Days

  • Media day events facilitate networking due to continuous turnover (graduations, transfers, free agency, trades, drafts) in college and professional sports.

  • Conference Media Days:

    • Feature larger attendance as every team within the conference is present, differentiating them from team/university media days.

    • Because of higher attendance, events such as golf tournaments are impractical; however, prizes tend to be larger.

Importance of Good Relations with Journalists

  • Sports Information Directors (SIDs) are encouraged to provide branded apparel and gifts to journalists during events.

  • For journalists, establishing relationships with SIDs is crucial for obtaining media credentials for games.

  • Welcoming new journalists at a facility is vital; it influences their decisions on who and what to cover.

    • Journalists often start in smaller markets before progressing to larger ones, leading to challenges for smaller communities and organizations in maintaining relationships with changing journalist demographics.

  • Making journalists feel welcome encourages their return to the facility:

    • Strategies include:

    • Personal tours.

    • Introducing them to key personnel.

Planning for Media Days

  • Effective planning for media days typically commences around nine months in advance:

    • Effective SIDs or PR directors delegate tasks to:

    • Coaches.

    • Players.

    • Athletic directors.

    • Organizational structures outlining responsibilities should be developed.

  • Plans must include a comprehensive budget and timetable (detailing deadlines for tasks).

  • Media days require extensive planning (approximately nine months), whereas press conferences might necessitate only a few hours of preparation.

    • Consideration should be given to scheduling dates and times that suit media availability.

  • Importance of Strategic Scheduling:

    • An example of poor scheduling includes Cornwall University's media day occurring on the same day as the BC Open golf tournament, leading to rescheduling.

Example: Cornell's Media Day Planning

  • Cornel's media day includes:

    • Broadcast media golfing in the morning, then a press conference.

    • Print journalists arriving later for lunch followed by afternoon golf.

  • This separation of activities accommodates different deadlines:

    • Broadcast journalists must return for the 6 PM news.

    • Print journalists handle later deadlines.

  • Emphasizing convenience for the media is a priority in event planning.

Conference Media Day Structure

  • Big East Conference Media Day:

    • Opens with remarks and welcomes.

    • Coaches from each member team deliver 3-5 minutes summaries on season expectations.

    • Preseason polling:

    • Sports information directors distribute ballots to rank teams.

  • Host Organization Structure:

    • Conference meetings generally rotate among cities near member schools.

    • For instance, Big East Conference holds their media day at Madison Square Garden annually.

  • Following the preseason voting, meeting attendees engage in lunch, with ballots collected and results tallied.

  • Prizes for media attendees are typically included in events.

Storytelling in Media Relations

  • Results from preseason polling frequently provide breaking news featured in broadcasts and reports.

  • The speaker seeks stories that capture the interest of a wider audience:

    • Target Audience Insight:

    • Focus on stories appealing to the 84% of individuals who are not sports fans, asserting that such stories will also engage sports fans.

    • Aim for stories appealing to 100% of the audience.

  • The role of media relations, sports information, and PR professionals is to seek out and deliver captivating stories.

  • Seeking stories that offer entertainment value leads to successful media relations, PR engagements, and sports information management.

Water Cooler Stories Concept

  • The speaker prioritizes "water cooler stories," defined as engaging narratives that prompt discussions at work.

  • A direct appeal by the speaker emphasizes: "Give me a water cooler story, and I'll give you publicity."