How to plan the PR and Communications of European School Sport Day?
Chapter 16 Sport Communications. Introduction Communications –Defined as all methods used by a...
-
Upload
shannon-wood -
Category
Documents
-
view
221 -
download
0
Transcript of Chapter 16 Sport Communications. Introduction Communications –Defined as all methods used by a...
Introduction• Communications
– Defined as all methods used by a sport organization to deliver its key messages proactively to a diverse group of constituencies
• A dramatic shift in sport industry’s communications needs has occurred because advances in technology have made the world much smaller
• Sport organizations have found that more aggressive and strategic communication plans are vital to overall success
History
• First outlet to cover a sporting event was the Boston Gazette when it sent a reporter to London to cover a boxing match.
• Much of the growth in the sport industry has been caused by the expansion of cable television and its use of sport programming to lure subscribers.– Substantially increased rights fees paid to sport
entities
Changing Landscape of Media and Sport Communications
• Sport communications has undergone dramatic changes in terms of the number of stakeholders and the methods used to communicate.
• Media changes:– Cable television introduced the concept of 24-hour
news and later 24-hour sport programming and news channels.
– Sport radio has become one of the top formats on the radio dial.
• Corporate world has taken notice of sports.– Franchises are no longer run as secondary
businesses, managed on a game-to-game basis
Changing Landscape of Media and Sport Communications (cont.)
• College Athletics:– Sports information director (SID): covers media
relations and other communications jobs– Athletic department have gone from one-person
staffs to five to ten person staffs• Internet skills needed:
– HTML skills, video production, uploading and downloading
Key Concepts: Media Relations
• Most media outlets turn public’s desire to know all they can about their favorite team and players into dollars by selling more papers and advertising to increase the outlet’s own profits.
• Wire service stories have the potential to reach the largest audience through a distribution network consisting of hundreds of newspaper, radio, television, and Internet outlets.
• Beat reporter – daily contact assigned by local media
Key Concepts: Media Relations (cont.)
• Press release – Basic interpretive mechanism to let people know
what an organization is doing – Sent out to editors and reporters in hopes of
stimulating favorable stories about an organization
• Press conference – Media invited to a specific location– Accommodating the needs of attending media is
a top priority
Key Concepts: Media Relations (cont.)• Annual team media guide publications must be
created and distributed to the media before the season begins– Include staff directories; biographies of all
coaches, players, owners, and front-office staff; as well as team and individual records
– Media guides not usually in digital format, not just print
• Ex. MLB Red and Green books• Photography – need capable photographer to cover
events (games, press conferences, etc.)– Digital photography standard now
Key Concepts: Media Relations (cont.)• Video news release
– Preproduced piece that includes a written story summary or press release that is edited for broadcast, making it more attractive for a TV producer to air, as well as online
• B-roll– A tape of raw footage that is not a finished segment that
would accompany a written news release • Conference calls
– Successful way to communicate with media fast– Will likely give way to Web conferencing
Legal Issues• Defamation may come into play if the sport
communication professional gives inaccurate information to the media
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)– Also known as the Buckley Amendment– FERPA sets the parameters for providing
personal, academic, and medical information to the media
Legal Issues (cont.)
– FERPA requires that student-athletes at universities that receive federal funding consent to the release of their academic and medical information to nonuniversity personnel, such as college conferences and the media
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)– Sets limits on providing medical information to
others
Public and Community Relations• Public relations
– All non-media-related communication efforts aimed at delivering a direct message to the fans
• Most public relations activities are undertaken to have a positive impact on the community, resulting in positive media attention
• Community relations objectives include – The development of substantive programs to
benefit charitable causes– Educational and outreach programs in an
organization’s area of business
New Media and the Internet• New media industry
– Combines elements of computing, technology, content, and telecommunications.
– Creates products and services that can be used interactively by consumers and business users.
• Web sites are one of an organization’s most valued public relations outlets.
• Web site – Allows for message to be published in the way that
organization wants it to be presented, and not filtered by the media.
– Web site allows team to distribute message and product to a worldwide audience (ex. e-newsletters)
The Interview• Interview
– A question and answer session employed by media to gather information and present it to an audience
• First item is to prepare key messages that the organization wants to convey to the media during the interview.
• Sports communications professionals should create a list of potential questions, including suggested responses, before the interview.
Crisis Management• Crisis
– Any nonroutine event that could be disruptive to an organization
– Unusual short-term incident that has real or perceived negative impact
• Crisis plan – Identifying crises, identifying the probability of
their occurrence, creating a plan of action• Overreaction is the most common mistake made
during a crisis • A prepared sport organization should create a crisis
team
Crisis Management - Issues• Speculation – hypothetical questions asked by the
media; “what if” or “suppose” – Better not to answer
• Off-the-record comments – dangerous practice unless very trusting of media member– Can be used if newsworthy
• Awareness – Need to be mindful of what is said and done when media is around– Can be picked up on recorders, cameras, phones, etc.
• Media Training – Companies offer tips for communications professionals and for anyone likely to be dealing with the media
Internal Communications
• Communicating to an organization’s staff is often overlooked• Daily/weekly e-mail from the president or general manager to
include the following:– New partnership agreements – New hiring– Ticket sales updates – Status report– Employee of month award and anything else to engage
employees• Weekly or monthly breakfast where staff can gather in an
informal environment can be beneficial
Integrated Marketing Communications
• Integrated marketing communications– Symbiosis of advertising, marketing, and public
relations
• Advertising– Information placed in media by an identified
sponsor that pays for time or space – More costly than public relations but more
controlled
Integrated Marketing Communications (cont.)• Media planning
– Choosing the correct medium to place advertising– Requires a thorough examination of each
potential outlet’s ability to reach the most people fitting a target audience’s demographic profile
• Direct marketing – Success rates vary widely– Successful campaigns return a positive response
from approximately 2% of individuals targeted
Career Opportunities• Growth in industry
– There are currently 144 teams at the major league level, with hundreds of communications-related positions.
– However, obtaining one of these coveted positions is as difficult as ever.
• Important to accumulate experience in public relations, communications, marketing, advertising, public speaking, and journalism.
© Bruce C. Murray/ShutterStock, Inc.
Current Issues• Emerging technology
– Internet-based Web conferencing will become increasingly popular in sports communications
• Outside agencies – Hiring of outside public relations firms to help
develop and administer public relations programs or special events
• Government relations – Most organizations hire outside firms to represent
their legislative interests and other government contacts