If you saw the award-winning movie Up in the Air, you know that it was award-winning for a reason—and that reason does not (entirely) revolve around the fact that George Clooney was the leading actor. The reason for the movie’s success, rather, was that it was incredibly relevant. The movie was released in December of 2009, at the end of a year that knocked America’s workforce on their rear ends and left the bitter taste of uncertainty in their mouths.
When it comes to the media, unfortunately, the industry didn’t get out any easier than the rest of the country did. In fact, the expert media analysts over at Vocus recently published the 2010 State of the Media Whitepaper, and according to their research, they might even be on the worse end of the spectrum when it comes to industry recovery from the economic downturn. This can most assuredly be contributed to the changing state of the media landscape in the midst of this downturn. At the same time as consumers are looking for ways to cut costs, the internet takes control of media coverage, offering people cheap, if not completely free, media to receive news, leaving magazines, newspapers and TV and radio stations scrambling to find solutions to make money on the ways consumers prefer to receive information.
If you haven’t read the State of the Media 2010 Whitepaper, take a look at a few of the key findings, as reported in Vocus’ own release.
• Approximately 293 newspapers folded in 2009, with nearly 100 closing in Q1 alone
• Eight magazines with a circulation of 1 million+ ceased publication
• 1,126 magazines (print and online) shuttered in 2009
• Radio stations gave up more than 10,000 jobs
• More than 100 TV stations were affected by their parent companies filing Chapter 11
In addition to these findings, the Federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics also reported that more than 40,000 jobs were lost in the newspaper business in 2009. Not only does this statistic represent a larger rate of job loss in this industry than any other year in the past decade; it is also almost twice the amount of newspaper job losses in 2008, the year most would claim as the hardest hit, economically speaking. And the battle isn’t over for those who still have their jobs. Many journalists and reporters have now found themselves picking up the pieces in the wake of their former co-workers’ exits. This means they’re taking on multiple roles, doing several peoples’ jobs, and trying to maintain a respectable level of integrity to their audience all the while.
So PR professionals— time to step it up. This report is your call to action. Your job has always been to help reporters and journalists to the best of your ability (hence Help a Reporter Out—see the connection?). These guys are just trying to do the best they can with what they’ve been given, so as you’re trying to anticipate the best ways to help them, consider the state of their industry and the implications it has on their everyday needs. As Vocus suggests, when you send in b-roll, make sure it is very high quality, as TV stations are broadcasting more frequently in HD to bring in more viewers. Given the fact that there is more media integration, also consider sending content in the form of different media platforms. For example, if you’re pitching a TV reporter who also provides web content or blog post editions of his/her story, consider including some easy-to-use site copy in your pitch. Same goes for a journalist who likes to include audio and/or photos.
Bottom line, you know you’re supposed to anticipate journalists’ needs, but now this anticipation involves a little more research. So put in the extra elbow grease, because if you don’t, there’s another practitioner on your tail, ready to take the necessary steps to get the story. This is the lesson that America- from students to PR professionals to CEO’s- can take from Up in the Air: don’t fight change, learn from it. Better yet, grow with it. After all, change is the only constant.
For inspiration on how to grow with the changing media landscape, check out this brilliant illustration of creating success in the publishing industry. What did you take away from the State of the Media report? Share your thoughts and/or questions below, we’d love to hear from you!
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