Scheduling a News Conference

The conference should be scheduled at a time that is convenient for the reporters -that is, with an eye on the deadlines of the media represented. In general, mornings or early afternoons are best for both print and broadcast media. This allows sufficient ti­me for reporters to get stories in the next morning's daily or on the 6 p.m. news. If the primary audience is the trade press - reporters representing publications in a particular industry - late afternoon news conferences may be more convenient.

You should avoid Saturdays and Sundays, as well as major holidays. Most media operate with skeleton staffs on these days and hence don't have the personnel to cover news conferences.

Another consideration which often can't be planned for, is to schedule the news con­ference on a day when there aren't a lot of conflicting news events. It's always wise to avoid election days, for example.

Selecting a Location

A location for a news conference must meet several criteria. First, it must be conve­nient for the media invited and relatively close to their places of work. Second, the ro­om selected must have the necessary facilities to accomodate both print and broadcast media.

Organizations often use hotels and conference centers for news conferences, as well as the corporate headquarters. It is important for the room to have plenty of electrical outlets, particularly for radio and television views. Television people may prefer a ro­om on a ground floor near an entrance so that they can park a mobile communications center outside the room. In some cases, they will want to run cables from the truck to the room for live broadcast.

You should make the room available one or two hours in advance so that radio and television crews can set up. Have a general seating plan to make sure that the equip­ment doesn't obstruct the view or hinder the work of the print reporters. An elevated platform for TV cameras in the back of the room is helpful.

Another consideration is to have several smaller rooms reserved nearby for print and broadcast reporters to conduct an exclusive interview with a company representa­tive after the general news conference.

Invitations

The invitation list should include all reporters who might be interested. It is better to invite too many than to omit some who may feel slighted. Invitations, which may take the form of a letter, should be mailed or faxed seven to ten days in advance. The telephone can be used if the conference is being scheduled on short notice. In any case, the invitation should state the time and place, the subject to be discussed, and the na­mes of the principal spokespeople who will attend.

Invitations should be marked "RSVP" so that you can make appropriate decisions regarding the size of the meeting room, the number of press kits or other materials, and any special equipment that will be needed. Reporters are notorious for not responding to RSVPs, so it is usually necessary to phone them several days before the event as a reminder and to get a tentative answer.

Handling the Conference

It is important that a news conference be well organized, short, and punctual. It is not a symposium or a seminar. A news conference should run no more than an hour, and the statements by spokespeople should be relatively brief, allowing reporters time to ask questions.

You should brief your employers or clients on what they are going to say, how they are going to say it, and what visual aids will be used to illustrate the announcement. Reporters should receive copies of the text for each speech and other key materials such as slides, charts, and background materials. These are often given to reporters in the form of a press kit. Short bios with the accurate names and titles of the participants can be added to the press kit, as can general news releases.

Coffee, fruit juice, and rolls can be served prior to the opening of a morning news conference. Avoid trying to serve a luncheon or cocktails to reporters attending a news conference. They have deadlines and other assignments, they don't have time to socialize.

After the Conference

At the conclusion of the news conference the spokespeople should remain in the room and be available for any reporters who need one-on-one interviews. This can be done in a quiet corner or in a room adjacent to the site.

As the public relatiions person, you should be readily accessible during the remain­der of the day in case reporters need more information or think of other questions as they prepare their stories. You should know where the spokespeople are during the day and how they can be reached, just in case a reporter needs to check a quote or get another.

Another duty is to contact reporters who expressed interest but were ultimately unable to attend. You can offer to send them the printed materials from the news con­ference and, if you have recorded the news conference, offer excerpts of videotape or sound bites. Another possibility is to arrange a one-on-one interview with one of the spokespeople.

1) Find the English equivalents in the text. Use them in sentences of your own:

быть компетентным; сформулировать мысль; цель ч.-л.; знающие специали­сты; обычные вопросы; предоставить прекрасные возможности; служащие компании; источник (информации); прокомментировать ч.-л.; не иметь ничего общего с ч.-л.

получить доступ; значительная личность; сложная проблема; предоставить возможность; одновременно; главная причина; коллективные решения; опре­делить ч.-л.; обнародовать; слишком часто; следовательно; день выборов; сравнительно; штаб-квартира; в конце комнаты; неподалеку; предпочитать; ежедневная газета; достаточно времени; избегать.

2) Find the words in the text which describe or mean the following:

1. changes in your body position and movements that show what you are feeling or
thinking -

2. likely to do smth. -

3. nervousness felt by someone who is going to perform in front of a lot of people -

4. an important new discovery in something you are studying, especially one made
after trying for a long time -

5. to deliberately try to cause arguments or problems -

6. to do smth. that makes someone unfriendly or unwilling to support you -

7. done in order to find out more or do more about smth. -

8. to try to achieve or get smth. -

9. only enough workers or services to keep an operation or organization running -

10. to provide enough space for a particular number of people or things -

11. to make it difficult for someone to do something or for something to develop -

12. to plan that something will happen at a particular time -

13. a concert, sports events etc. that is seen or heard on television or radio at the as
me time as it is happening -

3) Insert the prepositions(for; on; with; in; forward; up; away; by; out). Translate the sentences into Russian:

1. Most press interviews are set__ advance.

2. They can be requested____ a reporter who is looking__ credible experts to

fill_____ a story.

3. The reporter may ask you to comment_________________________ some topic that has nothing to do______________________

your organization.

4. Be confident and relaxed, always look a reporter________________ the eye and never look,

and lean____ when you're talking.

4) Answer the following questions:

1. Why are press interviews, news conferences etc, so important to public relations
people?

2. Why may company executives sometimes view direct one-to-one contact with
the media as a nightmare?

3. What is the key to a successful interview?

4. Who can initiate a press interview?

5. What questions should be asked before a reporter interviews you?

6. What can be achieved by doing this kind of questioning?

7. What are dangers of a telephone interview?

8. What should reporters be provided with in advance or at the time of the interview?

9. What is the best time for a news conference and why?

10. In which cases are late afternoons more convenient?

11. Why should Saturdays and Sundays be avoided?

12. What criteria should a location for a news conference meet?

13. What kind of room may television people prefer?

14. Why should the room be made available one or two hours in advance?

15. For what purpose may some smaller rooms be reserved nearby?

16. Who can give an exclusive interview?

5) Say what new facts and ideas you have learned from the texts about news con­
ferences. You may start like this:

Ididn't know that...

I knew... in general but...

The text mentioned... which was new to me...

Задание 7