Television

Think "pictures" when you think of television news. Television is different from all other media in that it demands visual presentation of your message. To succeed in generating TV coverage for stories related to the Centennial and community colleges at large, you must be able to differentiate between print and TV stories. For example, the image of parents and teachers staging a demonstration in a classroom or students working with innovative technology is more likely to attract a TV crew than "talking heads" announcing the Centennial at a news conference.

Beyond simply identifying which of your events will be appropriate for TV coverage, try to devise creative ways to enrich the visual aspects of the story you are trying to tell. Stage visually appealing events and highlight opportunities for television reporters to show people in action - teachers and students engaged in creative and engaging lessons, students volunteering in the community or business leaders mentoring students on your campus. To maximize your use of television, remember that this medium provides a dual route for conveying your message - through the spoken word and through images. Consider the backdrop at a news conference. Encourage participants at your events to wear your college t-shirts and buttons or carry banners or signs to increase visibility and recognition.

Although air time on TV newscasts is limited, local stations usually have at least three scheduled news broadcasts a day where you can seek coverage - one at noon, another in the late afternoon or early evening (between 4:00 6:00 p.m.), and a final report around 10:00-11:00 p.m. Generally, noon and late afternoon broadcasts report "lighter" news - special segments and human interest stories - while the early evening broad¬casts serve as the station's primary newscasts. The late news is usually a final update of the day's events.

Who to Contact: Typically, you will want to deal with the station's assignment editor or news desk. Larger stations usually have three assignment editors - one for the noon newscasts, one for both evening newscasts, and a weekend assignment editor. While few stations have a specialized education reporter, there are generally several correspondents who cover human-interest and feature news stories.

Television Deadlines: It is best to give TV stations several days to put together an education story. Do not call during or immediately before a broadcast unless you have major breaking news. And remember that TV reporters are busiest in the late afternoon before the evening newscasts. Because the news is constantly changing and television newscasts cover a limited number of stories in their half hour or hour time block, you will find that TV assignment editors are extremely selective. Breaking news often forces TV stations to change their schedule of news segments at the last minute.