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IN THIS EDITION:
Tim Lewallen, KD5ING, of Nacogdoches, Texas, has been named the winner of the 2003 Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award. The honor is given annually to a volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding public relations success on behalf of Amateur Radio.
In this interview, Tim shares some of his experiences with Amateur Radio public relations, and offers tips to other PR volunteers.
Q: How did you first get interested in ham radio public relations?
A: I have always been a "people person" and I perform the marketing activities at my office. I also did frequent sales and technical presentations with a previous employer so when our club PIO, Albert Fisher, AC5Z, announced that he needed someone to take over the spot it just seemed like a good fit.
Q: You were appointed as an ARRL Public Information Officer in January of this year, and you were faced with the shuttle Columbia disaster only a month later. How did you handle that?
A: I knew that the Columbia tragedy was going to be very big news and I really didn't know what to expect. I knew that I wanted to present myself as a spokesperson for Amateur Radio in the best possible light. That meant I needed to appear professional and sound like I knew what I was talking about. With that in mind I did three things: 1) I contacted our local ARES Emergency Coordinator and the officers of the Nacogdoches Amateur Radio Club to ask them what part are we playing in this operation, 2) I contacted the other participants of the ARRL Public Relations email reflector to let them know about my situation and that I was seeking help in my position and 3) I contacted the Information Officers of the City and County of Nacogdoches to make sure that my activities adhered to and followed their guidelines for speaking with the media.
Q: What was the biggest lesson you learned from your publicity activities during that particular disaster?
A: I would say it would be having good relationships with not only the local media but also served agencies.
During the event I wanted to include quotes from the officials of the various served agencies for my press releases. This would have been much easier if I didn't have to go through the various "Who are you and why should I care?" type questions with receptionists and the officials themselves. Having good working relationships makes your job faster and easier.
Q: Is there an area or a facet of Amateur Radio that you think deserves more public attention?
A: I think the innovations that come from the Amateur Radio community should receive more mention. Cordless phones, cell phones, wireless networking -- all of these developments began with amateur radio experimentation in one form or another. This type of work is still being done with things like APRS, software defined radios, the various radio-internet linking systems and the ARRL High Speed Multimedia (HSMM) effort. Ideas like these help me build interest with younger generations of would-be hams.
Q: Can anyone get involved with promoting Amateur Radio?
A: Absolutely. You do not have to be a Public Information Officer to promote amateur radio. The key is being prepared. Think about what you are going to say when someone asks you "What is amateur radio?" Keep your answers short and interesting and don't get bogged down in radio jargon or technical details. Describe amateur radio to others using terms they can relate to such as cell phones or FRS radios.
Q: What three tips would you offer to new PR volunteers?
A: 1) Participate on the ARRL PR email reflector. This has been a great source for tips and ideas concerning our role of working with the media and the public.
2) Develop relationships with the media as well as served agencies. Eventually they will begin calling you for advice and stories.
3) Remember that amateur radio is seldom the main story. Usually amateur radio is ancillary to the events we are involved in, but the media is always looking for a new angle on the same story to keep it fresh.
Q: What PR activities are you involved with on a regular basis?
A: I try to keep our local media outlets up to date on our activities through emails, phone calls and press releases. I also send the same information to the ARRL for possible inclusion in QST or the ARRL Website. I also look for opportunities to address the local civic clubs such as The Rotary Club. Keeping their influential members aware of our activities usually proves fruitful when we later solicit donations for the ARES/Skywarn activities. I also look for opportunities to promote the ARRL within our club and encourage non-members to join the ARRL.
Q: Which ham radio activities do you enjoy most?
A: I really enjoy the public service aspect of amateur radio. I feel that serving the community is part of our civic duty. I also enjoy fox hunting along with several others in the club. In fact, we are planning a foxhunt event for the coming spring. If I do my job right you will hear about it! I am also involved in the HSMM initiative researching high-speed digital networking over long distances.
Q: What do you do for fun outside of ham radio?
A: I have recently gotten involved in Geocaching, which is a sort of GPS based treasure hunt activity enjoyed by people all over the world. I also enjoy playing computer video games with some of my fellow hams as well as hang out at the QTH with the wife and two kiddos!
The deadline is fast approaching to submit nominations for the 2003 Bill Leonard, W2SKE, Professional Media Award. The award goes to a professional journalist whose coverage best reflects the enjoyment, importance and public service value of Amateur Radio. It was named to honor the late Bill Leonard, a former president of CBS News and avid Amateur Radio operator in the 1960s and 1970s. Individual journalists may nominate themselves.
The winner will receive a plaque and a cash award of $500. All nominations must be received at ARRL Headquarters by 5 PM EST, December 5, 2003. For more information about the award, including the official rules of entry, contact ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP , apitts@arrl.org; 860-594-0328.
By David Greer, N4KZ
Taking on the position of ARRL public information officer or being appointed your club's publicity chairman can seem like a daunting task, but it sounds more difficult than it is. Believe it or not, your local newspaper does want to hear from you about your group's Amateur Radio activities.
Here are some tips for increasing your chance of success in generating some good PR:
David Greer, N4KZ, is member services director of the Kentucky Press Association and a former newspaper reporter, editor and publisher. He is also a member of ARRL's Public Relations Committee.
When South Carolina Section Manager Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, unveiled his new section Website earlier this year, he may not have realized just how much exposure it would get. That's where Public Information Coordinator Dan Donovan, KF4VIS, comes in.
Quite by accident, Dan ran across a great informational Web site for the state of South Carolina, www.sciway.net. "I found that it contained everything you wanted to know about the who, what and where in South Carolina," he says. The site included many links to ham clubs in the state, but Dan found that some of the information was out of date.
Simply by clicking the "Contact Us" link on the SCIway site, Dan was able to send a message to the Webmaster, give her the link to the new section Website and explain why ham radio is important to the state, particularly during emergencies. Dan received an enthusiastic reply the same day.
The SCIway site now includes SM Boehner's section page, ham radio emergency service information and individual club Web sites listed by town. The same page also features links to the state's Emergency Management Division and Red Cross chapters.
Most states have Websites offering a wide variety of information for residents and visitors. Getting your section Website noticed may be easier than you think!
Most local newspapers have community calendar or happenings sections, and editors will gladly accept your license class and test session announcements.
Here is a fill-in-the-blank release you may complete and submit for publication. You may wish to tailor the release to include a few interesting facts about your club, or ham radio information specific to your community.
For More Information:
(Local contact name)
(Contact phone number/s)
(Contact e-mail address)
For Immediate Release
TOWN, State, Release date -- If you've been looking for a new hobby, one both challenging and fun, Amateur Radio (or "ham radio") may be for you. Members of the (insert club name) want to help you get started.
"Amateur Radio has something for everyone," says (name of your club spokesperson). "It's a great way to make new friends or get involved in public service work during local emergencies. Some people enjoy the challenge of the technology."
The (club name) is currently offering beginner Amateur Radio classes on (day/s of week) at (time and location). There is no Morse code requirement needed for the entry level "Technician" class license. Volunteers from the club are also holding exam sessions for those who are ready to take the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing test.
For more information on local Amateur Radio classes or testing opportunities, contact (name of your club contact along with phone number and e-mail address).
Today there are approximately 682,000 Amateur Radio operators in the United States and more than 2.5 million worldwide. Learn more about Amateur Radio on the ARRL site, www.arrl.org, or by calling the League's toll-free number 1-800-32-NEW HAM.
When the local television station calls and wants to visit a ham shack for local angles on Hurricane Elmer, are you prepared to respond immediately to the reporter's needs?
With planning, media requests can be turned into opportunities to tell the Amateur Radio story to your community.
Often, whether it's a hurricane in the Caribbean or an earthquake in California, all that is required is finding good health and welfare traffic coming from the disaster area to which reporters can listen-in.
Before the next disaster strikes, identify a ham who is able to get up and running on emergency frequencies whenever the news media calls, whether it's in the middle of the afternoon or the middle of the night.
Your "designated operator" should be:
Before giving out his or her name, call your designated operator to make sure there is activity on the air that would be of interest. Also, make sure the particular frequency is free of jamming and other misbehavior that could prove embarrassing. Then get back to reporters and explain what they are likely to hear. Many reporters don't understand that HF propagation isn't always clear, nor that hams at a disaster site don't have the ability to go out, gather news and report back.
While FCC regulations prohibit reporters from asking questions on the air (unless no other available means of communication is available), nothing would prevent them from listening in on messages coming from a disaster site.
Being prepared is all it takes.
News reporters are, by definition, pressed by deadlines, whether they're reporting on the local school board meeting or on Amateur Radio. Helping a reporter get the facts quickly and easily will ensure good coverage, and having a press kit ready to hand over, e-mail or fax is an essential tool for effective public relations.
Having the information in print also helps reporters with accuracy as they work on their stories, and they can file it away for future reference.
You can start with the kit folder itself. It need not be a slick, four-color creation that requires professional production and printing. A simple folder available at any retail store will do. You can dress it up (still keeping it clean and professional looking) with your club name and logo, using laser printer labels or stickers.
Most press kits contain a series of short articles called "backgrounders." The backgrounders cover the kinds of general questions reporters are likely to ask as they pursue a story. That means the backgrounders often are "evergreen" (i.e. don't have news deadlines) and are the kind that can sit in a reporter's file for future reference.
The backgrounders ARRL uses are posted on the PR pages at www.arrl.org/pio. The backgrounders that list specific disaster situations and League membership numbers do require updating on a fairly regular basis.
You can tailor your general press kit at anytime during the year to meet the needs of the media. When a local disaster occurs, include a press release on ham radio's response effort. If BPL or another hot topic continues to come up in the news, it may be time for a backgrounder to answer reporters' questions about the current issue.
What else can you add to your press kit? You may want to include bios on your club officers, a general brochure on ham radio or even a few recent newspaper clips on ham radio, as an example of what other reporters have been writing about.
Keep a bunch of press kits handy, and you'll be ready when the next media opportunity comes your way.
This Rotary International site offers some great information under the "PR Training" and the "PR Tools" links. Much like ARRL, the Rotary organization looks to its members in the field to get involved with public relations activities.
The purpose of www.publicityinsider.com is to "demystify the process of doing your own publicity & public relations," says the author. The site is full of how-to advice, and includes an offer for a free weekly e-zine called Publicity Insider Update.
