Quote:
Originally posted by GPhiBLtColonel
...I don't think the NPHC groups are doing anything differently than us -- e.g. just submitting articles/press releases -- but I think it is a media bias...
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Now, here's where I disagree. I was going to PM you but it seems that you're not receiving PMs at the moment, so....
As I said, I've had some experience with this paper and with publishing events. From my own experience, it's not a bias against/preference for certain groups. It literally takes YEARS of persistence to get an advertisement published in that paper, unless it's a MAJOR philanthropic event -- the AKA/ALTA tennis tournament comes to mind. Things like this always get published, but unless your chapter is doing events of this magnitude, you might be SOL.
The organization I worked with sent in announcements faithfully every year for about four years in a row before we finally got an announcement printed in the AJC, and once they finally accepted one from us, we were published pretty regularly. Furthermore, it takes building a relationship with the editors, even if it's just calling them to follow up on the announcements (without sounding confrontational or accusatory). Also, speaking as someone who worked as a public relations/community relations coordinator for a radio station, I can honestly say that I was
swamped with press releases from every dinky organization in the whole city - but the ones that usually made it on air were sent in by people who called me and/or sent follow-up letters to check on whether the announcement would be aired. Yeah it stinks, but greasing the wheel works wonders.
If you haven't contacted the AJC's community events editor (or the Extra editor for your community - do they still do the regional sections in the Thursday papers?) definitely contact that person and find out what the requirements are for submission. Maybe the things you submitted weren't in their preferred format - one of the first things I learned is that they want things outlined in a specific format so that they'll have to do as little editing as possible.
And definitely pick the brains of the NPHC publicity persons in your area. Invite her to coffee and explain your predicament. She might have the name and contact information for a specific person, and could set you on the right track.
Also, don't forget community papers like Creative Loafing. I know I used to send lots of announcements there and they were almost always published. Just because it's a free weekly it doesn't mean that it doesn't have a sizeable readership. They used to have suburban editions of CL, and I just noticed that community events are also published on their website - talk about visibility!
And like Steeltrap suggested, maybe the answer is for your alumnae chapter to do some high-visibility alumnae events. As a matter of fact, I wish more NPC groups did this.
I have lots more suggestions, but I have to run to the gym. PM me or e-mail me if you have any other questions, okay?
