2024年5月5日发(作者：宏基笔记本触摸板没反应)

Sloan Communication Program

Teaching Note

MEDIA RELATIONS

Media relations takes several forms in most companies, ranging from publicity to crisis

management. It can include investor relations as well, particularly at smaller companies.

While large companies have positions dedicated exclusively to media relations, this is not

always the case at smaller companies, where the responsibility is part of another

executive’s duties. Even if there is a media relations group, every executive and manager

has a degree of media relations responsibility at all times, and at certain times can be at

the center of a media relations campaign or crisis. For this reason, it is good for all

executives and managers to know how to do good media relations.

The Typical Scenario

In most cases, a company’s media relations activities are managed through a public

relations, external affairs or communications department. Within this group, there is

one person who handles all inquiries from the press, and manages all efforts to gain

attention from the press for positive news stories or publicity on behalf of the company.

This person is most often called the director of media relations, and he/she is usually the

spokesperson for the company as well.

While this person handles routine queries (quarterly results, questions about press

releases, etc.), there are others who can and will speak to the press in specific

circumstances. These occurrences can be positive (record profits, successful product

introductions, a beneficial merger) or negative (layoffs, failed product, stockholder

lawsuits). These people will be selected, coached and coordinated by the director of

media relations and the head of the department. Good media relations means the

company can maximize the positive effects of news coverage and minimize the damage

from negative news coverage.

Accomplishing this requires:

A Close Relationship with the CEO—The person responsible for media relations must

have a good working relationship with the CEO, or report to someone who does. In most

companies, the only way to know what is going to happen ahead of time is to find out

from the CEO. Fortunately, the CEO typically has a VERY deep interest in how she/he,

her/his management team, and the company look in the newspapers, so that kind of

relationship usually comes with the territory.

Good Working Relationships with the Management Team—The person in charge of

media relations will be coaching senior management in what they say, and

recommending stories to them that will require their participation. In addition, media

training is important for those who will deal with the media on a regular basis, or who

MUST deal with the media during a crisis. An atmosphere of trust between the director

of media relations and senior managers is vital, particularly when third parties (media

training, PR companies) become part of any campaign.

Good Relationships with the Press—Whether it is local press, national press, industry

press, or all three that matter to the company, the director of media relations must have

the knowledge of who writes what for whom, what they have written in the past, and how

to contact them. Knowing who covers what at a paper is partly just a matter of courtesy,

and partly a vital component of the company’s credibility with reporters. Subscription

services provide the most up to date listings of reporters, with addresses and phone

numbers, and that’s a good start. But it is up to the director of media relations to build

that information into a relationship. Frequent contact is the best insurance, particularly

since reporters change assignments and even jobs with some regularity.

So, being in touch directly or indirectly with the CEO, having positive interactions with

the management team, knowing where to go within the company to get the information

reporters seek, and knowing the reporters who cover the company on a regular basis

means media relations are in pretty good shape. If there is something positive and

newsworthy going on, the right person knows about it, knows whom to get the

information from, knows who to consider for an interview, and knows whom to call

about the story.

So much for the “good news” part of media relations. What about when the news is bad?

Crisis Management

Reporters have the same reaction to bad news that sharks have to blood in the water—

they begin a feeding frenzy. A pleasant walk to the office can change into a nightmare

very quickly when someone responsible for media relations turns a corner to see half a

dozen satellite uplinks, a swarm of people with microphones, tape recorders and

notepads, and a lot of hungry looks whenever a bigwig from the company is spotted. 60

Minutes is a very real thing, and it must dine on something every week, but local stations

and newspapers can spoil a media relations person’s whole day just as quickly.

OK, that nightmare is the result of not knowing enough about what was going on. What

can media relations do when it DOES know what is going on?

The reason it is called “crisis management” is because there are ways of handling even

the worst events. There is no escape, but following the guidelines below can minimize

the intensity and the duration of the pain for the company, the managers, and the

stockholders.

Talk to EVERYONE involved—The first thing media relations people do is gather

information necessary to assess the multiple levels at which damage could occur. Later,

this information will be used in framing the company’s response, but it is used