Monday, November 06, 2006

The BBC - Your Truly Local Paper?

The Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson has told the Society of Newspaper Editors conference in Glasgow that the corporation could begin paying local and regional newspapers for stories.

You can read it for yourself here, but how does that impact on those of you who rely upon an good PR to place you in those very newspapers the BBC may soon be courting?

Well, Thompson isn't daft. Tapping in on the established and local newsgathering organisations is a sure fire way to bring stories to an ever more demanding local audience. In the simplest terms it could mean that a story about your business that makes it into the Newbury Weekly News, Reading Post or Basingstoke Gazette could then find its way on to the BBC. Viral PR at its best!

However, to me it also indicates that the BBC is looking for more local news; something my clients already know! Certainly getting coverage on local BBC Radio is not as tricky as you might imagine and a good visual story will attract the BBC South journalists who work from the same newsroom. Broadcast interviews are a formidable way to promote your business and part of Morgan PR's work involves coaching people for just such opportunities through our bespoke media training.

Morgan PR offers a range of retained packages, all of which include a media strategy to ensure that your business identifies the genuine opportunities to secure the news coverage that you deserve. Contact me here if you would like to know more.

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