The media are an ideal communications channel to reach the primary audiences in your community. This is true for several reasons. First, the media offer a very cost-effective way to deliver a message compared to advertising or direct marketing. Second, the media add credibility to your message when they report on your coalition and its activities. This "third party endorsement" is one of the most valuable aspects of a media relations campaign.

Getting started Begin planning your 3D Prevention Month media campaign as early as possible. Check into other activities that may conflict and try to coordinate with other groups that may want to hold 3D events. If you team up, you will probably get better coverage than if you hold separate events. The sample materials and camera-ready artwork included in this planner may help you with your efforts.

Developing media lists If you don't already have a media list, develop one that includes names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, and (if appropriate) e-mail addresses. You can use media directories in the library or ask your Governor's Highway Safety Office, local Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) chapter, or local Remove Intoxicated Drivers (RID) chapter to give you their lists to get you started. Make sure you include:

• Local bureaus of wire services;
• Daily and weekly newspapers;
• Television, radio, and cable stations;
• Local magazines;
• High school and college newspapers;
• Newsletters of local highway safety, public health, and other organizations; and
• Employee newsletters for major employers and/or government agencies.

Small publications may have only one or two people involved. In that case, send your information to the top person (editor). Larger outlets may have several individuals that should be on your list, such as:

• Assignment or city editors (who decide which events get covered);
• Transportation reporters (who may already know many of the key groups and individuals involved in highway safety);
• Editorial page editors (who may provide editorial endorsements of your efforts or publish your opinion pieces);
• Feature reporters (who may be interested in the individual stories of people affected by impaired drivers); and
• Public service directors (who coordinate the community involvement of their media outlet).

Providing information Get to know the reporters who cover transportation and highway safety issues. Find out what their deadlines are and honor them (don't call near deadline unless you have vital, late-breaking news).

Be a good source of information to any reporter who calls. Have information handy. If you can't answer a specific question, help the reporter find someone who can.

Get creative in thinking about new ways to get your messages out. Ask a food editor to publish non-alcoholic drink recipes. Suggest that a travel writer offer tips on safe holiday driving. Pitch a society columnist to cover an alcohol-free New Year's Eve celebration. Ask a television station to use anti-impaired driving messages during their station identification spots. Traffic reporters may be your best avenue to promote National Lights On For Life Day.

You can also team up with a specific media outlet for a targeted effort. For instance, if your local police and cellular telephone service company have a number for cellular customers to report suspected impaired drivers, a local radio station may consider becoming a partner in the effort to promote the service, with repeated public service announcements throughout the holidays.

Choosing a spokesperson If possible, your coalition should have a designated spokesperson who is the first one the media call upon and who can speak on behalf of the local 3D Prevention Coalition. Someone with good public speaking skills and experience with the media is necessary. If that person has also been a victim of or lost a loved one to an impaired driver, they bring even more credibility. If you have such a person, but they are not accustomed to speaking with the media, consider getting some media training for them so they will be more comfortable.

Localizing information While the national figures provided in this Program Planner and in other materials are helpful, it is important for your coalition to localize your data to make it meaningful to your audiences and the media. For instance, you might want to have available the number of people killed and injured by impaired drivers in your state every year, as well as information about impaired driving crashes over the December holidays. Show how much money your state spent last year on traffic crashes or how much your state could save if impaired driving was reduced by a certain amount. Your Governor's Highway Safety Office can assist you if you do not already have local and/or statewide information.

Timing your events The National 3D Prevention Month Coalition will hold its national news conference on Thursday, December 18, 1997, in Washington, DC. High level officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation, other federal agencies, the National 3D Prevention Month Coalition, and representatives from a number of national organizations who work actively in this area, will speak out on the issue and confirm their continued support and commitment to work together to help resolve the impaired driving problem that plagues our nation. National Lights On For Life Day, December 19, 1997, is an opportunity to involve the community and gain support for increased enforcement of impaired driver and motorcyclist laws. National Holiday Lifesaver Weekend, December 19-21, is another opportunity for impaired driving issues to be brought to the forefront. Motor vehicle crash data show that the weekend before Christmas is a period of increased travel and alcohol consumption. To address this deadly combination, National Holiday Lifesaver Weekend, sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), with support from the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), focuses on increased enforcement effort. They encourage state troopers, sheriffs, and their Canadian counterparts to work with local law enforcement agencies to crack down on impaired drivers. You may want to tie into these national events when you plan your media campaign and take advantage of the focused attention on 3D Prevention Month.

You may also want to consider other logical dates, such as:

• The first of the month for an official proclamation of 3D Prevention Month by the governor, mayor, military base commander, etc.;
• The anniversary of your area's worst 1996 impaired driving holiday crash; and
• New Year's Eve (especially if your area is offering a free ride program).

You can also work with the media leading up to and throughout the month to:

• Suggest favorable editorials in newspapers or editorial comments on television and radio stations;
• Place letters to the editor or op-ed (opinion) pieces in your local newspapers;
• Appear on television or radio talk shows; and
• Distribute public service announcements.

You should always alert the media if you have any type of community event that could be covered or photographed.

The key to successful media relations is to repeat your key messages many times and in many different ways.

Holding news conferences News conferences are the core of almost any media relations program and should be tied to some kind of specific new information or announcement. It is best to hold your news conference in the morning or early afternoon, so that both the evening news programs and the daily morning papers can meet their deadlines. If your local television stations have noon news and do live reports during that program, a midday event may increase your chances of being covered.

News conferences should be announced about five to seven days in advance with a media advisory given to the assignment desk and/or news editor at each newspaper, magazine, and television and radio station. A media advisory "sells" the editor on the idea of sending a reporter and/or camera crew to your event. Include all the pertinent information (who, what, when, where) and give enough additional information to entice the news media to cover the event without revealing everything you will say. For instance, if you are going to release new statistics, announce that, but don't say exactly what they are. Be sure to mention if you will have celebrity speakers, prominent community members, or crash victims. Think of a media advisory as both an invitation and a marketing tool. You should also make "pitch" calls to each media outlet a day or two before the event and then again the morning of the event. Use themes like "Crashes aren't accidents. They are predictable and preventable."

Be sure to have someone who has been victimized by an impaired driver as a speaker at your news conference. Personal stories are one of the most effective means of communicating a message by "putting a face" on statistics. Other speakers could include your coalition leaders, elected officials, civic leaders, businesses that have made a specific commitment to the issue, etc. Make sure each speaker addresses a specific portion of your message without too much duplication. Also give each a defined length of time to speak (no more than five minutes). Encourage them to write down their remarks and rehearse if they are not used to speaking in public. A news conference should run no more than 30 to 45 minutes.

Preparing media kits Whether you hold a news conference or not, develop a media kit to present your 3D prevention message clearly. Pieces that would be found in a typical media kit prepared for a local 3D prevention news conference include:

• A news release stating the purpose of the event, including quotations from each of your speakers, and the basic information being released or the announcement being made;
• A list of speakers and their titles and organizations, as well as any titles they have in the coalition;
• A list of your 3D Prevention Coalition member organizations and/or supporters;
• Fact sheets or other documents explaining the 3D prevention campaign and the impaired driving problem;
• Copies of speakers' remarks (optional);
• Any camera-ready artwork or public service ads that print media can use;
• Any video you may have to support the campaign; and
• Any other documents that help deliver your message or interest the media in publicizing 3D Prevention Month and your coalition's activities.

It is important that your news conference be more than just "talking heads" at a lectern. Have your event at an interesting location (police station, hospital, etc.) and make it visually interesting with props, posters, etc. To promote National Lights On For Life Day, consider having a parade of various vehicles with their lights on (police cars, ambulances, school buses, tow trucks, family vehicles, etc.).

Following up Update your media lists to include anyone who covered your events or wrote about impaired driving.

Send thank you notes to those who specifically assisted your coalition in getting its message out (editorial boards that published positive editorials, public service directors who aired your messages, traffic reporters who promoted National Lights On For Life Day, etc.). Although it is not necessary to send a note every time a reporter writes about your issue, it is a nice touch once in a while. If possible, victims who spoke out should send personal thank you notes to media outlets that told their stories, particularly if they were pleased with the result.

Monitor print publications and television programs to gather as many clippings and videos as you can. This will help you see how your message appeared in the media and will be invaluable as you evaluate your effectiveness and begin planning for next year.

Ten Tips for Successful Media Interviews From Patterns for Partnerships - A Guide to Creating and Nurturing Grassroots Coalitions by the National Safety Belt Coalition, 1996 (used with permission).

1. When it comes to choosing a spokesperson, there is no substitute for experience. All other things being equal, a coalition member with experience speaking in public and to reporters is ideal. However, a compelling story is also extremely valuable and the world will forgive a less than perfect communicator who speaks from the heart. Conversely, a polished speaker with no passion can come off looking and sounding too slick. Remember that victims and/or their family members "put a face" on statistics and help people understand the human cost of motor vehicle crashes.
2. Practice makes perfect (or at least very good). Everyone who will be speaking on behalf of the coalition should rehearse frequently. Consider joining or organizing a Toastmasters chapter for your group. In rehearsals, use audio and video recorders so you can see and hear the positive and negative aspects of your presentation. Make sure every speaker is very familiar with your organization, the issues, and the campaign. Learn to avoid jargon, slang, and acronyms that the general public won't understand.
3. Before every interview or media event where questions will be taken, identify three key points that you want to make. Use these to answer questions whenever possible, and make sure you use each point at least twice during the interview. Practice speaking in "soundbites" (five- to 10-second phrases that convey key information in a creative or snappy way).
4. Respect reporters and their organizations. You need them to get your message out and they need you to do their job well. Dress and speak professionally, stay calm, and be honest and sincere. Never go "off the record." Never use the words "no comment;" instead try: "It would be inappropriate to talk about that right now, but ..." and then use the opportunity to make one of your key points.
5. Never repeat a negative statement. For instance, if a reporter says, "What do you say to your opponents who refer to you as safety zealots?" don't answer, "We're not safety zealots, we're concerned citizens who want to see ..." Instead, try: "Isn't that awful? What we really are is concerned citizens who ..." (and make one of your key points).
6. Learn how to bring a question or discussion back to where you want it. This is especially useful if you are unsure how to answer a question. For instance, if asked a technical question that you do not know the answer to, say so and then use the opportunity to make one of your points. (Question: "How many people killed in crashes are drunk and not wearing their safety belts?" Answer: "I don't have the exact number, but we do know that safety belts are the most effective means of reducing fatalities and injuries when crashes occur, regardless of the cause.")
7. Professional dress is a must when representing the coalition. Medical professionals should wear their lab jackets or emergency room scrubs and emergency medical service (EMS) and law enforcement professionals should wear their uniforms whenever speaking in public on behalf of the coalition. For everyone else, business attire is appropriate. Gray, brown, or blue suits or dresses work best. Try to avoid stripes, checks, or small patterns. Men should wear conservative ties. Women should avoid scarves and heavy or jangling jewelry. For television, avoid bright white shirts (they glare under lights), and accept make up if offered.
8. For all interviews, speak clearly but in your normal tone. Talk over the microphone, not into it, and look at the reporter or interviewer, never at the camera (unless you are in a remote studio, away from the interviewer, and are so directed). Sit back in your chair, tuck your jacket under you, and lean forward slightly to convey engagement and enthusiasm. Subtle hand gestures add interest and help release nervous energy. Smile when appropriate.
9. Don't forget to mention the coalition's name! Say, "The Heartland Safety Belt Coalition believes ..." rather than "We believe ..." It takes longer, but if they use that particular soundbite, they'll have to use the coalition's name.
10. Thank the reporter at the end of the interview and conclude by reinforcing a message point: "Thanks for inviting me and be sure to buckle up," or "Thanks for asking me to talk about this important, lifesaving campaign."