8. Write out all the irregular verbs and give their 3 forms.

9. Find in the text the cases of the Complex Object and translate these sentences into Russian.

10. Insert prepositions:

1) There аге several barrier..........getting publicity..........the media.

2) Many periodicals have cut back..........pages.

3) They no longer offer the opportunity..........reaching..........large

numbers..........people.........a single effort.

4) The purpose..........media coverage, ..........an organization's standpoint

goes..........just news and information.

5) The material is handled..........the advertising or sales department..........the

newspaper or broadcast station.

11. Explain the following statements:

1) In many cases, publicity is strongly marketing oriented and designed generate sales.

2) The recession in the early 1990s left many publications scrambling

advertising dollars, which directly affected the news space available.

3) Our society is experiencing widespread information clutter.

4) Don't try to blanket the media with a blizzard of news items.

12. There are 4 points in the text that a public relation writer must keep in mind

to make his effort more effective.

Do you agree with them? Illustrate your point of view.

13. Develop the following statements:

1) A major objective of many public relations programs is to get publicity for the employer or the client.

2) Placing news and information (publicity) in the news media should be d with the objective of helping the organization achieve its goals.

3) Publicity is difficult to achieve. There is a great deal of competition for available news space.

UNIT

TWO

A.

What Makes News

Students in news-writing classes are taught the basic components of what consti

tutes "news". Public relations writers, or publicists, must also be familiar with these components if they are to generate the kind of information that appeals to media gatekeepers. Aspects of news include timeliness, prominence, proximity, significance unusualness, human interest, conflict, and newness.

Timeliness

Timeliness may be the most important characteristic of news. By definition, news must be current and timely.

One way to make news timely is to announce something when it happens company usually contacts the press as soon as an event occurs - the issuing of the

quarterly earning report, the appointment of a key executive, the layoff of workers. Any delay in conveying this information to the news media runs the risk of being rejected as "old news".

Another aspect of timeliness is offering information within the context of events and issues that are already on the public agenda. Auto club and insurance companies, for example, have excellent placement success with articles about safe driving just be­fore a long holiday weekend. Because Christmas-time is the major season for purchas­ing children's toys, the media are receptive to news releases from manufacturers about new toys on the market and what kinds of toys are setting sales records. Consumer groups also use the context of Christmas to issue warnings about the safety of some toys.

Prominence

The news media rarely cover the grand opening of a store unless a celebrity is involved.

Another way of looking at prominence is to remember that "names make news". People are interested in other people, particularly if they are prominent or known in some way. The success of People magazine proves the point.

Although the media are invariably attracted to the presence of movie stars, rock stars, and pro athletes at an event, other types of prominent people also make news.

Note that prominence is not restricted to people; it extends also to organizations. Large multinational corporations like IBM or Exxon automatically get more media attention because they control so many resources and affect so many lives. If you work for a smaller, less prominent company, you will have to try much harder to get media coverage.

□ Words and word-combinations

1. to constitute news — составить (построить) новости

2. to generate information — производить, подавать информацию

3. to appeal to — привлекать, притягивать; нравиться

4. timeliness — своевременность

5. prominence — известность; значительность

6. proximity — близость, доступность

7. significance — важность, значительность

8. human interest — интерес широкой публики

9. newness — новизна

10. to issue — издавать, выпускать, опубликовать

11. quarterly earnings — заработки за квартал

12. a key executive — важное лицо в правительстве (государстве) или в руко­водстве фирмы

13. layoff — увольнение

14. to convey — передавать

15. to be on the agenda — быть включенным в повестку дня

16. placement — размещение

17. to set sales records — установить рекорд продаж

18. to cover an event — освещать событие

19. to get coverage — получить освещение в прессе и других средствах массо­вой информации

Proximity

Surveys have shown that the news releases most acceptable to media gatekeepers are those with a local angle. These stories are custom tailored for an organization or an individual's local newspaper. Typically, the local angle is in the lead and top half of release.

Obviously, the local angle — proximity — has strong news value, Whenever pos -sible, it is important to "localize" information. Publicists should take the time and extra effort to tailor national information by including the names of local dealers, retailers and other area representatives for the news media serving a particular city or the surrounding area.

Significance

If a situation or an event is likely to affect a substantial number of people, it is significant. An increase in the price of heating oil is significant in the Northeast, where many homes are heated by oil. However, this news is not very significant in the West where most homes are heated by gas. However, an increase in the price of gasoline receives a great deal of local, regional, and national coverage because it affects almost every family.

In judging significance, you must know not only the numbers of people affected but also who will be affected. A requirement that filling stations install equipment to reduce the amount of gasoline vaporized into the atmosphere was of minor interest to public, but it was extremely significant to the oil companies and service station owners because of added costs. Consequently, the general press gave the new requirement few paragraphs, whereas it received extensive coverage in oil industry publication.

Unusualness

Anything out of the ordinary normally attracts press interest and public attention. Activist groups like Greenpeace and animal rights advocates often generate news сoverage by staging demonstrations with protesters wearing animal costumes or conducting a mock funeral procession.

Unusual events and situations are often created solely for the sake of publicity

□ Words and word-combinations

1. to tailor stories for smb — приспосабливать, обрабатывать информацию

2. to be in the lead — газетная информация, помещенная на видном месте; наиболее важная информация (в последних известиях)

3. to be in the top half of the release — информация, помешенная в верхней части первой страницы газеты

4. to receive local, regional, national, major extensive coverage — получить освещение в местном (региональном, общенациональном) масштабе; получить широкое освещение

5. added costs — добавочная стоимость

Human Interest

People like to read about other people. That is why the news media often focus on the lives of the rich and famous or even the poor and downtrodden.

A journalist may focus on the plight of one welfare family to illustrate the prob-lemes of the entire social services system. Television news, which tries to explain com­plex issues in a minute or two, often uses the vehicle of personalizing the problem or issue by letting one individual or family speak. Indeed, people would rather listen to the problems of a welfare mother in her own words than view a series of bar charts showing .he decline in state funding.

Conflict

When two or more groups advocate different points of view on a topic of current interest, this creates news. Indeed, reporters often fuel the controversy by quoting one side and then asking the other side for a comment.

Organizations get coverage when they state a point of view that is contrary to other points of view.

Newness

Advertising and marketing people say that the two words they find most useful are «new» and "free". You will seldom use "free", but you should constantly search for somethimg "new". Any news release announcing a new product or service has a good chance of being published. Every year, the automobile companies get major coverage in the media when they announce their new models.

New uses for old products are the basis of most food publicity. There is nothing new about potatoes or walnuts, yet food editors steadily publish new recipes for these and scores of other foods..

One note of caution. The news media are getting somewhat distrustful of claims it a product or service is "new". In many cases, the only thing "new" about a product the packaging: from an editor's point of view, that is not "new" enough.

Words and word-combinations

1. to focus on — фокусировать внимание на, привлекать внимание к ч.-л.

2. downtrodden — угнетенный

3. the plight of— (затруднительное, плохое) положение или состояние к.-н.

4. vehicle — зд. средство выражения мысли (передачи)

5. chart — карта, диаграмма, таблица

6. to fuel — подливать масла в огонь, подогревать

7. free (of charge) — бесплатный

8. recipe — рецепт (кулинарный)

9. scores of— десятки ч.-л.

10. caution — 1) предостережение; 2) осторожность

11. distrustful — недоверчивый

12. claim — заявление, утверждение (часто голословное)

Finding News

Now that you understand what constitutes news, you should have a good frame work as you go about the process of finding news.