With its tremendous reach, the news media is an efficient mechanism to deliver the Think Blue message.  However, in a large media market such as the Boston Metro area, competition for media time and space is high. For smaller-scale campaigns, municipalities and local organizations are well-positioned to work with local and regional newspapers, radio stations and cable television stations. A well-panned local media campaign has the advantage of targeting citizens within specific communities and regions. 

In its 2005 survey, the Massachusetts Bays Estuary Association (MBEA) found that residents of communities bordering the Massachusetts Bays strongly favored receiving information on coastal water issues via newspaper, television and radio. Opportunities in the media include news stories, personal features, issue analyses, radio and television public service announcements (PSAs), interview programs, call-in shows, editorials and feature stories.

Remember...be newsworthy
A good local news story is current, accurate, and has audience appeal.  A few considerations to increase your odds of earning local news media coverage:

• Watch for national or local events related to your topic and use them to create a story with a local angle;
• Include new research or statistics;
• Highlight new stormwater-related grants and funding that your community or organization received;
• Highlight a local resident who has volunteered his or her time for monitoring or public education;
• Quote well-known or respected members of the community;
• Involve a local celebrity.

Press Releases and Letters to the Editor
Press releases are an essential tool to provide reporters with the basics they need to develop a news story.  They provide the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your story, and should be limited to one or two pages. 

Letters to the editors of local newspapers are a good way to express your views on an issue while also providing important information to the public.  The Letters to the Editor section is typically one of the most widely read sections of the newspaper, assuring letter writers a wide audience for their views.

Visit the Publicity Templates section of the Think Blue Toolbox for press release and letter-to-the-editor templates. 


PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS (PSAs)

Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are messages produced for public benefit, on behalf of a non-profit organization, about an important social issue. Nearly all forms of media--national and local--use PSAs to fill unsold airtime and print space.  Think Blue Massachusetts has created both television* and radio PSAs for Teams to use in their own local media campaigns.

Learn more about the ready-to-air Think Blue Massachusetts television PSA.

Learn more about the several different ready-to-air Think Blue Massachusetts radio PSAs.

*Special thanks to the City of San Diego for granting the Massachusetts Bays Estuary Association permission to use and customize the PSA for Think Blue Massachusetts.