PR Blog

The BBC has recently released a blueprint for what it calls its “biggest transformation in decades.” Buoyed by record numbers of people using BBC services since the start of the pandemic, the corporation is on a mission to keep itself relevant and interesting to the nation, rather than a select few. Let’s have a look at their numbers, their plans – and how that might affect broadcast PR opportunities in the next year and beyond.

It was great to welcome talkRADIO and Times Radio showbiz guru, Johnny Seifert, as guest speaker for our latest Small Talk event. Johnny wears a lot of hats – not only is he the Showbiz Editor for talkRADIO and the Entertainment Producer for Times Radio but he produces a couple of shows on talkRADIO on Saturdays too. As if he needs more to fill his day, he also produces and presents his own podcast, called “Secure the Insecure”.

I don’t know what I was thinking. I had a good job, a toddler and a baby. But it was at that point my business partner and I decided we would throw caution to the wind and set up our own specialist broadcast PR agency. This month we celebrate our company’s 18th birthday. There’s nothing like a significant anniversary to set the mind in reflection mode, particularly what do I know now that I would have liked my younger self to have been aware of.

This month, Shout! Communications celebrates its 18th Birthday and I couldn’t be more proud. Here’s the lowdown from how it all started until the point, almost two decades on, when we’ve come of age..

It’s a common human trait to want to know what you’re going to get for your money, especially if you’re paying for a service such as broadcast PR. But how do you know when a supplier is telling you the truth and not bamboozling you with lies, dammed lies and statistics?

Every now and then a little gem arrives upon our screens, a classic case of how NOT to handle a broadcast interview. This week it was the gift of Pensions Minister Thérèse Coffey, who’d been sent out by the government to do the rounds, speaking to broadcasters about anything Covid related.

Celebrities add a sprinkle of glamour to campaigns and broadcasters love them. And, from the client’s perspective the influence a celebrity can have on generating brand awareness plays a pivotal role in the success of a campaign.

When viewers tune in to watch ITV News they already know what’s been going on, according to the programme’s Senior News Editor Arti Lukha. Speaking at our latest virtual Small Talk, she explained they’re not there to find out the facts, they’re turning the television on to have those facts put into some sort of context and analysed.

Thanks to our speaker, Deputy Editor Jess Bulman who featured in our Small Talk in December. As heard by Shout! Communications joint MD, Keren Haynes