Broadcast News posts

The radio industry has gone through a sea change these last few months, so RAJAR’s (Radio Joint Audience Research) latest audience figures were much anticipated. RAJAR are the official body for measuring the radio audience in the UK and release a quarterly report that details which stations have gained audience and those which have dropped.

With trepidation, and ten seconds to go before the computer clock turned 1100, we pressed “Play” and Shout! Digital Radio was broadcasting.  And actually, for the one day we were on-air, it went really well.    

All our content for the six hours we broadcast last Friday (12th April, 2019) was pre-recorded and I think that was the right decision.  It meant that we could edit down and air the very best content from the amazing line-up of speakers who joined us.    I have a background as a radio and television journalist, which involved umpteen (sometimes heart-stopping) live broadcasts; but, for Shout! Digital Radio, there was reassurance in knowing all the interviewees were there – no one was going to be lost because of technology or on account of them going to our old studio address!   

The main headlines see the total reach drop more significantly in London over the past 12 months than across the rest of the UK. Total UK radio audiences were down 0.9% in Q4/18 compared with Q4/17. In the capital the drop was 3.9% – with some stations losing hundreds of thousands of listeners. Regardless of this, 88% of the population listen to the radio at some point each week (48.4 million people). 

In some countries it is known as ‘Cucumber Time’, but in Britain it’s the silly season.  The term was coined in an edition of the Saturday Review published in 1861 and the phrase has just stuck.  We’re now at the tail end of the summer, the point when radio and TV programmes allow themselves to be more frivolous, but are you making the most of it?

Radio 4’s Today programme is so often the icing on the cake in a broadcast PR campaign, so it could come as a shock to many of us in the industry to learn this flagship news show has suffered a fall in listening figures.

By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant

So, you’ve booked in your broadcast campaign and the launch day has finally arrived. Now it’s showtime and the pressure is on your spokesperson to weave in key messages and branding within the interviews, to keep you, or if you’re an agency, your client happy.

By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant

Securing overseas coverage for clients is becoming much more prevalent and often the icing on the cake off the back of a successful UK campaign. Many clients have an EMEA and global brief too and selling in to international broadcasters is increasingly a requirement.

by Catherine Bayfield, Co-Director

Often the kids are brilliant to work with, but the proud mums and dads can sometimes over promise and under deliver when it comes to their child’s ability in front of the camera, literally pushing them in front of the camera in some cases, when their child is tearful and reluctant.  Our recommendation is to over book the number of children you need, invariably one will drop out and even the most outgoing child can clam up when you switch the video camera on.

by Matt Napier, Broadcast Assistant

Much like comparing TV to radio, some stories simply aren’t made for everything. If you’ve got a story with a visual aspect then TV will, naturally, be more appropriate than radio. However, if your campaign is based on spreading information to the masses using spokespeople and statistics, then radio will be the way to go.

By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant

We recently had the pleasure of hosting Jim Grice, Head of News and Current Affairs at London Live, at Shout! Communications for a ‘Small Talk’. As a regional and national media veteran, we knew Jim’s insights would be invaluable to us and our guests, so we’d like to share them with those of you who weren’t there.

By Keren Haynes, Co-Director

At Shout! Communications we don’t think broadcast PR IS separate from “mainstream” PR, and it has always amazed us that there are those in the industry who think it is anything other than an integral part of any campaign.

By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant

There’s always something going on in the pop culture world, but perhaps the most exciting news for many reality TV fans across the UK this week is the beginning of Love Island, Season 4. If you’re a dedicated listener, chances are you may have heard presenter Nick Grimshaw’s announcement this week – he’s moving to the drive slot from September, swapping with fellow Radio 1 presenter Greg James.

by Catherine Bayfield, Co-Director

So your client has decided they want to create an online video for their next PR campaign. Video offers some fantastic opportunities but competition for viewer, particularly editorially is fierce.

By Arthur Perkins, Broadcast PR Consultant

You think you’ve got a strong story; the stats and spokespeople are lined up, you call the planning desk and they want you to send over your press release, you get a call back, they’re interested! Then, the producer calls and says, “something else has come up, we can’t do this anymore”. Cue despair.

By Kate Fallis, Broadcast PR Consultant

Securing broadcast coverage can be the cherry on top of a great campaign, bringing all elements together on television and radio to reach millions, so it’s no wonder our clients love it! If you’re reading this, then chances are you’re someone who has either had first-hand experience with, or is interested in broadcast PR.

by Catherine Bayfield, Co-Director

From Monday 16th April it’s all change at ITV Daytime with their big move from London’s South Bank to White City.

By Keren Haynes, Co-Director

When you eventually get there the end result is often fantastic:  your brand or key messages can reach millions of people on TV or radio. But the journey there can be a bumpy road. This blog looks at some of the obstacles – and possible ways round them – that can mitigate some of the stress and hurdles.

by Catherine Bayfield, Co-Director

BBC News likes certainty but needs change…that was the premise of the latest Shout! Communications’ Big Talk, featuring a prestigious panel of speakers including  BBC UK News Editor Richard Burgess,  Editor of the Victoria Derbyshire Programme Louisa Compton and Editor of BBC News at 6pm and 10pm, Paul Royall.

By Keren Haynes, Co-Director

Is broadcast PR expensive?   It sounds like it should be, given how influential and wide-reaching television and radio can be.

by Rory Green, Videographer

Failing to plan is planning to fail. Video production is exciting and the temptation when you’re involved is to turn the camera on as quickly as possible, and get filming. But, in our view, that doesn’t necessarily give you the best possible end result.

By Arthur Perkins, Broadcast PR Consultant

Shout! recently hosted ITV Senior News Editor Arti Lukha for another in our series of Small Talks. Arti has experienced it all as a journalist, working her way up to the role of senior news editor at ITV News, where she works in conjunction with the programme editors deciding what stories the broadcaster will cover in their new bulletins.

By Arthur Perkins, Broadcast PR Consultant

The latest RAJAR figures are out and it looks like good news for breakfast shows. For those of you not in the know, RAJAR stands for Radio Joint Audience Research and it’s the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK; the organisation is jointly owned by the BBC and Radiocentre, on behalf of the commercial sector.

By Arthur Perkins, Broadcast PR Consultant

In the latest installment of our Shout! Communications Small Talks, on Thursday 7th December 2017 we were delighted to host Chiyo Robertson, Editor of BBC World News TV Business Programming.

by Alex Hesketh and Kate Fallis

It’s that time of the year when we all like to reminisce… here’s a run-down of our favourite broadcast campaigns of 2017.

by Alex Hesketh

Our final fantastic speaker at the latest Shout! Big Talk was the charismatic editor of BBC One’s The One Show, Sandy Smith.

by Kate Fallis

Our second fantastic speaker at the latest Shout! Big Talk was Chief Correspondent at Good Morning Britain, Richard Gaisford.

by Alex Hesketh, Broadcast Executive

Shout! was delighted to host another Big Talk featuring three fantastic broadcast journalists; first up was Matt Williams, Head of Home News at ITV News.

by Keren Haynes, Co-Director

Three fantastic speakers from broadcast news, great insights and a room full of PR and communications professionals – another great Shout! Big Talk.

by Arthur Perkins

Rajar, the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK, has just released their Q3 figures for 2017, and there have been some surprising results.

by Catherine Bayfield, Co-Director at Shout! Communications

What would PR practitioners do without research? Some would say research has had its day, but we know that newsrooms short of resources no longer have the budget to fill every bulletin with investigative or breaking news stories. Often they’re grateful for some engaging content.

by Rory Green, videographer at Shout! Communications.

While we love filming video in London, Manchester, Liverpool or Ipswich there is nothing more exciting than being asked to jump on a plane for a shoot in another country. We recently had the privilege to film Founders Forum’s first ever event in Rome.

by Arthur Perkins, Broadcast PR Consultant.

Some of the biggest names in tech, a stunning location and a spectacular event…this is what we found when Shout! went international to film video content for Founders Forum’s inaugural event in Italy.

Journalists are the gateway to your success and your clients’ happiness, so it’s important to know when you might be doing more harm than good.

We look at the power of the fully integrated campaign, give some top tips and examine how what might seem like a complicated, wide-scale operation might be easier than you think.

In our years of media training, we thought we’d encountered every possible type of broadcast spokesperson. That was until Anthony Scaramucci appeared on the BBC, interviewed by Emily Maitlis on Newsnight.

Alex Hesketh looks into the recent trend of ‘punking’ guests live on air, which has moved broadcast interviewing into the social media age.

Kate Fallis looks at how your brand can land PR coverage on national broadcasters without generating a stand-alone news story yourselves.

Kate Fallis highlights some of the things to keep in mind for choosing the perfect spokesperson for your next broadcast PR campaign.

Rory Green, videographer at Shout! Communications explains why remote media training could be a perfect solution for your spokesperson.

Director Keren Haynes looks at effective media training can help PRs and brands get the most out of interviews on TV, radio and online.

Arthur Perkins reviews Martin Frizell, Editor of ITV’s This Morning, at the Shout! Communications Big Talk in June 2017.

Kate Fallis reports on our second speaker from the latest Big Talk: Ronan Hughes, Output Editor at Sky News.

Kate Fallis reports on the first of our latest Big Talk speakers: Tim Cunningham, Producer of Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff.

When we place people on screen we need to know that they are prepared properly and on message, as well as making sure any footage we shoot ourselves needing to be of broadcast standard.

If you want to reach millions of people across the UK, why not consider a radio day? A radio day is a great way to get your key messages across and make your brand stand out.

With politicians being skewered left, right and centre (pun intended), we took a look at how a few basic Media Training tips could have prevented the catalogue of broadcast interview errors during this year’s General Election.

Podcasts are available anytime, anywhere! This has led to the podcast becoming an increasingly useful tool for Broadcast PR and an essential tool in modern PR strategy. This blog documents the key requirements for getting your podcast used on-air by broadcasters to really boost your radio campaign and secure maximum coverage.

Kate Fallis writes on her experiences after jumping the fence from broadcast journalist to PR professional…

Thinking of delaying your PR story until after the General Election? You might want to consider a few things before you pull the plug…

Broadcast Executive Alex Hesketh looks at the successes and failures of ITV’s first run of The Nightly Show.

Alex Hesketh reports on a Shout! Communications Small Talk by James Sillars – Sky Business Producer.

Shout! Communications Director Keren Haynes looks at the best plan of action for PRs when a big story story takes over the news.

Kate Fallis reports on the Shout! Communications Big Talk, held at the CIPR on March 14th.

Let’s face it, when it come to television and radio coverage having the right spokesperson can make, or break, a story.

If your client wants coverage on TV and online then video is your new best friend.

Gone are the days when families gathered round the TV to watch the news. Why would you? Unless it’s breaking news, you’ve already seen the story.

Kate Fallis reports on ITV News’ Alex Chandler at the Shout! Communications Big Talk, 2016.