Media relations are tools, supporters or media for cooperation in the interests of the process of publication and publicity of various work program activities or for the smoothness of public relations communication activities with the public. According to Yosal Iriantara (2005: 32), media relations is one part of external public relations that is useful in fostering and developing good relations with other mass media that act as a means of communication between organizations and the public in order to achieve organizational goals. Johnson & Johnson formulated the function of media relations as follows:
- Improve company image.
- Increase public confidence in the products and services offered by the company.
- Increase the selling point (point of selling) of products and services.
- Help companies get out of crisis communication.
- Improve relations of various publics, such as to government institutions.
Also read:
- Difference in Book Publishing and Printing
- The Importance of Communication in Team Collaboration
- The function of the Pyramid is reversed in the news
- A Critical Approach To The Theory Of Feminism In Communication
- Understanding Print Media According to Experts
Types of Media Relations
The types of media relations according to Silih Agung Wasesa in the Public Relations Strategy (Gramedia, 2006) are as follows:
Press conference
According to Jefkins (2002: 136), a press conference is a meeting of journalists who deliberately gather to get information about a topic that is being discussed hotly. Usually the event is held suddenly, and the place is makeshift.
Don’t expect to get a variety of leisure facilities at press events like this. All accommodations or meals can be said to be minimal. Press conferences even often take place in airport waiting rooms, as soon as the awaited figure has just gotten off his plane.
The purpose of the press conference according to Iriantara (2003: 135) is as follows:
- Spread positive information to the public (the public at large) about the company, such as public exposure;
- Neutralize or add untrue or negative news about the company, management, employees, other products or services;
- Improve the image that can support the marketing and sale of a product / service such as new product introductions, export expansion, production, company achievements and others; and
- Fostering direct relations with the press.
Also read:
- Contemporary issues in communication
- Communication theory in organizational culture
- Theoretical approach in political communication
- Objectivity in communication theory
- An objective approach in communication theory
Press Visit
The next type of media relations is a press visit. According to Frank Jefkins in Essentials of Public Relations, a journalist or group of journalists are often invited to attend a new office opening event followed by a joint review, visit a factory, attend a new office opening event followed by a joint review, or a new product demonstration event.
This event is also accompanied by transportation facilities, banquets, friendly interludes and sometimes overnight accommodation (if outside the city or abroad, for example in order to visit a newly opened tourism location abroad owned by a domestic company).
A press visit must be conducted well so that the media relations that are established can also run well. According to Aceng Abdullah, some things that must be considered in a press visit are as follows:
- Decide what media to invite.
- Are there any restrictions on the number of journalists to be invited. For example, one media one journalist.
- Determine the exact time of departure. A press visit should be held when there is activity. For example when the factory is producing.
- Provide a guide who masters the ins and outs of the object to be visited. Also a translator, if the person visiting is foreign or local language.
- Give journalists the freedom to talk with officers in the field or anyone who is there, as long as it does not endanger the party.
- Provide adequate accommodation so that journalists do not “suffer” and grumble.
- Also provide written materials to supplement reporters’ reports or news. Give journalists the opportunity to try products from the locations visited.
- If possible provide journalists with an allowance according to the day used in this visit.
Also read:
- Modernization theory in international communication
- The effect of advertising messages on the use of marketing products
- Pattern of organizational communication
- Conflict theory in the sociology of communication
- The theory of human relations in organizational communication
Press Briefing
In his book Press Relations, Aceng Abdullah said that press briefings are press conferences that are held more routinely than press conferences. This activity is carried out before carrying out the reporting activity and is usually instructed by the public relations department.
Activities that are carried out routinely must also pay attention to several important things that will affect the course of the briefing, including the following:
- Arrange a definite schedule. Starting from the speakers, coordinators, to participants. Also prepare other accurate data.
- Confirm first, whether the speakers who will be shown are willing to appear in meetings with reporters.
- Prepare written materials in the press room
- Make an accurate and complete daily journal. Information collected starts from accurate data to other light information.
- Provide an adequate press room equipped with various means of communication and typing.
Press Workshop
A press workshop is an activity carried out by a company to provide training to the media on a particular topic or issue. This training is intended so that media crews can write and present quality writing and are worth reading.
Media Monitoring
Media monitoring is an activity carried out by a company or person in monitoring and overseeing issues circulating in the mass media. Media monitoring itself is divided into three types namely,
- Media clipping: documentation activities by collecting evidence in the form of articles, news scripts, and mass media advertisements
- Media tracking: tracking public opinion tracks on certain events or issues on the mass media
- Media content analyzer: a method for analyzing the contents of a text. The analysis was conducted using quantitative methods.
Also read:
- Communication systems in computers and networks
- How to reduce uncertainty in intercultural communication
- The history of the development of computer networks in data communication
- Various kinds of communication media in the network
- The role of persuasive communication in attitude formation
Press meeting
A press meeting is a type of media relations where a company and media meeting is held in a relaxed and entertaining atmosphere. This meeting is held in an informal manner so that the communication that is established will be closer and closer.
That is a brief explanation of the types of media relations. Media relations are not just mere formalities, with the presence of media relations, the closeness between the media and society will be well established. Thus this short article. Hope it is useful for all of us
