Company: Gemstar-TV Guide
Timeframe: May 2005-present
What's the point of a newsletter? To communicate. But what exactly is it you want to communicate? How? And to whom? These are questions faced by communications professionals industry-wide who are
faced with the daunting task of building a corporate newsletter that is informative, engaging and applicable to all of the organization's internal constituents, especially if they are located around
the world. All too often, a corporate newsletter falters when trying to piece together the necessary elements and still tell a compelling story. The form might be there, but the content can't quite
seem to define itself.
Such is not the case at TV Guide - at least, not anymore. The communications professionals at this 1,525-person, international organization knew just what they wanted to achieve when they launched
their company newsletter:
1. To spark conversations about organizational initiatives and activities;
2. To get people talking to one another; and
3. To get the worldwide, decentralized organization thinking and acting like a single organism.
In May 2005, newly-arrived CEO Rich Battista made it a priority to ensure that everyone in the company was collaborating, working on the same page and acting in sync - hence the newsletter
moniker, SYNC. It's delivered quarterly as a PDF that runs anywhere from nine to 14 pages.
Bo Park, vice president of communications at Gemstar-TV Guide, heads up the effort, along with Managing Editor Jimmy Garver. In the spirit of "sync," project leaders from throughout the
various offices and departments that make up TV Guide generate the content - that's about 15 people drawn from the staffs of the magazine, the TV network and the Web site, among other outlets. While
some are department heads, others come from internal PR teams within different business units, generating a balance of perspectives both vertically and horizontally across the organizaiton.
At its best, the content of the newsletter strives to embody a spirit of cooperation, Park says. "We are always looking for stories where a group in the magazine is working with the TV Guide
network to do some initiative," she explains. The passing of a celebrity interview from one outlet to another might be worthy of note, for example. But sometimes it is a matter of generating content
that will create connections that were not there before. With TV Guide magazine being largely U.S.-focused, for instance, Park and Garver often will look for news from the company's offices in
Hong Kong, Tokyo, Luxemburg or Taiwan.
Gathering news from the far corners of the globe might be tricky, but Park says it typically is not a problem thanks to the very nature of a PR leader's job. "Because we are in corporate
communications, we deal with these people a lot. We know what they are working on, we know the new products. We talk to them - and that is exactly what our CEO wanted: that level of communication
across the company."
The newsletter delivers some light fare, too. There is the "Moonlighting" segment, which highlights the interesting things folks do when unshackled from their cubicles - a chef with her own blog,
a banjo player who performs frequently in New York City. But things don't get too fluffy. New babies and birthdays have their own place, over on the company intranet.
The editors get about 10 submissions per quarter and generate several stories themselves, often taking their cue from press releases they may have written recently. Submitted material gets edited,
then typically returned to its authors for cleanup, quotes, anecdotes, art and fact-checking.
That last item - fact checking - has been especially important, as the editors have tried to put out a timely publication in a fast-moving business environment. The company is practically a blur
of new products, new faces and acquisitions right now, "so a lot of the stuff can get outdated before we get to publish it," Park says. "It's a great problem to have."
Once again, Park and Garver overcome the hurdle by keeping their finger on the pulse as they watch the ebb and flow of information through their own office. They know beforehand if a story
threatens to go stale. It's a moving target, but sooner or later, Park says, you just have to call a halt. "At some point you just say: 'Stop, we have to launch this thing.'"
The publication has changed over time in all the ways one might expect, with tweaks to the content and variations on the style. But the biggest change by far has been a design overhaul, and while
the wordsmiths among us my find it hard to swallow, that visual element has given new life to the newsletter. Just as important, it has given the PR team a big boost in the eyes of the corporate
powers-that-be.
"In the beginning we would just see whoever was available in the design group. Sometimes we would even have to get a freelancer," Park says. No disrespect to the internal design group, but it was
a pretty clear sign that SYNC was not a top priority at that point.
Then, as the newsletter gained momentum, the project was assigned to the top designers at TV Guide magazine. "It's just night and day," Park says, pointing to cleaner visuals, embedded
videos and live links from the table of contents to the stories. "It reached a much higher level. It means we are being regarded as a true publication."
Once the change took place in early 2007, "That's when the chairman of the board told our CEO that things were looking great," Park says. The top executives were calling with congratulations, "but
we knew it had everything to do with our designers."
CONTACT:
Bo Park, 212.852.7589, [email protected]
Tips For A Successful Internal Newsletter
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Build every foreseeable delay into your production schedule - you'll need it.
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Make note of all articles tied to future dates (e.g., product launch dates, date of event). You may need to come back after the fact and change it from future to past tense.
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Clearly establish the type of articles to be included in the newsletter. For instance, if you decide not to feature new baby announcements or recognitions unrelated to your company's business
or industry, make that a firm rule.
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If an article contains a photo of someone, be sure to show it to them as a courtesy. People are very sensitive about how they look in photos.
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It's always a good idea to keep an "evergreen" article or photo for times when you need to fill a "white" space (i.e., when an article gets pulled).
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When writing or editing an article, always ask yourself, "Will this hurt or offend someone? Will it put them in a negative light?" For instance, if you're writing about the accomplishments of
a new team, make sure you're not inadvertently bashing or discrediting the great work the previous team members have done.
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Always keep in mind that the newsletter is not only a medium for sharing information and keeping employees abreast of company developments. It also can - and should - be used to provide
recognition, boost morale and improve employee relations.