Integris Health found that local TV stations that are cutting back and reprioritizing resources are generally hard-pressed to send photographers or reporters to cover stories
at their two large metro medical centers in Oklahoma City - even when producers agree that what's being pitched is newsworthy. "We have one of the largest hyperbaric chambers in
the region in our burn center," says Damon Gardenhire, senior media specialist with Integris. "One of the stations aired a piece on hyperbaric technology using footage of a
rudimentary setup from the East Coast. We realized that if we had provided them with video, they would have given us great coverage."
Integris then acquired digital video equipment that allows the team to shoot and edit one-minute video news releases on stories at the company's facilities. "For $15,000, we
were able to get all the equipment. So far, we have provided b-roll for a surgery and a story on our charter school. We saturated the local TV news market with the surgery piece
(PBS, NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX all ran it). For the charter school ... so far, CBS, ABC and FOX affiliates have run stories. I think this is the wave of the future, though on some
level it troubles me that reporters are willing to accept prepackaged material from an outside organization."
(Contributed by Damon Gardenhire, Senior Media Specialist, Integris Health, 405/949-3204, [email protected])