Which newswire sources do newshounds most regularly pay attention to? Which types of media favor newswire distribution over other media? Most PR execs, eager to puff their
clients, would jump at the chance to discover the answers to these and other similar questions.
Well, now they don't have to.
A new survey that attempts to shed light on the above conundrums by conducting a 13-question survey evaluating the media's use of "major' newswire services. Among the
findings:
- 41% of regional daily or weekly newspapers and 23% of regional broadcast stations use newswires for content; 4% of national business media and 2% of national "daily"
business newspapers do. - 54% of respondents said they are signed up to receive email (push) content from newswire services; only 27% proactively monitor the Web sites of these services (pull) content.
- Among the 54% who receive push content (e-mail) from newswires, 62% of survey respondents indicated that they read most or each of the emails they receive from a newswire
service.
"Newswire Awareness Study," created and administered by Brodeur Worldwide, surveyed some 10,000 journalists from national and regional daily newspapers, trade press and
national and regional broadcast media and national business media.
Six major newswires were included in the survey: Business Wire, Market Wire, PrimeZone, PR Newswire, PR Web, US Newswire. By conducting the survey, Brodeur dispelled
several myths about the people you pitch.
What should PR people take from the latest journalistic fables? In short: that most types of media use newswires to a lesser or greater extent, but many would appreciate some
extra input in the story. "It is conceivable," states the report that "that there is an 'added value' process that certain types of media would like to see regardless of whether
or not a newswire service distributes news to them."
Plus, the more content a newswire can push to the media, the more likely they are to trust that newswire going forward as a credible resource. In addition, media reps appear
willing to filter through significant amounts of information they receive from newswire services.
| What is the focus of the media outlet for which you work? | |
|---|---|
| National business media |
14%
|
| National daily newspaper |
2%
|
| National broadcast media |
6%
|
| Regional daily/weekly newspaper |
41%
|
| Regional broadcast media |
23%
|
| Vertical trade media |
14%
|