Do you have a new product announcement? Vital corporate information? Or just breaking news? Just send the news to a wire service, which will distribute it cross country, down the street, or overseas in a matter of minutes.
Newswire services provide instant and simultaneous electronic delivery of news releases to print and broadcast media, and some financial services. All a company has to do is call up the wire service, send the news release over, and determine what the target audiences are, and what parts of the country or world the news will target. The marketing department of the wire will then check its available media outlets or tap its alliances' outlets to see how the news can best be delivered.
Clients can send their press releases to a service by fax, dial-in modem or e-mail. Sending information by modem or e-mail saves time, a key concern in the news delivery business. By modem, releases don't have to be retyped, and with the exception of a few nips and tucks, the service needs to do minimal work to make it newswire-ready. Most people still are sending public policy news releases to U.S. Newswire in Washington, D.C., by fax. "Faxing has retarded the market by leaps and bounds," slowing the adoption of modeming and e-mail, says President Bill McCarren.
Services Offered
Wire services do not write copy, but if a release has obvious errors, the client will be called for clarification. Services do not change anything unless they get a client's permission. Releases are also screened for libelous statements or advertising, both of which are unacceptable wire material.
Once the information is received by the service, it's sent out by fax, broadcast fax (to a select number of people), fax-on-demand, e-mail, "snail mail," computer bulletin board (dial-in by modem and choosing documents) and the main outlet--the actual wire service that reaches newsrooms across the country. Most releases are available on databases and online services like Lexis Nexis, Dow Jones [DJ], America Online Inc. [AMER] and CompuServe. Many services also have Web sites on which releases and other newsworthy information are posted for at least a few days.
PR Newswire, New York, uses a directory listing world target audiences and contact names to pinpoint the story to a few cities, or a few countries, says Ira Krawitz, vice president, marketing. "We make sure that if a story is supposed to end up on the desk or computer of the business editor, that it does," he says.
Many services, like Southwest Newswire in Dallas, have alliances with other companies like PR Newswire and U.S. Newswire, which may have news to distribute in the Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana or Oklahoma area that Southwest covers. In turn, Southwest uses these services to see what outlets they have to offer on the East Coast or in the Midwest.
Kathy White, marketing director for Southwest, says that a release can be "in and out in half an hour and sent to the whole United States." White says that more people are requesting international news delivery. Southwest has an affiliate in the United Kingdom that translates the releases and distributes them to the designated areas.
Newswire service prices vary depending on the length of a release and the number of people to whom it is distributed. For example, at Southwest, a 400-word or under release to be distributed to the New York metro area is $125 and $30 extra for every additional 100 words. At U.S. Newswire, a national circulation of a 400-word release is $275 and $70 per an addtional 100 words. A Washington, D.C. circulation to 100 newsrooms is $75 for under 400 words, and $20 for each additional 100 words.
Business Wire, New York, has departments for each market that a release targets. Whether it's pharmaceutical or high-tech, "we realize that it's paramount to reach the key people; that's why we work so closely with our clients," says Michael Lissauer, vice president, marketing. (PR Newswire, 212/832-9400; Southwest Newswire, 214/871-2940; U.S. Newswire, 202/347-2770; Business Wire, 212/752-9600)