ABC's of Media by Doris E. McMillon

Why did we write this book? When we signed off from doing a nightly newscast years ago, our first customers called request-ing our media training services. I guess it is in our DNA to help people understand what they’re working with and dealing with as they face the complexities of the multi-mass media world we live in today. People see the lights, the cameras and the headlines, but hardly understand what it might mean to be the center of a story. That alone, does not offer a level playing field for the subject. We have spent a good part of our professional journalistic lives covering all kinds of news makers. Many of them, had they talked to one of us first, would not have committed some of the on-air or print gaffes that have ruined careers. It is our sincere desire to see people be the best that they can be, especially since the world is watching in real time. Whether you live in a small town or the Nation’s Capital where local news is national, we want to see you deliver your message in a manner that is clear, concise, compas¬sionate and believable. So, in the spirit of full disclosure and telling it like it is, Doris and I decided to sit down and dissect the process of learning how to talk to the news media. We have applied the process with great success. There’s nothing to fear, nothing to memorize; this book can serve as a guide or primer, if you will, that you can use the minute you get a call from a reporter or news organization. In the end, how you look, how you sound, and finally what you have to say, will determine if your 15 minutes of fame work in your favor or cause everything to go up in flames. Inside this book, we look at those who have been burned by the glare of the light and we offer advice on how you can avoid the heat. After nearly a decade of training together--we know it works--we have the reviews to prove it. Now, it is your turn to be the judge.