In the January 12 edition of the St. Petersburg Times newspaper there is a prominent article about cat racing, headlining the TBCS Hangover Regatta. Notice how it is personalized WAY above any focus on one design. I think it is saying, "These people were having big fun that day." This is the kind of public relations we need to grow the sport. Thanks to whoever reported this. Terry, was that you?

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/01/12/Neighborhoodtimes/Catamarans_start_new_.shtml

I hope aspiring cat sailors don't read some of the mean spirited exchanges that go on in this forum. The too frequent nastiness tarnishes the good nature of 99.9% of cat sailors. Be nice or keep quiet, please.

Thanks for posting. I'd have loved to race that day but instead I was flying home from NJ

I thought this was an excellent article, pity there wasn't a photo of a cat at speed which would have really sold it to readers.

What is the level of media coverage of US cat sailing?
Would you see any articles/images or TV/radio interviews on cat sailing, often,occasionally or rarely in US media?

IMHO ongoing debate on the downturn in cat sailing can be put to a lack of detailed knowledge of what each media, radio, TV and print requires, hampered by usually limited PR staffing to get event information out to them.

Congratulations to all cat classes with websites, but how many of your administrators relay their info directly to local media and chase reporters to get coverage?

Its not easy doing both if you are an unpaid-amateur but if classes want to boost numbers they have to get more focused on enlisting members and stage events where the public can get up close and personal to the action.


Qb2

A website is a wonderful thing for fleets, because it gives them a way of staying in constant contact with the fleet members and to post results and photos right after an event.

But their websites are of little use to media people.

From the perspective of a print media person (publisher of "Catamaran Sailor" magazine), I think the internet has in some ways actually hurt fleets as far as publicity.

Fleets used to put out print newsletters. Various media outlets, including mine, were on their mailing list. And, because they had to fill up their newsletters, they aggressively solicited stories from their members. I, then, was able to use some of their stories in my magazine, thus giving much wider publicity to that fleet and its activities. And the same would be true for newspapers and other media in the fleet's town and region.

But now that the fleets have websites, many of them no longer put out print newsletters. With no need to fill space any more, less attention is paid to writing stories. They put results and photos on their website, but no stories, no cutlines with pictures, etc.

And since they no longer have a print newsletter to send to media, most just do not send anything any more.

It is not realistic to expect media people to go searching through websites in hopes of finding something interesting, even if they know your website address. Most media people are going to take the easy way. They want to receive a complete story, plus results, plus pictures with cutlines; and they want to receive it preferably by e-mail -- and they want it timely. The easier you make it, the more likely it will get into the publication.

I agree totally, but a glimmer of hope on the horizon is the fact club and event staff can almost immediately compile results and images which can be mailed directly to media.

Including their contact details means journo's can be directly made aware of events and they then ask the questions to get info they need for good stories. If the journo is worth his/her salt they will want to write their 'unique,' interesting story anyway and not rehash what someone else has written in a release or race results.

I went from 7 pages of facsimile numbers (and a dozen email addresses) for Australian media contacts five years ago to what is now 400 plus email addresses from which I get far faster responses than I ever did from faxing direct to media. At least I know that by having journalists email, my message goes direct and doesn't get swamped in the fax pile.

So there is hope that more cat website editors will go the extra yard to again write and diseminate to media and non sailors.

BTW Mary a top executive at a careers day said he went to a newspaper where he saw harried journalists with ink under their fingers and the went to an advertising agency and saw fast cars, women and lots of cash- a no brainer where to work, he said.

I had years of sleep deprivation/and isolation and no social life working in radio, but hell it was fun (for the first 20 years).

cheers


Qb2

It is refreshing to get feedback. I write a sailing column for the St. Petersburg Times. Most of the time there is not much comment except "Why don't we get more sailing press?" When I do a catamaran (or windsurfing) piece like the one on the link in this forum thread I get lots of good comment. Nice. Oh, I try to ignore the sophomoric posts.

So writer do you do the chasing for stories or are you inundated with material?

What info do you want from cat clubs/associations and groups to get their event or activity published?


BTW We just had terrific local paper coverage for the Tornado and A class nationals here in Queensland, Australia. Almost daily coverage for a whole week including a front page story.- Competitors and the host club got this PR blitz because vandals went through the host club holding area and damaged and holed tornado and A class boats, trailers and equipment. Sadly not the type of PR you want. Plus comments from sailors that the incident could mean a cloud over staging future nationals there again didn't help the host club. However editors would say the event was a huge success because it increased paper sales if nothing else.

Qb2

I think the St. Petersburg Times is somewhat unique (at least in areas of the United States where I have lived) in having a sailing columnist. The Miami Herald has had very little sailing coverage since Eric Sharp left, many years ago. He was the outdoors writer, but he happened to be a sailor, and he also happened to love catamaran sailing.

Although the burden is upon the sailing fleets and clubs to provide both information and story ideas to the media, it sure helps when we have embedded sympathizers.

Most people who go to college to become sports journalists (including my daughter, my son-in-law and my former husband) do so with the idea of covering football, basketball and baseball. When they get jobs in big-city markets, those newspaper and TV stations cover the things of greatest interest to the greatest numbers of people. I doubt if sailing is even on that list.

My former husband was once briefly assigned to the sailing beat at his Cleveland newspaper. He was devastated, and insulted. He considered this to be absolutely the worst beat, only fit for rookie reporters or as punishment detail. Fortunately, I only had to listen to him complain for about a month until he was put on a major beat. He only wrote a couple of sailing stories, and I had to help him out with terminology.

Small-town local papers, on the other hand, are usually delighted to get sailing stories.

I'm not saying don't send stories to the big-city media -- some of them may get used on a slow-news day. I'm just telling you what I know about the mindset of big-city sports journalists and/or of the sports department management.

We need Dave to write a Sailing PR Primer for us.

I get info for the St. Petersburg Times column "On The Water" mostly by calling the race official in charge. It helps that I've been sailing since cotton sails were in and have sailed just about everything except ice boats. It is tough to BS me on a sailing subject.
As for cats, I have sold my Taipan 4.9. I enjoy the 'lunitic fringe' of sailing. So would rather develop and experiment than sail One Design cats. The Formula 14 has sailed twice. Long way to go before it is up to speed.(Monohulls are different. Go one-design. Just got off the wire of a Flying Dutchman practicing for the 2006 Worlds and next week will race a Windmill, like a lighter Snipe.)
Please note that SOUTHWINDS magazine will have a feature article on how to get your event in the media. Should be in the February issue. I'll link it here if it is.