Effective Media Relations: How to Get Results (Public Relations in Practice)

The book is divided into 3 parts, each written by a different author.
1. THE MEDIA CONTEXT
2. DEALING WITH THE PRESS
3. HANDLING THE BROADCAST MEDIA
It gives a good overall account of what the media is and what it wants.
The last two sections have a more hands-on approach while the first gives mainly history
of the media and background information.
Best part of this book is the transcript for fictional examples of poor and winning
television interviews. It analyses very clearly where the interviewee has gone wrong and
how he can improve.

This book provides a basic introduction to working with the print and broadcast media in the United Kingdom. It starts with an overview of modern press history, including major developments in Germany and France. While this section of the book is interesting and informative, its relationship with the rest of the content is somewhat unclear. The book's hands-on value emerges when the narrative moves onto practical questions, discussing how to deal with print reporters, hold press conferences, issue press releases and prepare for TV and radio interviews. First-timers will appreciate the helpful checklists in this section. We recommend this elementary media relations book to new staffers who are working with the media, particularly in the U.K., and to those who are intrigued by media history.

This book is part of the IPR series of books which vary as much in subject matter as they do quality. I am afraid to say this is at the lower end of the scale as it does little to inform the PR novice and does nothing to inspire anyone with a modicum of experience.

The book is in three sections. The first looks at the media context. It takes the reader through a whistlestop tour of media ownership and law, pays only lip service to the internet and leaves the reader none the wiser about how s/he should factor an understanding of context into a media relations campaign.

The second looks at dealing with the press and makes no reference to the section that precedes it nor to the growing number of online publications and their effect on the media landscape.

The final section - without doubt the best written and most practical - looks at broadcast media, but only considers preparation for interview in any detail as if this is the only way media coverage can be secured by public relations activity on television or radio.

The three key weaknesses of the book are its inability to consider the various media together, its virtual denial of the internet as a media form and the absolute lack of real life examples and case studies to substantiate the points made.