Working with the Media to Help Canadians
Get Up, Go Out and Be SummerActive!

Partnerships are based on the premise that there is strength in numbers, and SummerActive is no exception. The success of any SummerActive opportunity – and your province’s or territory’s SummerActive initiative as a whole – requires the involvement of committed leaders at the local level.

However, enthusiastic leadership is just one part of the equation – to make the most of SummerActive, we need to get Canadians participating! You can help boost participation by getting local media interested in the aim of SummerActive and how people in your region can join in and have fun while improving their health.

The public looks to the media – television, radio, internet and newspapers – as a reliable and credible source of information about what’s going on in their neighbourhood, community or across town.

By letting reporters know about SummerActive, you can help raise the profile of your efforts to get the message out that Canadians need to be moving more often, eating healthily, and living smoke free to achieve health benefits and have fun.

Here are some tips for using the media to help spread the news of SummerActive opportunities around your community, province or territory:

• Start by making a list of the names and phone numbers of any newspapers, radio stations and/or TV stations in your town or region. Don’t forget neighbourhood and community newspapers, association journals (e.g., YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs) and workplace journals.

• Once you have put together the facts about your SummerActive opportunity (see below for details) call each media outlet several days to a week ahead of the opportunity and ask to speak with someone in their news department. Introduce yourself and the organization you represent, and then let them know you have some ‘cool ideas’ to share for a fun and unique local opportunity that their readers, listeners or viewers might be interested in.
• Write down a brief list of the facts about your SummerActive opportunity – you can use ‘the 5 Ws’ to help you organize your information, for example:
  
  Who: The Moosejaw Recreation Centre
  What: Soccer Challenge
  When: Wednesday, June 6th at 12 noon
  Where: On the field behind the Recreation Centre at 123 Main Street
  Why: To celebrate SummerActive 2008 during the warmer months of the year by helping Canadians become more physically active and spreading the word that active living, healthy eating, living smoke-free and participating in sport are all key to a healthy lifestyle!
• Add any extra information that will make the opportunity appealing to potential participants and more newsworthy for the media, for example:
• The event is free, no equipment is required and no prior soccer experience is necessary.
• People of all ages and fitness levels are welcome, especially parents and their children who are looking for fun ways to be healthy during the summer months.
• You may wish to offer your own prizes during your SummerActive opportunity, such as longest kick; youngest participant; oldest participant; most colorful soccer outfit; most creative kick style or trick; and best ability to play soccer and do something else at the same time, such as eat a healthy snack, juggle or sing the national anthem.
• Before you contact the media, you may want to ask some local celebrities to participate in your SummerActive opportunity – nothing gets a journalist out to an event faster than the idea of the local politicians running around a field trying to play soccer in a suit! You could also ask a popular sports figure, a local businessperson, or even a media personality to come out and give it a try.

You will be able to get a sense from each media outlet whether or not they are interested in sending a reporter to cover the story. You can also offer them the chance to take photos and/or interview you (or another spokesperson from your organization), as well as some of the participants at the event. Suggest that they can get background information on SummerActive 2008 by visiting www.summeractive.ca.

If a particular radio or TV station indicates that they do not have the time or resources to actually come out to your event on the day in question, ask them if they could mention the event on air or if they would accept a Public Service Announcement (also known as a ‘PSA’). PSAs are free-of-charge announcements that usually are of importance or benefit to the community and are non-commercial in nature.

PSAs are usually 100 words or less, offering ‘just the facts’ in a quick, easy-to-remember format. Many stations will write them for you using the info you provide, or you can choose to create your own. Here’s an example of a PSA that’s 109 words:

By taking the initiative and offering journalists timely, newsworthy information either by phone or via a PSA, you are helping the media do their jobs – you are giving them all the facts instead of waiting for them to contact you. At the same time, you are enhancing the profile of your organization in the eyes of your members and the community.

Good luck getting news coverage for your 2008 SummerActive event!