12.07.2010

The Ballad of John and Yoko

Last year, there were many news pictures I saw that struck a chord with me and were thought provoking; but there was something about a particular picture I saw when I went to New York and visited the ‘John Lennon: The New York City Years’ exhibition at the city’s Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame annex (which has since closed) that really stopped me in my tracks. Like a lot of news pictures where you see individual moments after a dramatic event, you can’t help but imagine what it must have been like for these people in the seconds before, during and after.

With John Lennon, we all know about his life ‘before’ – growing up in 1950s Liverpool, The Quarrymen, the global fame of The Beatles, right up to the Anne Leibovitz picture shot hours before he was murdered.

But I think that this picture of Lennon’s blood stained glasses taken by Yoko Ono is as close as you can get to the ‘during’ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1934532.stm

A picture of a blood stained pair of glasses at a Press conference announcing 'John Lennon: The New York City Years' exhibit, at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC in New York

A picture of a blood stained pair of glasses at a Press conference announcing 'John Lennon: The New York City Years' exhibit, at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC in New York

I stood and looked at this picture for a very long time. Was it because of morbid curiosity or because of the tragic way his life ended – over in seconds, a young man in the prime of his life with so much more to achieve, snuffed out during an act of madness? Maybe it was because his murder resonates with the current situation of young people killing each other, seemingly without the notion of the irreversibility and affect of their actions.  Or maybe it just personalised a very public loss and in doing so, gave it back to us in a way we didn’t expect. 

Yoko Ono doesn’t always get the best press in the UK, but to be able to produce a picture like this which is as heartbreaking as it is stunning, gives us a before, during and after that perhaps no one else could.

Post by Nicola Charalambous (Account Manager – Photography for TNR Communications)

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07.06.2010

Applying Radio to your PR strategy

Radio rides the waves to become the UK’s most trusted source of news

It is confirmed – radio is the UK’s most trusted and popular source of news content. With both Rajar and Ofcom figures confirming the fact, it begs us to ask the question: if you haven’t thought about radio for your upcoming PR campaigns – why not?

Elizabeth Herridge, Project Manager at TNR Communications produces a Radio day in the Press Assocation broadcast studio, London.

Elizabeth Herridge, Project Manager at TNR Communications produces a Radio day in the Press Assocation broadcast studio, London.

Live and pre-recorded interviews with your well-briefed spokesperson can give you massive regional and national reach, with 46million people in the UK tuning in to the radio each week. 

If your campaign is newsworthy, current, interesting, entertaining or hopefully all four, then your story could well tap into the ever-growing FM and digital audiences listening to radio.

Whatever you want to get out of radio, you would be hard pushed not to find a station that would gratify your audio craving. Only this weekend (22nd and 23rd May), I took my trusty digital radio to the garden to enjoy the sun; I didn’t fancy talk radio today, I wasn’t much in the mood for nostalgia and I also wasn’t keen on hearing a re-run of the current Top 40 – I was feeling very spoilt by the choice.

Outdoors, on arguably the hottest weekend of 2010 so far, I wanted live music and to be entertained – to my joy Radio 1 were hosting their Big Weekend in Bangor with a line-up of great music presented by the usual suspects, my personal favourite Chris Moyle’s, Jo Wylie, Edith Bowman and the likes.

The entertainment, live music and banter were all there and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, 250 miles from north Wales listening to Europe’s largest free music festival. I soon realised that it was not only the music and familiar voices I was enjoying, it was the freedom of radio and the reassuring feeling how it never lets me down. Much like my local breakfast radio programme on a weekday or my evening chill out station of choice, it had been able to match my mood perfectly and made me feel a part of it.

In addition, it is not just I that thinks so, recent Rajar results have revealed we have the highest radio listening figures to date, with 46.5million people tuning into radio each week.  Working in the radio industry, I really believe that the continued growth in popularity is heavily down to the variety and quality of stations and programming available. We have some wonderful national and regional stations on FM and DAB, but there are more and more niche stations unearthing as well serving targeted audiences; a few I discovered on Saturday while browsing my DAB Radio include -

- Zee Radio for Bollywood

- TWR – A Christian Radio station

- The Arrow – Apparently the place to go for pure rock radio

- The Hits – chart music, entertainment news and features

- Traffic Radio – no explanation needed!

- My Baby Radio – for family and new parents!

So what does this all mean for PRs and Communications Officers? How can campaigns, launches and key messages be heard? Well…providing up-to-date, interesting, newsworthy and engaging content for radio!

For the first time radio has taken over as the ‘most trusted’ source of news, according to Ofcom, knocking TV, online and print off the top spots. I truly feel that is down to three reasons:

1. The quality and integrity of journalism in the UK

2. The immediacy and availability of information

3. The increasing integration with other media, e.g. TV and Online

Radio Today has recently documented the BBC’s weekly reach has rose by 2.4 per cent during the ridiculous snow falls back in February and March of this year, proving that radio is unquestionably top of mind as a reliable and trustworthy source of information.

If you are able to provide a story that is not only relevant to a station’s target audience, but offers something new and engaging for listeners, then you are more likely to secure airtime for your spokespeople. In addition, as you can see from above there’s more than likely a radio station already broadcasting with your target audience solely in mind, however specific!

Blogs worth casting your eye over…

- Mark Borkowski’s blog – http://www.markborkowski.com/

- Bottle PR blog – http://blog.corkingpr.co.uk/

Post by Elizabeth Herridge (Project Manager for TNR Communications)

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04.06.2010

Charity Competition winner YouthNet’s media dream comes true

TNR launched a competition offering one UK charity a unique opportunity to gain valuable media exposure through a photography and video campaign, produced free by a specialist part of the Press Association.

YouthNet, the online charity for young people, won the prize by beating off over 50 other entries to win the chance to gain coveted exposure through a photography and video campaign, produced free by the Press Association’s specialist communications consultancy.

Chris Vickers, 21, from Essex puts the finishing touches to his winning entry titled Times of Change for YouthNet's Lifesupport: Change through art competition at the Design Museum, London.

Chris Vickers, 21, from Essex puts the finishing touches to his winning entry titled Times of Change for YouthNet's Lifesupport: Change through art competition at the Design Museum, London.

The LifeSupport: Change through art competition awards was a ‘one night only’ exhibition of art work, created by 16 to 25 year olds, challenged to express through film, photography or illustration the impact the recession has had on their communities. As young people are sometimes the hardest hit by a recession, the aim of the competition was to engage them in information and advice on finance and debt. 

Artists and TV presenters including Chloe Madeley, Martyn Lewis and Matthew Stone presented awards to the winner and three runners up, as well as mingled with the young artists and engaged with some of the entries, including getting the chance to relieve any financial frustrations by clobbering ‘piggy bank piñatas’ or hanging sentiments onto a ‘money tree’.

Claire Southeard, MD of TNR said “YouthNet’s entry was both highly visual and very creative, with a lot of effort already put in to a well organised event. It wasn’t a stunt, purely organised for PR purposes, the awards event itself was designed first and foremost to help engage with the very young people that the charity has at its heart. It therefore already had credibility and the beginnings of a news story, that we felt we could add to with our PR service, helping to achieve that all important media coverage”.

 

Post by Suzy Richards (Head of Marketing for TNR Communications)

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20.05.2010

Effective communication through the Media during ‘Silly Season’

‘Silly Season’ is upon us once again, that time of year when everything slows down as Parliament goes on holiday, schools close and real news seems much thinner on the ground. At this time the media world, still hungry for 24 hr news coverage, can often open the door to stranger and wackier stories to fill the void left behind.

There is no doubt that the newsrooms will still be covering stories on the recent coalition Government and there’s still the chance that the ever looming volcanic ash cloud will be haunting the news agenda. However, throughout the long summer months the media will be desperately crying out for content which offers those in PR the opportunity to secure that all important media exposure.

This does not mean we have to abandon the rules of respected journalism, more that we can take a look at upcoming campaigns and activities from a more light hearted point of view. Are there potential news worthy stories that may be a little on the quirky side? With the recession keeping us firmly grounded, the chance to make light of any situation will always be welcomed by editors.

This is unique time in the UK’s media calendar when it’s possible to effectively communicate about a campaign that, at any other time of year, would have to really fight to secure coverage. A simple quote or a by-lined article in a national newspaper does not automatically translate into sales but positive media coverage whether it be across radio, TV, print or the online media, can greatly strengthen the value and position of a brand or service.

Post by Suzy Richards (Head of Marketing for TNR Communications)

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04.05.2010

Celebrity Eclipse heads to Bilbao on rescue mission

…TNR cruise to help rescue 2,000 stranded British tourists. Those familiar with TNR, will probably tell you that the department of nine at the Press Association has a bit of a reputation for drama in its day-to-day work activities, but the activities of the past week took that to a whole new level.

Siren PR and their client, Celebrity Cruises, had commissioned TNR to provide broadcast and online PR support for the initial UK launch celebrations of new cruise ship, Celebrity Eclipse, on Tuesday 20th April. That was, until the media agenda became engulfed by the volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland.

Suddenly, the opportunity for coverage became a very different challenge and, on the recommendations of both TNR and Siren PR, Celebrity Cruises worked through the night to arrange for the 122,000 tonne, £500 million ship to set sail for Bilbao in Spain within hours of arriving in the UK. The mission?  To pick up more than 2,000 British tourists stranded by the travel chaos and bring them back to the UK in five star style.

Our crew were in Southampton with the intention of filming the ship’s arrival to the UK and heading home.  But before TNR Producer, Tessa Parry-Wingfield and her camera crew had time to say ‘Ahoy there,’ they were boarding Celebrity Eclipse and heading out to sea for a four day round trip. Celebrity Eclipse’s maiden voyage had turned into a full-scale rescue operation, and TNR was there to film every moment.

 “It was one of the most bizarre and exciting shoots of my life. With barely a moment to buy underwear, my crew and I were suddenly setting sail for Spain. And to top it off we were travelling on a beautiful (and enormous) cruise ship! It wasn’t without its professional hurdles though. With intermittent internet connection out at sea, feeding shots back to the hungry UK media was certainly a challenge. But in the end it was a rip-roaring success for TNR, with a fantastic range of news coverage. A success too for Celebrity Eclipse, who seamlessly transported 2,000 grateful Brits back home in such luxury.”

Back in the UK, TNR’s MD Claire Southeard was liaising with the crew on the ship and their constantly failing signal and coordinating requests from eager broadcasters who wanted the latest footage from this evolving story.  In all, TNR delivered seven lots of video material to the UK media via satellite feed or, when occasion demanded it, via a shaky internet connection in the middle of the Mediterranean.

All the major broadcasters including BBC, SKY and ITN picked up TNR’s footage. Online editorials used TNR’s A-Roll and D-Roll, which included the arrival of the ship into Bilbao, bird’s eye views of the enormous luxury liner and reactions of the stranded holidaymakers enjoying the pools, grass lawn area and the ship’s many restaurants, offering a welcome bit of luxury after the chaos of the last week.


 
News Coverage

Post by Penny Joyner (Marketing Executive for TNR Communications)

 

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15.04.2010

Competition launches unique opportunity for UK charities

…Free photo and video support from the Press Association consultancy, TNR Communications

A competition was launched in March 2010, offering one UK charity a unique opportunity to gain valuable media exposure through a photography and video campaign, produced for free by a specialist part of the Press Association.

Any UK registered charity with an upcoming media campaign is invited to apply for their chance to win a free photography and video consultation with the Press Association’s in-house communications agency, TNR, who will advise on the best way to gain coverage in the UK’s print and online press.   A Press Association photographer will then offer their ‘Fleet Street’ knowledge to take pictures that support the winner’s campaign, the best of which will be offered directly to the Picture Wire.  The winner will also get a ‘Videocall’ of their story filmed, edited and uploaded to the UK’s top five video streaming sites. 

With over 160,000 registered charities in England and Wales, publicity to drive campaign awareness and increase public support is in great demand.  TNR’s consultants have hands-on experience of what works and what doesn’t within the media and are in an ideal position to advise how that crucial press coverage can be achieved. 

Multimedia content can have a substantial impact on PR coverage. However, on many occasions, charities simply do not have the budget for it.  The charity competition aims to give something back to the UK’s charity sector, with the gift of a £2,500 package of PR services aimed at increasing the chances of exposure for one worthy PR campaign.

TNR’s Managing Director, Claire Southeard, said “We are very proud to initiate this competition and hope we can offer some much needed support and guidance to a very worthy cause.  We have spent a long time building up our experience and knowledge of what works in broadcast, photography and online and are delighted to have found this opportunity to share the benefit of that expertise with a UK charity.”

Charities are invited to apply for the competition through a dedicated page on the TNR website where they can enter details of their chosen campaign and describe how winning this competition could benefit their organisation. The campaign must be scheduled to take place before the end of June 2010 and the deadline for submissions is Friday 16th April.  A judging panel will choose five finalists, from which one winner will be announced on Friday 23rd April.

Related Articles:

http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/993821/Week-Charities/

http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/992653/Free-communications-support-charities-won/

http://www.consortcharity.com/news-details.aspx?newsID=27997

http://www.ccwa.org.uk/v2/index.php?section_list=News&subsection=CCWA_top_stories&content=2118

http://www.fundingcentral.org.uk/SchemeList.aspx?NB=2&RT=2&BK=4&ST=0&WCU=CBC=View,DSCODE=OTSSCMLIVE,SCHEMEID=248-S34853

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12.04.2010

Visionary Icons – Nat Finkelstein and Andy Warhol

From One Extreme to another

Working at TNR Communications, on the photography side of things, often requires a bit of ‘research’ to encourage creativity and even provide material for our blog. So the other day I went to the Nat Finkelstein exhibition From One Extreme to the Other, at Idea Generation  – a PR company based in east London that also doubles as a gallery.

Nat Finkelstein – who passed away towards the end of last year – became a regular face at the Factory, Andy Warhol’s studio in New York, during the mid to late 1960s.  He wasn’t one of the drug influenced artists who decorated the Factory in tin foil, or one of the boys hanging around hoping to be a superstar in the next Warhol production – film or otherwise, but a photojournalist interested in capturing the zeitgeist.

The Factory was a magnet for the weird and wonderful.  Stars of film and music would drop by to observe and perhaps even participate in the decadent, uninhibited scenes that the studio was famous for.  One of the stars that regularly dropped by during this period was Bob Dylan. Warhol already had the cooler than cool Lou Reed in his stable, so he probably wasn’t interested in enticing Dylan to join the resident kooks. However, he liked him enough to give him one of his Double Elvis paintings:

Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan at The Factory 1966

Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan at The Factory 1966

The resulting photo is one of my favourites from the collection, for many reasons. Firstly, because Finkelstein had intuitively captured three icons whose longevity, status and relevance in the future had yet to be decided. I also like the way that the painting is captured between Warhol and Dylan illustrating the transaction, and the way that they are standing gives the shot a kind of symmetry.  Black and white photography always adds an element of drama and intrigue, so this shot might not have been as iconic or as striking had it been in colour.  This shot is just a moment in time, and as Finkelstein said himself “When all is said and done, when everything is gone, the photograph is what’s going to remain. The photographer is the producer of history.”

As the story goes, although Dylan professed to being inspired by Elvis, he later exchanged the painting with his manager Albert Grossman for a sofa, of all things.  Clearly Dylan isn’t the visionary Warhol and Finkelstein were.  I wonder if there is a shot of that transaction…

Post by Nicola Charalambous (Production Manager for TNR Communications)

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Posted in Photography, Portrait Photography | 1 Comment »

30.03.2010

Take one very big ship and one extremely small hole……

It was always going to be an incredible nautical feat. In order for Celebrity Cruises’ latest ship, Celebrity Eclipse, to leave its home of eight months – a shipyard in Papenburg (the middle of nowhere in north Germany) – it had to navigate through a tiny gate BACKWARDS, and then along a wiggly windy narrow river before it finally reached the sea.

We were tasked with filming the spectacle and ensuring great coverage of her departure. It was going to be a fun adventure for sure. The question was; how do you film such a thing in the middle of nowhere, potentially in the dark?

You see, when a cruise ship has to leave, it has to leave – TV crew or no TV crew. With a storm brewing, the window of opportunity was small and the risk to the ship was big. The risk of missing out on filming was even bigger, if the captain decided to leave in the dead of night without us knowing.

After a call from our client saying we had to leave the next day, we made it to Papenburg and started filming. I’ve never seen a ship big enough to carry nearly 3,000 guests, let alone been allowed to nose around on board. After donning our hard hats, we started the shoot, with everyone frantically trying to get all the fixtures and fittings finished in time for the conveyance the next day.

TNR production team filming the Celebrity Eclipse in Papenburg

TNR production team filming the Celebrity Eclipse in Papenburg

In the end, Celebrity Eclipse sailed off without a hitch. My crew breathed a sigh of relief when she left in broad daylight. The helicopter crew made it into the air to get some stunning aerials. And despite there being just a few metres spare on each side of the lock, she squeezed through the tiny hole. And most importantly we had some fantastic pick-up on TV and Online.

A-Roll produced by the TNR production team for TV & Online

Celebrity Eclipse is now heading for Southampton (via Hamburg) ….. no more small holes, but definitely more filming challenges for TNR ahead. Ship Ahoy!

Post by Tessa Parry-Wingfield (Producer for TNR Communications)

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03.03.2010

“Quality not quantity”….It’s bad news for staff at the BBC, but will the corporation’s radical shake-up open doors for its competitors?

The BBC has announced some of its national radio stations, online outputs and digital TV channels may be for the chop. BBC 6 Music and its Asian network are to be taken off the airwaves by the end of next year and BBC online may also be slashed in half by 2013.

Director General Mark Thompson told his staff that quality, not quantity, is the aim of the game – all part of a major strategy review that’s been billed the biggest shake-up in the organisation’s 88-year history.

It’s depressing news for staff at the beeb. The Union says up to 600 jobs are in jeopardy. Many journalists now have to sit and wait to see if their days at Television Centre are numbered.

But what about this talk of “making “fewer things better?” Well, if it goes to plan £600 million will be plunged into higher calibre programme-making. BBC local radio has been told to improve “its quality and originality,” with more investment in local journalism. Nationally, BBC 1 and 2 will be given more cash to grow. While on the web, the BBC will have to provide more links to the pages of rival publishers.

The landscape of the corporation is changing dramatically, and so will the way it works with those outside the walls at White City.

As a TV and Radio Producer, I know first hand that the BBC can be a hard nut to crack when it comes to getting stories on air or online. I consider the quality of much of the beeb’s output to be high already. If more quality is what it’s after, PR professionals will have to follow suit and work even harder to deliver just that.

On the other hand, now may be the time for outlets like ITV and Channel 4 and various other news websites to shine. If that’s the case, more doors may open, and with it, the potential for more PR opportunities in the future.

TimesTimes | Big, bloated and cunning
GuardianAlastair Harper | Guardian | Why everyone wants to #saveBBC6music
Pop justicePopjustice | Why a sad day for 6Music could also be a sad day for Radio 1
GuardianJohnny Dee | Guardian | BBC 6 Music: axing the station would be massive mistake
First PostJonathan Harwood | First Post | Axe ‘commercial’ Radio 1, not 6Music, fans tell BBC
No Rock & Roll FunSimon Hayes Budgen | No Rock And Roll Fun | 6 Music back on Death Row

Post by Tessa Parry-Wingfield (Producer for TNR Communications)

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01.03.2010

Hamburger Eyes

I stumbled across this fantastic short video by Australian film-maker Nick Fogarty of the photographers collective behind the San Francisco photo magazine ‘Hamburger Eyes’

Hamburger Eyes

Click on the image to watch the Hamburger Eyes short film

Hamburger Eyes started off as a Xeroxed handout by brothers David & Ray Potes in 2001. It’s now a much slicker, stylish operation but it still provides a very off the wall look at what an urban photo journal can be. There’s obvious nods to the classic social documentary work of people like Robert Frank, Nan Goldin, Larry Clark, but with a fresh twist, a West coast hipster cool, and more importantly a lot of fun.

“I’m not even a photographer, I’m a painting contractor who has a camera and takes pictures” says member Stefan Simikich.

I think he underestimates himself. What he and his friends create for themselves and document for others is fantastic and Fogerty has captured that perfectly.

Go to the Nick Fogarty website to view his entire portfolio of work from around the world.

Post by Tim Kerr (Director and Head of Photography for TNR Communications)

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