Let's not stop with CBS

[themagic8ball]

I like the ideas expressed in the previous post. It would be a good way to have a 2-hour timeslot and get FIRST out there without taking up two whole days of broadcast. And if a 2 hour timeslot works the first year a company may consider going farther in depth.

As for discovery channel, if someone is writing in to them, don't send it yet, we should get as many electronic signatures on it as posible to show our support for it.

[Robyn Needel]

Originally Posted by DeAnnaC

Looks like the Discovery channel is looking for new program ideas - that may be more like the group of a target audience for FIRST anyway.

Could someone who is into writing put something together and post out here:
http://community.discovery.com/group...m/f/5241934628

Have an awesome day.

DeAnna

Discovery Inc. is located in Silver Spring, Maryland - not far away from all of teh Baltimore/Washington area teams. Why don't we get in touch with the president of the company, invite him to a couple of the upcoming events where the robots will be in attendance (the Six Flags physics day on the 12th and the air show at Andrews the weekend of the 19th)...then try and get him to sit down with us and develop a program? BTW, all these folks are youngish and seem to have open minds, from what I can read about them.

One Discovery Place
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: 240-662-2000

John Hendricks, Founder and Chairman
Judith McHale, President and CEO
Donald A. Baer, Senior executive VP, Strategy and Development
William M. Campbell III, President Discovery Networks, US
Dawn L. McCall, President Discovery Networks International

[Pat Chen]

[quote=Robyn Needel]Discovery Inc. is located in Silver Spring, Maryland - not far away from all of teh Baltimore/Washington area teams. Why don't we get in touch with the president of the company, invite him to a couple of the upcoming events where the robots will be in attendance (the Six Flags physics day on the 12th and the air show at Andrews the weekend of the 19th)...then try and get him to sit down with us and develop a program? BTW, all these folks are youngish and seem to have open minds, from what I can read about them.....

Terrific idea.....Dean and the local area teams should extend them an invitation......followup with an invitation to next year's regional or IRI.....and people who have posted about NASA Web TV is right....not everyone has access to that station....

Pat Chen

[HyPhire111]

it has not stoped i just saw a team member of 294 on Disney Channel!!!

link enclosed Disney Channel Congrats

am a news camera-operator in Toronto Ontario Canada and a couple of things came to mind when reading this threat about media coverage.

First, I would start by doing research and getting the accurate contact information on all of you're local newspapers, TV stations, radio stations in you're area, in additon the big networks and specialty channels and the wire services such as CP AP reuters etc AND news release services, we have canada newswire up here and there are many others.

Don't think you're small local community paper is too small, you would be surprised how many people and people who run small businesses in the communities read those papers (potential sponsors?).

Now the things that come to mind for writing a press release to help make sure it actually gets read...

Keep is simple: Believe me I work in news and well to keep this post somewhat "graciously professional" lets just say it's NOT always people of the caliber of FIRST who work on the assignment desks.

so keep it simple, bold, easy to read and understand.

Priorities I would make sure are on the press release are:

WHAT: a brief description of what FIRST is....not just about the robot
WHEN: exact times of you're event
WHERE: exact and accurate location of the venue
CONTACT: a phone and email contact of someone a reporter can call anytime on or before the event

When to send you're press releases? well in advance of the events, in advance of events and the day before the event and my reasoning for that is there are many people working assignment desks and if one person doesn't care maybe on a different day someone else will tweak to this story and say "hey let's check this out", you never know so you want to "gently" keep reminding them that there is a very interesting story to be covered here.

Agenda stories:

At least here in Toronto the media seem to be obsessed with agenda stories these days, so it's good to promote and strongly emphasize all aspects of FIRST not just the robot.

For example I was the camera-guy assigned to cover the GTR at the Hershey centre, I had no idea what it was all about, I had heard about robotics competitons a few years ago but thats about it.

So I just go there like every other event with no clue other than a robotics competition and the students built the robots.....

If I knew what I know now about what this all is about I sure would have asked different questions when doing clips.

You never know what the agenda is though...we don't half the time believe me...so you want to point out to prospective news organizations some highlights.

For example, when I entered the Hershy centre I was told I had to wear safety glasses, being media I though yea...ok..and then quickly I noticed "EVERYONE" had them on...everyone and all the time, I guess I'm going to have to learn to shoot video through the glasses and in about 20 minutes I got used to it and it didn't feel awkward, BUT what went through my mind was here are hundreds of students to take WORKPLACE SAFETY alot more seriously than many workplaces including then news industry. -THERE IS YOU'RE STORY ANGLE.

I started by shooting as much video in the pits as I could, some interview clips and shots of teams working on the robots and wide shots of the crowds....so I was walking all through the pits looking for stuff that would look "visual" and as I left for the field a thought went through my mind, "I HAVEN'T HEARD ONE SWEAR WORD" the whole hour in was in the puts...not one! I was thinking....theres a story idea here

so while our newspapers and TV news headlines were full of crime stories about youth crime and and gang violence etc etc....here was a large group making something of their lives. -THERE IS YOU'RE STORY ANGLE.

While the bad will always make the news the trend of doing more with news and all these sidebar stories means there is more chances to counter the bad with some good and hit the local and national media with this story idea about first not only around competitions but when big bad stories are front and centre in the news....

Here is what I came away with from covering the GTR at Hershy centre:

SAFETY FIRST...in practice...amazing eh?!
everyone working together not against each other
clean language....really noticable

Then of course there is the tech side to it, from the idea to the design/drafting to the building....the technical knowledge just blows me away and believe me I wish we had more people with that work ethic and knowldge in the business I am in, I have since read up on FIRST and found this site and really impressive and fun and ADDICTIVE!

Being a severe weather cameraguy as well maybe if the next game involves and waterproof robot I can steal some ideas for building a waterproof robot for covering severe weather

mark