Media Networks

One of the traditions of public relations is that it conducts much of its communication activity through “other people's media.” Advertising buys time and space. Public relations typically uses “free time or space” in which it places news, stories, and comments through news reports, for instance.

Media, as discussed in public relations, come in two sizes. One is the mass media, which consist of complex networks of news gathering and dissemination, as well as entertainment programming and editorial commentary. Magazines, newspapers, and television are the traditional venues through which news, commentary, and entertainment reaches readers, listeners, and viewers. Public relations practitioners also use “their own media.” Pamphlets and reports are key examples of media tools that practitioners use to disseminate information and commentary. In this sense, media are print and electronic networks that can be used to reach mass audiences.

Second, media networks are narrowcast information systems, consisting of multiple-output devices fed and controlled by a centralized source. Message recipients have no way to engage in direct feedback.

The output devices are usually display devices: Jumbotrons, video monitors, LCD and plasma displays, and so on. The centralized source is usually a computer-controlled audiovisual switching system, with source information stored and played backed in either analog or digital format. Videocassettes, compact discs (CDs), CD-ROMs, digital video discs (DVDs), DVD-ROMs, and computer hard drives are the storage media typically encountered.

Message content is dependent on venue or environment. Media networks are used in sports stadiums and arenas, office buildings, shopping malls, and individual retail spaces. Technological convergence is allowing the addition of billboards to the media network landscape.

Messages do not have to be homogeneous. It is possible to run several different messages simultaneously. A common example involves advertising in an athletic shoe store. Usually, there are several clusters of video monitors, with each cluster narrowcasting a different advertisement on each monitor in the cluster. Advertisements are usually repeated across the clusters, meaning that one monitor in each cluster is running the same advertisements.

Media networks are not simply a new way to advertise. Media networks can play a critical role in an office/business environment. It may be something as simple as a running stock ticker that includes the company's stock price along with the company's competitors'. Above the ticker could be copies of relevant business stories. An organization can go further with the media network and include messages from the CEO or minutes from meetings. Companies often use a media network to function as a message board, notifying employees of policy changes, upcoming events, or meetings. It is possible to have many of the functions of a company newsletter moved onto a media network.

Media networks provide the public relations practitioner with a unique opportunity. Narrowcasting allows for a fairly high level of customization and refinement of the message. There are three principles to keep in mind in considering the use of a media network for message delivery.

First, understand the limitations of the storage, playback, and output devices. For example, hard drive space is cheap and plentiful, making it easy to store large, high-quality audio and images. However, if the venue is a sports arena, the speaker systems are typically not that good, the acoustics of the space are horrible, and the output quality of a Jumbotron is well below television quality.

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