July 2003

Survey says: 141 million adults are tuned in to Christian media!

A recent study by Barna Research Group revealed that two out of three adults (67%) used at least one of the three forms of religious media – radio, television or books – for a dose of the Christian faith in the past month.

PTA Faith is our full service Religious/Christian division with a team of publicists dedicated solely to promoting religious titles, organizations, and Christian musicians. Not only have we had great success in the Christian market, but PTA Faith has also developed an excellent reputation for helping religious publishers and organizations crossover into the general market with their mainstream projects.

PTA Faith has had a busy spring promoting several titles including the Business Week best-seller, High Trust Selling (Thomas Nelson) by Todd Duncan. Successful placements include: Entrepreneur, INC, Investor's Business Daily, Scripps Howard News Service and scores of by-lined article placements. Additional spring titles we've worked on include: Iraq: Babylon of the End-Times? (Baker) by Marvin Pate and Daniel Hays with successful placements in Associated Press, Denver Post/Rocky Mountain News, Sacramento Bee and FamilyNet's "At Home Live"; and Look At It This Way (WaterBrook) by Jan Silvious who appeared on "Janet Parshall's America", Moody's "Midday Connection", and "Life Today with James Robison".

PTA Faith is looking forward to the fall as they work with: legendary UCLA Basketball Coach, John Wooden for his new book Coach Wooden: One On One (Regal); former CNN reporter, Andria Hall promoting her book The Walk @ Work (WaterBrook); and professional model, actress and recording artist Charity Allen Winters, along with her mom, Cynthia Culp Allen for their new book The Beautiful Balance for Body and Soul (Revell).

Whether it's national or local coverage, PTA Faith has generated print, television, and radio coverage for numerous faith-based clients and for clients who want to tap into this large population segment. For more information on PTA Faith, please contact Sharon Farnell at 212/593-6337 or e-mail her at farnells@plannedtvarts.com.

Summer is finally here and you know what that means - road trips! In between planning your route on Mapquest and throwing the overnight bags in the car, slide on over to www.roadfood.com. A site devoted "exclusively to finding the most memorable local eateries along the highways and back roads of America." Afterwards, roll down those windows, blast the radio and head on out knowing that at least one of your meals will not be in the local McDonald's!

Looking for an opportunity to discuss everything from favorite books and buying habits to literary news in free-form discussion boards with readers, writers, librarians, publishers, and even critics? If so, check out www.readerville.com from the former director of Salon.com. There are scheduled reading and discussion groups focusing on specific books and subjects. Take a look at "The Shortlist" for a daily digest of the best book-related online content.

Are you booking a city tour for an author? An unlikely, but helpful source for local media is the official website for the American Academy of Family Physicians at http://capitol.aafp.org/aafp/dbq/media/. Select a state on the map and you will be provided with a list of print and broadcast media.

MAKE AND KEEP FRIENDS IN THE MEDIA

Cultivating relationships with the media is crucial to the success of a publicity campaign. In order to get optimum publicity, you need to become a media resource. The fact is the media is interested only in what you can do for them or their audience so you need to frame your presentations to show the media how your story can satisfy their goals.

Always be a professional. If the media doesn't respond to or return your call, understand it's not personal. Remember there are thousands of other people doing exactly what you're doing and it takes time to respond to everyone. Stay on their radar screen by periodically calling or e-mailing to gently remind them that you're still around and available if they need your expertise. Follow the careers of your media contacts. Learn which subjects interest them, the projects they're working on and those they plan to cover. When you make new media contacts, ask how they prefer to be contacted-email, phone, fax or mailing and be sure to note their preference on your media list.

Be available when media contacts call, consider it an opportunity and go the extra mile. If you can't supply what they want, think of who else you know that might. Give the media names and leads, make some calls, check with your network and do research . . . whatever might help. They'll remember that and you.

From GUERRILLA PUBLICITY: Hundreds of Sure-fire Tactics to Get Maximum Sales for Minimum Dollars by Rick Frishman, Jill Lublin and Jay Conrad Levinson.

Some annual dates that just might relate to a Morning Drive or Satellite TV Tour topic:

November 2003

December 2003

January 2004

Here's a sampling of our latest bookings:

For Iraq: Babylon of the End-Times? (Baker Books) by Marvin Pate and Daniel Hays we booked:

Associated Press
Denver Post/Rocky Mountain News
St. Petersburg Times
Sacramento Bee
Orlando Weekly
FamilyNet Television "At Home Live"

For I Don't Know What I Want, But It's Not This:A Step-By-Step Guide To Finding Gratifying Work(Penguin) by Julie Jansen we booked:

Bloomberg Money Show/National Radio Show

For High Trust Selling (Thomas Nelson Publishing) by Todd Duncan we booked:

Inc. Magazine
Entrepreneur
Investor's Business Daily
Scripps Howard News Service
Fort Worth Star Telegram

Scott Piro is reading:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Harper SanFrancisco)
This is a charming tale of Santiago, a shepherd boy, who dreams of seeing the world. He journeys from Spain to Morocco in search of worldly success.

Sam Glazer is reading:
Spandau Phoenix by Greg Iles (Signet)
A WWII Spy Novel about the Wermacht's desperate attempts to get a secret weapon, and a spy's only chance to thwart their plan.

David Thalberg is reading:
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (William Morrow)
It's a hard-core detective mystery/psychological thriller with tons of twists and turns and an ending twist that will really shock you.

Melissa Yoblon is reading:
Loving Donovan by Bernice L. McFadden (Plume)
Terrific African-American drama/ romance novel about the one love you never get over.

Paul Schwartz is reading:
Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris (Random House)
Is a journey through the administration and behind the scenes struggles of one of America's boldest and most progressive presidents, Theodore Roosevelt. Edmund Morris' superb second part of an anticipated 3-part biography is a great read.

Liz Ravage, Carrie Kreiswirth & Shara Alexander are reading:
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger (Doubleday)
It's a supposedly fictional tale that details the life of Andrea Sachs while she is an assistant to the editor of Runway magazine. Although this is marketed as fiction, it is "loosely based" on the life of Ms. Weisberger herself when she was an assistant to the all-powerful Anna Wintour of Vogue magazine.