Media Landscape Amid COVID-19, Courtesy Of Kim Brown, APR

“As a former broadcast news producer, I never thought I’d see the day when interviews were primarily conducted virtually. I remember standing in the production booth at CBS 11, patching in Skype interviews after the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. The quality was poor, but it was breaking news. The kind where quality doesn’t really matter. We were on the air and needed the latest information. This was the exception to our ‘the viewers care about quality, so avoid Skype interviews’ rule.

Seven years later, here we are, in the middle of breaking news once again. This time, it’s a global pandemic and nearly everyone has been sent home. Who could have imagined a time when Chris Cuomo would be hosting his primetime show on CNN from his basement? It’s the same for local media too. Anchors, reporters, even producers and editors are all working from home. The thought of this makes my former producer brain spin. And I want to know, will their shift to online news reporting last? In certain aspects, I hope it does.

As a media relations specialist at Cook Children’s Medical Center, I see the doors of possibility opening amid the current news landscape. Things move more quickly now. Instead of juggling multiple schedules, arranging locations for filming, coordinating with the expert, department leaders, parking and security to ensure everyone is in the loop, now interviews can be done with the click of a Zoom link. It literally takes an hours-long process down to minutes. And it’s not just saving everyone time, it’s opening up opportunities for interviews that may have never occurred.

One example of how this new process has worked to our advantage is our recent stories about child abuse. About a week after stay-at-home orders went into effect in North Texas, Cook Children’s began seeing an uptick in cases of severe physical abuse. Seven children were admitted to the hospital in one week and two of those children died. We knew we had to do something, so we sounded the alarm and started speaking out. This strategy isn’t new to us, but what is different is the number of interviews we were able to line up for Cook Children’s child abuse pediatrician, Jamye Coffman, M.D. Normally, we would be limited in how many shoots we could schedule because of the valuable time it takes up. (And if anyone’s time is important, it’s Dr. Coffman’s.) But thanks to Zoom and similar platforms, we were lining up interviews back to back. Since mid-March, Dr. Coffman has been featured in nearly two dozen unique articles, from local outlets to the New York Times, regarding child abuse and the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. I have to believe this level of coverage would not have been possible without the media’s newfound comfort with virtual interviews. Yes, some of these stories were done with old-fashion phoners, but many weren’t. And if not for all of these interviews, I’m not sure this issue would be receiving the attention it deserves. After the initial stories came out, other children’s hospitals started reporting similar trends nationwide. Now, child abuse amid quarantine is something people across the country are talking about. I think virtual interviews are partly to thank.” Kim Brown, 

Senior Media Relations and Communications Specialist at Cook Children’s

May Program Presentation: How Public Relations Practitioners Can Help Organizations Adapt to COVID-19

Click here for our latest virtual program from this month’s presenter – Julie O’Neil: PRSA COVID 19 Presentation O’Neil.

 

 

COVID-19 Update

#FWPRSA: Due to the latest COVID-19 developments, the following changes have been made to the chapter’s upcoming events:

• March 19: GFW PRSA Health Care Special Interest Group meeting – postponed

• March 26: PR After Dark Happy Hour – postponed

• April 1: PRSA April luncheon – will be turned into a virtual event. Watch for details.

• May 6: PRSA May Luncheon – will be turned into a virtual event. Watch for details.

We are thinking of you & your teams and feel that keeping this group of PR professionals in contact will be beneficial as we all navigate this unprecedented time.

Safehaven honors one of GFW PRSA’s very own with Legacy of Women Award

Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people. —Peter Strople

Gigi Westerman, APR, Fellow PRSA, has been recognized with the prestigious 2019 SafeHaven Legacy of
Women Award. Westerman, a long-time member of GFW PRSA, was honored in October, along with
nine others community leaders and advocates during the 27 th annual Legacy of Women awards
ceremony. SafeHaven’s mission is to end domestic violence through safety, support, prevention and
social change as the largest and most comprehensive domestic violence service provider in Tarrant
County.
The event “expands awareness of the astonishing one in three Tarrant County women who will
experience domestic violence in their lifetime, while honoring women who are leaders and advocates in
our region,” said Kathryn Jacob, president and CEO of Safehaven. “Legacy of Women exemplifies the
word ‘community’ with an unwavering support and continuous rise for change.”
Westerman is co-founder of The S & G Group, an Arlington-based strategic planning and
communications firm that offers integrated communications, market research and analysis, branding,
media relations, crisis communications, issue management, and media training services to clients in the
government, nonprofit and business sectors. Westerman launched the firm in 2015 with long-time
business partner Sandra Brodnicki, APR.
Westerman’s commitment in Tarrant County is all encompassing, according to Michelle Clark, APR,
Associate Vice Chancellor, Advancement Strategy and Administration at Texas Christian University and
Director, Greater Fort Worth PRSA. “Gigi demonstrates that throughout all aspects of her life – while
working on behalf of clients, volunteering for nonprofit organizations, being a committed friend, and
making a difference as a leader and mentor,” Clark said. “She is insightful and unfailingly generous of her
expertise, and uses her time and talents to help make our community and profession better.”
Westerman has been an active member of PRSA since 2002, serving in local and national capacities.
After earning her accreditation in 2010, she dedicated herself to helping others obtain their APRs,
through individual mentorship and local and national accreditation efforts. After being inducted into the
PRSA College of Fellows, she was asked to lead the College of Fellows mentoring efforts and helped
develop a national plan to enhance mentorship within the organization. She has also served as a GFW
PRSA board member and assembly delegate since 2012, bringing local issues to the national stage.

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2019 Worthy Award Winners

The city’s top communicators were recognized for their outstanding achievements last night at the GFW PRSA 2019 Worthy Awards dinner.

A total of 58 awards were handed out at the eighth annual celebration, including 32 Awards of Excellence, 16 Awards of Achievement, and ten Worthy Awards–the chapter’s highest honor. The awards recognize the best in strategic communications programs and tactics practiced by professionals and students in the greater Fort Worth area.

Check out the full list of winners, here.

Communicator of the Year
Each year, GFW PRSA recognizes a community member outside the public relations profession who demonstrates leadership and effective communication when involved in a major event or issue affecting the greater Fort Worth region. This year’s award went to Mary-Margaret Lemons, president of Fort Worth Housing Solutions.

As the leader of the city’s independent housing authority, Lemons has worked to build and maintain support for deconcentrating low-income housing in Fort Worth. She was recognized for leading the charge for affordable housing by cultivating relationships with Fort Worth City Council, senior city staff, officials at Housing and Urban Development, as well as social service agencies and private developers.

Previous honorees include Dr. Kent Scribner, Fort Worth ISD superintendent; Paul Paine, Near Northside, Inc. president; Robert Earley, JPS President and CEO; Patsy Thomas, former president Mental Health Connection; Walter Danby, former Fort Worth ISD Superintendent; Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price; and former Fort Worth Councilman Joel Burns.

PRSA Professional of the Year
Michelle Gutt, the communications and public engagement director for the City of Fort Worth, is the recipient of the inaugural Douglas Ann Newsom PRSA Professional of the Year Award. The newly introduced honor recognizes PRSA members who have made significant and outstanding achievement in the profession.

Gutt has more than 25 years of marketing and public relations experience in government, corporate and nonprofit work, and currently leads communications efforts for a diverse city-wide audience. Among many accomplishments, Gutt was recognized for her work developing a robust communications plan for the city’s Race and Culture Task Force, launching the MyFW customer service app for the city, and developing and launching an extensive internal communications plan surrounding the city’s pension vote earlier this year.