New "Multimedia" web site

(11/08) - The newly-created "Multimedia" link at the NC Healthy Start Foundation's web site is at your disposal. You can view or listen to all the Health Check/ NC Health Choice and medical home public service announcements (PSAs) produced by the NC Healthy Start Foundation and the NC Division of Public Health at: www.NCHealthyStart.org/index_media.htm. For English spots, scroll to the Health Check (Meidcaid/ NC Health Choice and Medical Home sections and for the Spanish ones, scroll to Spanish Media. To order the PSAs that you are interested in for free, contact Ania Boer at the NC Healthy Start Foundation at (919) 828-1819 or ania@NCHealthyStart.org

Please help us spread the word about the HC/NCHC and MH in your community. You can now easily use the
30-second-long PSAs to reach out to your local television and radio stations. Media stations are required to run free PSAs but they are often overloaded with requests. Pitching PSAa to the media may be intimidating, especially for the first time. Many organizations have one person who handles media relations but if yours doesn't, the following guidelines may help you feel more comfortable and land a free placement.

1. Identify your local radio and TV stations. Talk to your media relations person, check "Yellow Pages" under "Television Stations and Broadcasting Companies" and "Radio Stations and Broadcasting Companies," or do an online search. Also, find out if the stations you are considering target families with children by researching the station directly online or contacting the public service director, community affairs director or the sale/advertising department.

2. Make personal contact with the person in charge of scheduling PSAs: the public service director in television and the public service director or community affairs director in radio. If you know anyone who works in the media outlet personally, ask them to help you. Find out what kind of PSAs and topics they like to air which may help you pitch the PSAs. Most radio and TV stations prefer
   30-second PSAs which is what the NCHSF and DPH produced.

3. Briefly explain the problem of uninsured children in your county and use local data. To look at the percentage of uninsured children in your county, go to North Carolina Children's Index 2006 and scroll down to page 23. Assure the media outlet that they can be part of the solution by helping families to learn about and enroll their children in Health Check/ NC Health Choice. Tell them that you can provide copies of already-produced,
   30-second PSAs.

4. Ask them to air the PSAs and when they could run them. An ideal time for the HC /NCHC PSAs would be to coincide with community outreach events you are planning or when a big layoff occurs, but anytime would help get the word out.

5. Deliver PSAs personally or arrange mailing after they have agreed to air it.

6. Ask to be sent the airtime schedule after the PSAs have been aired. This is information that TV and radio stations routinely provide.

7. Send a thank-you note.

And don't forget to share your success with Ania Boer at the NC Healthy Start Foundation at (919) 828-1819 or ania@NCHealthyStart.org.