I’ve been volunteering with Special Olympic Swimming for 5 years now. After a hiatus because of college and work, I returned this past weekend to Penn State to help coach at the yearly Pennsylvania State Games. On the bus to State College, my friend and fellow volunteer muse about our situation. Most volunteers participate for a year or two in high school and then move on. Yet here we were, seasoned veterans, trekking across the rural nothingness that is central Pennsylvania.

State Games is a four day marathon of competition, ceremonies and events designed to foster community and friendship. With more than 2100 athletes and 800 coaches and volunteers, the campus bubbles with frenzied activity. The swimming competition is 3 days. Our days consist of military-like schedules: Rise at 6 am. Breakfast. Pool for morning session. Lunch. Pool for afternoon session. Dinner. Dorms to change. Nightly event (ranging from games night to BBQ cookouts). Back to dorm. Team meeting. Athletes curfew. Coaches meeting. And then finally…I crash.

All of my athletes did incredibly well over the weekend. I’d say 75% of them set personal records in the pool. Win or lose, out of the pool they come with grins to put Julia Roberts to shame. The medal ceremony after each event is a favorite among my swimmers. They don’t even try to hide their pride as the judge laces the medals around their neck. In every sense of the word, it’s awesome.

The bus ride back. My friend and I slip in and out of consciousness as we journey home. We’re dead tired and completely drained, but looking back – it’s been a great experience. I’ve known a lot of the athletes I coach for more than 5 years now. Most of them are older than me and have been doing the Special Olympics since they were 10. I suddenly realize why I’m still on this bus. Special Olympics is so much bigger than me and my experience. It’s a collective good that touches thousands of lives. It allows those less fortunate to get away from home, be independent and gain a sense of confidence. This is more important to them than most will ever know. And thus I too know it’s something important to be a part of, even if mine’s only a small part. So I glance out the window and smile. One year from now, I’ll be in exactly the same seat.

Interested in becoming a Special Olympics volunteer? Contact your local Special Olympics chapter. Thanks again, Conor!

PR Newswire hosted a fascinating seminar in midtown Manhattan this afternoon which I was fortunate to attend. The focus was to give a behind-the-scenes look at Fox Business Network and hear from the people who decide what goes on the air. Moderated by Andrew Meranus, Director of Agency Vertical at PR Newswire, the panel consisted of Andrew Hoffman, Executive Producer at Fox Business; Ray Hennessey, Director of Business News; Cheryl Casone, Business Correspondent and Pippa Bark, Business Producer (Money for Breakfast). The room was filled to capacity and the conversation was lively and informative.

Fox Business went on the air October 15, 2007 after months of anticipation and fanfare. Reaching more than 30 million subscribers, the channel has strived to, as Ray Hennessey noted, “Be the business news channel you watch with the sound on!” The aim was to create a channel that brought Wall Street to Main Street and make the message engaging and understandable for the average listener. The channel has aggressively staked its mark on the media landscape by taking the best talent away from other networks, going after offbeat and non-traditional financial stories and being more open to ideas from outside.

Much of the session covered helpful tips and advice on how to pitch the channel. Key points were:

• Know who you are pitching to. If you are sending an email blast, make sure that you have read what you are sending and it is relevant to that reporter. Useless, generic emails that appear to be part of a blast pitch will not only get deleted, but will cause you to be automatically deleted by the reporter whenever your email appears.

• Pitch stories that can help people make, spend or save money. These are the types of stories that they want and will get the most attention.

• Personalize the story. The producers/bookers/reporters will not consider anyone for an on-camera segment unless they can see or hear the person beforehand. They want to see how the person looks and performs on-camera. Television is a visual medium. If they are an “expert” then they must have appeared somewhere before.

• Make the pitch short and sweet. Two or three sentences that tell the story and the person being pitched, with video or background links are best. Anything longer will get deleted.

• Pitching the website is the same as pitching the channel. There is no difference. An on-camera segment can make the website, and a good web story can lead to an on-camera segment.

• Pitch Fox Business through their bookers and associate producers. This is the most effective way to establish initial relationships within the channel.

• Familiarize yourself with the channel, the shows and style before pitching. Nothing is more annoying than people who pitch to the wrong show and are not familiar with the subjects covered.

Other tidbits given were:

• Read the on-air talents’ blogs. Most of the on-air talent host blogs and they give insight on what is top-of-mind. Referencing a particular post can be a good way to get a dialogue started. Ray says that unlike their competitors, they consider blogs to be news sources and are a source of breaking news. He feels blogs can provide a more honest and un-sanitized viewpoint and they have covered them on the channel.

• Be honest about where your interview guest is appearing. Nothing is worse than booking a guest on Fox Business and then the same person appears on multiple outlets that same day without their knowledge. If your spokesperson will appear on other shows or channels, full disclosure is in order. More often than not, the segment will go on as scheduled. If there is no disclosure, the segment can be cancelled and the guest as well as the PR agency can be permanently blacklisted.

• Statistics and studies are welcome. They are always interested in any studies and statistics that come out. If they can be presented in a visual way then there is a better chance of the story being covered.

Finally, no story is too small or quirky that they wouldn’t be interested in hearing about it. If a company has an innovative solution but is considered a “penny stock” on the stock exchange, they will cover them if they find the story compelling enough. They are about building and maintaining relationships that will help them maintain their competitive edge as well as provide them with a resource pool that is reliable and available when they need it. It is this kind of thinking that not only benefits the PR practitioner but also illustrates a clear understanding and appreciation of the symbiotic relationship between PR and the media.

–Walter Ocner

Here at Affect Strategies, we have clients come from all over the world to see us. For many of them, this is their first time in New York City, and invariably the question comes up about what are the best places to eat. As someone who takes the business of food very seriously, I cannot live with the thought of someone visiting our wonderful city and partaking of substandard fare. Personally, I won’t stand for it, and if you remember seeing a semi-maniacal person on the street extolling the virtues of particular food joint with a zealotry usually reserved for religious fanaticism to friends and strangers alike, you have no doubt seen me in action.

I now give you my top ten places to eat in no particular order. This is not a Zagat guide of places that are too expensive or fancy for you, dear reader. This is a short list of places that are reasonably priced, have a good atmosphere and most importantly, have great food. Rather than give you a rating system based on stars, I’ve come up with my own system. I have also included helpful links for the directionally challenged.

Pizza – Joe’s Pizza – 7 Carmine Street (At Bleecker Street)
Walter Rating: Cheesy, Crunchy, Yummy

Chinese Food – Wo Hop -15 Mott Street (in Chinatown)
DO NOT (I repeat, DO NOT) go to the upstairs one, only the basement restaurant
Walter Rating: Oh My God!

Deli – Katz’s Delicatessen – 205 East Houston (make sure to tip the sandwich carver a dollar or two before ordering, trust me!)
Walter Rating: Died and gone to heaven!

Burgers and American food – Riviera – 225 West 4th Street
Walter Rating: Delicious and no waiter pressure

Desserts – Billy’s Bakery – 184 Ninth Avenue
Walter Rating: There goes my diet!

Italian Food – Trattoria Toscana – 64 Carmine Street
Walter Rating: Italian the way it should be!

Sushi – Sushi Park – 121 Second Avenue
Walter Rating: Domo Arigato!

Fish and Chips – A Salt and Battery – 112 Greenwich Avenue
Walter Rating: A taste of merrie olde heaven!

Barbecue – Rub – 208 West 23rd Street
Walter Rating: Where is my cowboy hat???

Brunch / Lunch /Dinner – Jane – 100 West Houston
Walter Rating: Perfect for brunch with friends or a romantic dinner for two!

I hope you will not only try these places but also feel free to tell us some of your favorites. Thanks for reading and Bon Appetit!

–Walter Ocner

Right before the holidays, I had the good fortune to meet with a group of students from the Baldwin-Wallace College PR program, located in Cleveland Ohio. These students came to New York City for the first time to experience the sights, sounds and smells of our great city as well as learn about the industry. We met for dinner and drinks at the Marriott Hotel on 51^st Street and, after giving them my top recommendations on places to go and favorite places to eat, talked about their hopes and dreams as they embark on a career in public relations. I have to admit that I felt like the old, wizened fellow at the table (being 40 years old and surrounded by kids half my age) but found that discussing an industry I love and feel passionate about dropped any imagined barriers I may have felt.

We talked about what they’ve learned so far in the classroom and found that much of what they’re being taught is old and outdated. The textbooks are several years old and don’t touch on the more high-tech ways of getting the message across (such as social media, blogging, audio and video news releases and satellite media tours). I gave them a crash course on these as well as how they have revolutionized the PR industry. We talked about pitching clients to the media and the importance of keeping your eye on the news cycle to better leverage opportunities. Important points included how to present a pitch effectively, how to find creative ways to make your client or message fit into a bigger story and how to cultivate long-term relationships with writers and reporters. The importance of being in command of the facts cannot be overstated. The PR person’s primary goal is to make the reporter understand why your client/product/issue needs to be covered now.

A major concern echoed by students was about their lack of hands-on workplace experience when they try for that first job. I remembered when I was a college student, I felt exactly the same way and began searching out internships. I got an internship at a music publishing company where, in addition to doing unglamorous work such as making photocopies, filing and logging tapes, I wrote press materials for newly signed bands. It gave me insight and experience in working at an office and allowed me to learn important skills which would prove valuable later on. I told them that even learning how to answer a phone or interact with bosses and co-workers would put them light years ahead of the competition when they begin job searching. Additionally, having that experience on a resume would make potential recruiters sit up and take notice. Affect Strategies has an excellent internship program, to use a prime example. Interns here don’t get coffee and lick envelopes, but instead do invaluable work on PR and marketing campaigns. Interns come out of this office with knowledge and experience that can only attract top-tier organizations the world over.

I have to say that based on the feedback and reaction from the students, they learned a lot and felt sufficiently pumped to embark on what can prove to be a wonderful and rewarding journey. We could have talked for hours more (I am never at a loss for words) but I promised to keep in touch and help in any way I can. Who knows, maybe some of them will come to New York City and intern for us. Given their enthusiasm and energy, I can say that the industry will be in good hands in the future.