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Radio is a powerful medium and I applaud your efforts. Your email was a great start to using the media to build some kind of awareness for PD. I hope you'll consider the following unsolicited advice for getting a story in the media ... from a PR professional... Keep your submissions to media BRIEF and TO THE POINT. Be specific about what you are asking for (a story on the server list) and use as many interesting facts and figures as you can come up with. Find a "hook" that makes someone say, "hey, I never knew that!" (Michael J. Fox has PD?) Offer specific sources who can tell a remarkable story (an especially young patient, top notch neuro, the owner of this server list). Think of coming up with a story that hasn't ever been told before. Most important of all, keep at it. One email alone will not motivate anyone to write or produce a story. Most media outlets are bombarded with "great" story ideas every single day. Because producers and editors get so many emails, faxes, phone calls and letters... your email was likely read by a college intern. Keep in mind that it is not producers and story editors "job" to make people aware of the tragedy of PD. Their job, as they see it, is to find truly unusual and remarkable stories to air. So, they must be convinced that this story is remarkable, not that it is simply a story that needs to be told. Finally, never hire a PR flak like me to pitch a story that is as genuine as this one. Real people always tell the story better. A good story such as this one will find its way to air, if good people like you keep at it! ---Abi Murthy <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > I listen to PBS radio all the time (and yes, we're members) and I > just sent the following to the email address of the Forum show on KQED FM > and Talk of the Nation. > > When they talked about Dole vs. Clinton- one thing they mentioned was > that the Clinton people always made sure that the Radio people were > taken care of, but that the Dole people did not. They talked about how > often news items were repeated on Radio and how many more people listened > to PBS/news on the radio than TV (the Dole people were more focused on TV) > and that there was something to be said for news being repeated many many > times. So how about people writing to their Radio shows? I know that Talk > of the nation is carried all over the US- (for the non US people-Talk of the > nation is a show where they talk about all kinds of things, but it is a > balanced newsy show where people can call in with questions/comments. More > details on the npr web page at http://www.npr.org ) > > More details on Forum can be had at http://www.kqed.org > > PS: I've seen stuff mentioned on Radio and pretty soon, I see an article > about it in Newsweek/ the paper etc. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > I am an avid listener of your program and greatly enjoy the shows. Thanx > for the show. > > My request now- My father was diagnosed as having Parkinson's Disease > about 2 yrs ago. Since then, our lives have undergone tremendous changes > to learn and cope with this disease. I've recently joined a list server > on the internet, which is an online support and information network that > over 1600 people subscribe to. Joining the list has made our experience > less lonesome and bizzarre and we have learnt about new drugs and therapies > via this exchange. > > Awareness of Parkinson's Disease (PD) is very low- most people (including > us before my father's diagnosis) think that it is something that > afflicts only the elderly (not true- people in their twenties have been > diagnosed as having PD) and the only negative effect of PD is the > awkward tremor. Now, we know differently. Living with PD is literally > a roller coaster ride- with daily ups and downs. A Webring has been > put up by people who participate in the PD listserver. the address is > > The Official PWP Dumpster Gang Hideout > http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/ > The PWP WebRing > http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=parkie;list > The Parkinson Alliance > http://www.parkinsonalliance.net/ > > It would go a long long way in increasing awareness of PD and have an > enormous impact on the lives of the million plus people who are afflicted with > PD. > > Thanx for listening. > > abi murthy > == Leslie Lillard Walden ([log in to unmask]) w: 617-563-7639 h: 617-424-9126 _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com