Scheduling a News Conference

The conference should be scheduled at a time that is convenient for the reporters that is, with an eye on the deadlines of the media represented. In general, mornings or early afternoons are best for both print and broadcast media. This allows sufficient time for reporters to get stories in the next morning’s daily or on the б p.m. news. If the primary audience is the trade press — reporters representing publications in a particular industry — late afternoon news conferences may be more convenient.

You should avoid Saturdays and Sundays, as well as major holidays. Most media operate with skeleton staffs on these days and hence don’t have the personnel to cover news conferences.

Another consideration which often can’t be planned for, is to schedule the news conference on a day when there aren’t a lot of conflicting news events. It’s always wise to avoid election days, for example.

Selecting a Location

A location for a news conference must meet several criteria. First, it must be convenient for the media invited and relatively close to their places of work. Second, the room selected must have the necessary facilities to accomodate both print and broadcast media.

Organizations often use hotels and conference centers for news conferences, as well as the corporate headquarters. It is important for the room to have plenty of electrical outlets, particularly for radio and television crews. Television people may prefer a room on a ground floor near an entrance so that they can park a mobile communications center outside the room. In some cases, they will want to run cables from the truck to the room for live broadcast.

You should make the room available one or two hours in advance so that radio and television crews can set up. Have a general seating plan to make sure that the equipment doesn’t obstruct the view or hinder the work of the print reporters. An elevated platform for TV cameras in the back of the room is helpful.

Another consideration is to have several smaller rooms reserved nearby for print and broadcast reporters to conduct an exclusive interview with a company representative after the general news conference.

Vocabulary

accommodate	разместить
broadcast media	средства вещательной информации
conflicting	противоречащий
electrical outlets	электрические розетки
elevated	приподнятый
equipment	оборудование
hinder	препятствовать, мешать
live broadcast	прямая передача, «прямой эфир»
location	место проведения
meet criteria	отвечать требованиям
necessary facilities	необходимые условия
obstruct the view	загораживать обзор
print media	средства периодической печати
primary audience	первичная аудитория
schedule	намечать сроки
set up	размещаться
skeleton staff	минимальный штат
trade press	специализированная (отраслевая) пресса

Exercises

1)    Find the English equivalents in the text. Use them in sentences of your own

1. следовательно
2. день выборов
3. сравнительно
4. штаб-квартира
5. в конце комнаты
6. неподалеку
7. предпочитать
8. ежедневная газета
9. достаточно времени
10. избегат

2)    Find the words in the text which describe or mean the following

1. only enough workers or services to keep an operation or organization running to provide enough space for a particular number of people or things
2. to make it difficult for someone to do something or for something to develop
3. to plan that something will happen at a particular time
4. a concert, sports events etc. that is seen or heard on television or radio at the sa¬me time as it is happening

3)    Translate the following word-combinations into Russian. Use them in sentences of your own

1.    to meet criteria

• to meet requirements
• to meet interests
• to meet wishes
• to meet commitments
• to meet a bill
• to meet expenses

2.    to set up

• to set up a monument
• to set up a committee
• to set up a company
• to set up a home
• to set up a record

Find some more expressions in the dictionary.

4) Match the words

corporate	platform
elevated	outlets
print	day
electrical	headquarters
election	media

5)    Translate the following sentences into Russian

1. We have a rehearsal scheduled for four o’clock.
2. The high cost of the vaccine has severely hindered its use.
3. The hotel can only accommodate 200 people.
4. On the weekend, we only have a skeleton crew.
5. The college has excellent research facilities.

6)    Match the words which are close in their meaning

exclusive	accommodating
prefer	unique
mobile	indispensable
convenient	movable
necessary	fancy

7) Match the words having the opposite meaning

helpful	unsuited
elevated	common
convenient	inessential
nenecessary	lowered
exclusive	worthless

8)    Answer the following questions

1. What is the best time for a news conference and why?
2. In which cases are late afternoons more convenient?
3. Why should Saturdays and Sundays be avoided?
4. What criteria should a location for a news conference meet?
5. What kind of room may television people prefer?
6. Why should the room be made available one or two hours in advance?
7. For what purpose may some smaller rooms be reserved nearby?
8. Who can give an exclusive interview?

9)    Can you explain the following

1. The conference should be scheduled at a time that is convenient for the reporters that is, with an eye on the deadlines of the media represented.
2. It’s always wise to avoid election days.
3. Most media operate with skeleton staffs on these days and hence don’t have the personnel to cover news conferences.

10)    Render the following item in English

Если пресс-конференция представляет большой интерес, очень важно подобрать для всех органов печати день и время, которые бы устроили различных представителей прессы. Утренние газеты неохотно публикуют материалы, которые были напечатаны накануне вечерними газетами или о которых уже сообщалось в вечерних выпусках радио- и телевизионных новостей.

Обычно пресс-конференции проходят от 11. 00 до 11. 30 или от 14. 30 до 15 часов. В утренние часы лучше проводить пресс-конференцию по технической тематике, чтобы дать время ежедневным изданиям подготовить полновесный репортаж, а краткие сообщения в вечерней прессе не вызовут у них беспокойства. Если только материал не предназначен для коммерческих и технических еженедельных изданий, то неразумно проводить пресс-конференцию позже 15 ча¬сов, так как в наше время утренние газеты выходят очень рано.

Также очень важен выбор подходящего дня. Иногда выбора нет, поскольку заявление должно быть сделано в определенный день. Тем не менее, если есть выбор, необходимо позаботиться о том, чтобы избежать накладок, и пресс-кон¬ференция не совпала бы с какими-нибудь другими важными событиями, которые могут отвлечь прессу и затмить сообщение о пресс-конференции в газетах.

Было бы неразумно, например, проводить пресс-конференцию какой-нибудь фирме по производству автомобильных принадлежностей в тот же день, когда журналистов приглашают на автомобильную выставку. Пятницы, в частности, всегда являются неудачным днем для центральных газет.

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