Why doesn't coho get more press?
From: DLinde (DLindeaol.com)
Date: Tue, 27 Dec 94 16:09 CST
On 12/26 Bob Morrison wrote:
>Despite the great progress the cohousing movement has made, it is getting 
>very little national press coverage. Why is this so?...
I certainly would like to see more press coverage, but I think I need to set
the record straight here: cohousing has received a TREMENDOUS amount of
national press coverage over the years -- and especially in 1994.  USA Today
ran a major article on April 1st, and the Associated Press did a story that
was reprinted in dozens of major (and minor) newspapers around the country
including the Chicago Tribune (5/22).  Other major stories have appeared in
Mothering Magazine (Winter 1994),  the Washington Post Magazine (7/31/94) and
the weekly newspaper of the National Association of Realtors (7/4//94.
 Within the past 2-1/2 years there have been major articles, mostly quite
favorable, in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street
Journal, U.S. News and World Report and other major newspapers or magazines.
 A year or so ago I did a national media search using Dialog Information
Service that yielded HUNDREDS of references.  The CoHousing Company has a
collection of video clips from TV including a nice piece from "The American
Agenda" segment of The NBC Nightly News. As mentioned in some recent
postings, National Public Radio did a story recently.  There have been
several articles touching on CoHousing in the UTNE Reader (and the CoHousing
Network ran a display ad in "The NewsStand" section of the November-December
issue).
Frankly, I've been amazed that CoHousing has gotten as much press as it has,
considering our relatively modest accomplishments to date.
I do not want to dismiss Bob's comment about press coverage -- I agree that
there can never be enough -- but I don't think people should have the
impression that there's been a paucity of publicity.  Also, I think there's a
danger in putting too much emphasis on big-time media.  It's my impression
that most of the people actually recruited into CoHousing projects get to
that point because of personal connections or some kind of locally focused,
grass-roots publicity effort.  National press can be helpful but it is not a
panacea; I know, for example, that the article in USA Today -- which cited
the address and phone number of The CoHousing Network -- generated maybe 15
or 20 inquiries altogether.  Of course it's hard to estimate the value that
such articles may have in planting a seed with people, a seed that may only
bear fruit much later.
Anyway, I think Bob is absolutely right when he says:
>While trying to reach the general public, the cohousing movement needs to
work even >harder on reaching constituencies that are good sources of
prospective cohousers, >and retirees (including those who are planning for
retirement) are one such >consituency.
Right -- and I'd like to hear from other people with ideas concerning some of
the "niche" media that we might consider for targeted public relations
efforts -- including limited-circulation newsletters or magazines.  I'm sure
there are still many publications with regional or national audiences that
have not yet done a story on CoHousing, and I would like to work with anyone
interested in developing a comprehensive media strategy.
--------------------------
Don Lindemann, Editor-in-Chief, CoHousing (journal of The CoHousing Network)
cohomag [at] aol.com
(P.S.  Bill Paiss and I have swapped titles -- he is now Managing Editor)

  • (no other messages in thread)

Results generated by Tiger Technologies Web hosting using MHonArc.