Why doesn't coho get more press? | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
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)
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