THROUGH TELEVISION

Prepare and practice your pitch before making contact. Consider specific talking points, such as how and why the campaign was started, who started it, why you are participating, what your initiatives include and what your goals are. Gather national statistics on youth violence, information on prevention strategies, and contact information for your local campaign coalition.

If you want to schedule an interview, determine who will appear on the show and what they will discuss. Several of the campaign sponsors are providing national spokespersons who can offer their expertise on the campaign, the strategies it promotes, and ways that various sectors of the community can get involved.

If you want the station to air a PSA, have it prepared before contacting them. It should include your contact information, the start and end date of your event, the length of the announcement (it should run between 10-30 seconds), and should answer the key questions: who, what, when, where and why. Make sure the text for the PSA is capitalized, typed, and double-spaced. If you would like to provide a visual, such as a photo of your planning committee, note that on your announcement.

Review all of the local stations in your area, and don't forget about the local access stations. Before making your "pitch," find out the names and numbers of your media representatives ahead of time. Also find out how they prefer to be contacted, via phone or email. You may want to send a press release and then follow up with an email or phone call. Contact the station far in advance so they can have time to fit you into their schedule. Also be sure to keep track of who you talk to and when.

Request to speak with the station manager and inquire about existing programs that may focus on youth violence. Ask about air times, when and how often a program will be seen, and who the audience is for a particular program.

Set the dates for appearances. Once you have a date, promote the appearance through other venues. Talk with the interviewer or host two or three times before the program airs about what to expect. Provide the host with a summary of what you will talk about and a list of possible questions the interviewer might ask you. Provide the interviewer with phone numbers or websites you wish to advertise during the program. Discuss any visuals you might want to use. Rehearse your response to the questions you prepared.

On the day of the interview, wear solid colors -- avoid prints, white, and in some cases, blue (inquire about this). Be sure to bring any notes, statistics, phone numbers and quotes you want to use. Expect to be given a brief orientation to the studio and set. You will have some prepping that will cover where to look, how to interact with the host during the taping, etc.

Stay calm and have fun!