Radio
Planned TV Arts has offers radio publicity campaigns as a stand alone or as a component to a larger campaign.
MDRT/Morning Drive Radio Tour®
The MDRT® was created and trademarked by PTA in 1990 and has proven to be an extremely popular and effective publicity vehicle. The MDRT capitalizes on the largest radio listening audience which is the "morning drive" with shows and hosts in cities around the country. In advance we arrange upwards of 18 or more back-to-back interviews in one morning. Most interviews are ten minutes or less. A typical Morning Drive Radio Tour® will have at least a couple of million listeners hearing your message. The key to the MDRT's success is targeting the appropriate demographic and format for your message. Some publicity firms and most radio services provide radio tours to their affiliates or "go-to stations" only. We have the freedom to pitch to the shows that match up best with your message. News / Talk radio is the most common format approached, but with the right message PTA also targets FM shows, Rock, Alternative, Adult Contemporary, Top 40, Urban, Country, and Religious formats. The MDRT can be a very successful publicity tool as it tends to :
- Maximize exposure
- Access local radio markets
- Allows the spokesperson/author to be anywhere in the world
For answers to common questions about the Morning Drive Radio Tour,
please visit the Morning Drive Radio Tour FAQ
General Radio Publicity
When there is a specialized subject (academic, business, health, cooking, etc.) or specific message, a General Radio Tour may be more appropriate. Over the course of several weeks we will line-up stations across the country in various formats (usually news / talk or local National Public Radio affiliates) to conduct interviews. The General Radio Tour can be booked in blocks of ten, fifteen, twenty or more interviews. They can sometimes be clustered so that you are interviewing with several stations in one day. The interviews occur at all times of the day and the length of the interviews can range from ten minutes to one hour depending upon the show's format.
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MDRT FAQ'S
- How many interviews will you schedule for me?
- How long will the interviews last?
- Will there be call-ins?
- Can I get copies of my interviews?
- Will my interviews be live or taped?
- What type of stations participate?
- How will I be updated?
- How do you get radio stations to commit to the tour?
- How can I measure results?
- Where do the interviews take place?
- Will you coach me?
How many interviews will you schedule for me and when will they take place?
PTA guarantees you will be interviewed by at least 18 stations. In the unlikely event we do not schedule 18 interviews, we will make up the remainder on another day. Interviews usually take place from 7:00 am EST to Noon EST.
How long will the interviews last?
Most are ten minutes or less. On occasion some can be as short as five minutes or as long as twenty minutes.
Will there be call-ins?
No, members of the listening audience do not call in for commenst or questions.
Can I get copies of my interviews?
Upon request, we can record the interviews and provide you with a CD or MP3. However you are not permitted to use the interviews in any way except for your own listening enjoyment. To put them up on a website requires the express written consent of the station conducting the interview.
Will my interviews be live or taped?
Some will air live; some will be taped.
What type of stations participate?
PTA will contact shows that take guests via phone, that air in the morning, and that have demographics that match the audience you are seeking. Usually we book on AM stations, though we also contact FM stations if appropriate. We'll initially seek stations in the top 100 markets and then expand our outreach to other markets as well. PTA will seek, where appropriate nationally syndicated programs.
How will I be updated?
At least once a week PTA will send you a list of stations that have agreed to participate in the tour. We usually begin booking a tour 3-5 weeks prior to the scheduled date of the tour. You'll receive a final schedule 1-2 days before the tour date, identifying: the city, station name, host's and producer's names, station format, and time of day for the interviews.
How do you get radio stations to commit to the tour?
PTA enjoys excellent professional relationships with the media and really leverages its contacts to your benefit. PTA is aware of a station's preferences, deadlines, and demographics, so we match you with the best possible interview opportunity. PTA does not pay radio stations for the interviews, nor does it conduct any advertising with them.
How can I measure results?
A radio tour delivers many results, from branding you, to getting out your positive message, to possibly contributing to an increase in sales of your service or product. Unfortunately, it is difficult to conclude how many sales or how much awareness is created from the tour. PTA doesn't guarantee a specific result but believes it yields results and positions you better in the marketplace of ideas and products.
Where do the interviews take place?
You don't have to go to a studio or travel - you can be anywhere in the world -- it's all done by a land line phone from wherever you are -- your house, hotel, or office. However, cell phones should not be used.
Will you coach me?
Yes, we'll help you prepare and train you to do well on radio. We offer a coaching session should you want one that can last up to 30 minutes, and could include a mock interview. PTA will also e-mail tips and suggestions for maximizing the opportunity your radio tour presents to you if you request. Preparation also consists of you listening to local talk radio, reviewing your press kit, and practicing.
Power Radio Promotions
PTA Power Radio Promotions will arrange a promotional giveaway (of books or other product) on radio stations in markets around the country to help spread the word about your book or product.
We can target specific markets that meet your needs (either demographically, tour markets or markets where additional marketing promotions are running) or we can pitch the entire country.
Books/products -- usually five or ten units -- plus promotional material, will be sent to each participating station in return for promotional mentions that will be documented. Each station signs an affidavit stating they gave away the books/product on-air.
Radio News Release
PTA Radio News Release will create and send out a thirty second or one-minute sound clip with you about your book, service or organization to over 4,000 radio stations, both AM and FM stations, in hundreds of markets and cities.
Some, or all, of the audio clip will be picked up by 300 or more stations and aired over the course of several months. We'll also email you an mp3 recording that you can post onto your Web site and distribute accordingly.
PTA will issue regular reports of when something aired and guarantees at least 300 airings. It's a great way to reach listeners at all hours of the day without having to do any interviews. It's more cost-effective than advertising and gets your message out effectively.
View All Case Studies » Recent Radio Case Studies
Beringer (Treasury Wine Estates)
PTA worked with celebrity chefs and authors Jaime and Bobby Deen on a Hybrid Satellite Television and Radio Tour in promotion of Beringer Vineyards, Great Steak Challenge. The Deen Bros. newly released cookbook Get Fired Up! was also promoted and used as a hook for the corporate contest. PTA secured 15 television interviews and 10 radio interviews.
National Geographic
PTA conducted a Morning Drive Radio Tour in support of A Place of Remembrance, the only official companion volume to the National September 11 Memorial. The commemorative book was written by Memorial & Museum staff members, Allison Blais and Lynn Rasic.
Frankenstein
PTA has been booking radio tours for the prolific Dean Koontz for his past eight titles. For his most recent books, Breathless (Bantam) and the third installment in the Frankenstein series (Bantam), PTA secured over 90 radio interviews. That's four days of radio (20 plus interviews per day). Over the years Dean has reached his audience through top local stations in New York (WCBS-AM), Atlanta (WSB-AM), and Detroit (WJR-AM) among many other and national networks and shows including "Touch of Gray", Sirius, and USA Radio Network. Our goal with Dean is to provide not only the best stations and markets but also the best interview quality so we target smaller stations with a host who is a huge fan as well. Below is a smattering of the stations that we booked for Dean's most recent titles.
