Avionics News October 2013 - 55

M

any years ago, a friend shared a useful piece
of advice. “If you’re going to take advice
from people, at least take it from someone
who knows what they’re doing,” he said.
Such was the impetus for my providing guidance for
working with the aviation media. So I went straight
to the horses’ mouths and posed a series of questions
to some of the top aviation editors for how to work in
harmony with the trade press for mutual benefit.
When you think of the media calling on you, so
often images of being chased down the street by
Geraldo Rivera or finding the “60 Minutes” van in
your parking lot leave you reluctant to cooperate,
much less engage the media. People are often afraid
to interact with the media, fearing deep,
dark corporate secrets will get unearthed
as the media digs for dirt about your
organization. That may be true if you’re
running for president or are some sort of
Hollywood celebrity, but for the average
executive working for the average aviation
company, nothing could be further from
the truth.
“Cordial and supportive.” That’s
how Tom Haines, Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association senior vice president
and editor in chief, characterized the
relationship between the industry and the
aviation media.
“Special interest media, including
aviation media, understands that its readers are
involved and passionate about their interest,” said
Mac McClellan, Experimental Aircraft Association
director of publications. “That means the media must
share this interest and enthusiasm and support the
activity and industry. Readers want to know what’s
happening in the industry, so savvy media are anxious
to provide industry news.”
This doesn’t mean it’s all roses, all the time. Haines
added, “We all wish the industry could move more
quickly and aggressively toward more modern gear and
equipment for general aviation, but we understand the
constraints based on the existing marketplace and the
regulatory environment.”

Nigel Moll, Aviation International News Monthly
editor-at-large, went one step further. “When
a company clams up about something that is
important and relevant to a magazine’s audience of
professionals, it just motivates a diligent journalist to
pursue the full story with more vigor,” he said.
One hard-and-fast rule is the editors are the definite
gatekeepers as to whether your company’s news
is covered. Long-time television news icon David
Brinkley famously said, “News is what I say it is.”
And he’s right.
“It’s impossible to predict if and when a press
release will be used,” McClellan said.
Many companies have experienced the

disappointment of crafting a news release only to have
it be virtually ignored. Why?
AOPA’s Haines said you must understand the
audience of each publication. “If it’s a publication
whose audience is aircraft owners and pilots, don’t be
surprised if your press release on the latest transponder
testing gear doesn’t get used,” he said. “That audience
doesn’t care about the behind-the-scenes gear that
might interest an avionics technician. Similarly, if
you send a press release about a new app to plan a
flight, don’t expect a publication that serves avionics
technicians to pick it up.”
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Avionics News October 2013

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