Our Association has a Publicity Committee.
After each event we submit a write up to the local paper and without fail it is published within a week or two.
Example. Our Annual Award Banquet was give a nice coverage.printing the All Star teams,Bowler of the Year and a very nice write up about him with interviews from some of his bowling buddies,high avg for the year,high series rolled and other interesting tidbits.
Every Tuesday if there's a note worthy item to be published the local sports writer will research,interview and ask for photos to publish.The stories published are about Bowlers for Bowlers.
Also on Tuesdays in the box scores you will find a local section which will list high games 250+ and series 700+ and these are submitted by the Bowling Centers,now not all get in print as we have 10 to 11 centers local but at least 1/2 of the centers will be published.
Its as simple as introducing yourself to the local paper Sports Writer,if you enjoy an item he wrote drop him an email and say so.
Now getting on one of the local TV Station Sports is tough with the great High Schools we have around here.
samsmith, what you have done others can also do if they make the effort but some are not dedicated or consistent enough, giving up too soon or failing to deliver on promises when a writer is expecting it.
Tv and radio are a bit different but not impossible. I had an advantage over most others because of my promotion of national and regional PBA tournaments and helping out with national PWBA tournaments promoted by the local Gold Pin Fun Center organization that also promoted a weekly tv show for adults and another for juniors in Syracuse.
In the 60s and 70s a good relationship was established with the media and the best bowlers in the area were well known so when they did something out of town it was pretty easy to get coverage if it was timely, not even a day later much less a week. Marty Piraino was the very best in Syracuse for years and I was fortunate to be with him in 1963 when his first of four national PBA titles at age 39 in Warren Ohio. In the final game when he beat Dick Weber for the title I made phone calls in time for it to make the late tv news, radio and the next morning it was on the front page of the paper with a picture, not the sports page the front page. In 1975 I was again with Marty when he won the Classic Division Doubles with Bill Bunetta, a win that included bowling a 300 game. I did the same and got the same results.
When my two bowling writer contacts got older and retired they were able to continue their weekly bowling columns when I gladly got all the information they needed on local tournaments and scores ready for them when they called me at the association office. For important local men's women's youth tournaments I would let the three tv stations know about what time the winners would be determined and if camera men were able to attend we got coverage, often they were not but not always not.
When a local tv station did a series of golf tips in the summer I called and asked about bowling tips in the Fall and was able to get it on late night sports. We would tape four two minute tips at a time and it was not at all uncommon for me to get a last minute call that a camerman had another assignment or had to break off a taping session but we got it done with no complaints from me about the delays.
We had a local all sports radio show that did local programming. I inquired about getting bowling on it, found out it was affordable and had an hour show on Saturdays, with an 800 number available so we could talk to PBA players prior to their weekly show and tape an interview with champions after the shows and other national bowlers and leaders. Unfortunately that station went to all national and the costs were too high on other stations but while we had it the costs were not all that high. If you have an all sports station that thas local programming you might look into it for your area.
I also inquired about a bowling show on cable tv and found out that was also affordable and ran scratch qualifiers through bowler friends all over upstate New York and taped four one hours shows at a time that were distributed all over up state New York. I think in your area you might be able to get a tv show going if you have a cable station that broadcasts infomercials. On those stations you can target particular zip codes and the costs are very affordable.
Don Gates
Dear willard46:
Unfortunately, all too often -- and I do mean OFTEN -- someone will conduct a tournament (or a tournament series) within the newspaper's coverage area, and they don't even bother to notify me. In failing to do so, they are missing a great opportunity for some ABSOLUTELY FREE PUBLICITY, but I sometimes don't even find out about such tournament(s) until AFTER THE FACT ... and even then, it's often difficult to get information as to the results.
I do my best to "keep up" with all of the noteworthy bowling news in my area, but -- for instance -- the ONLY time in 26 years that a bowling center called me about a high-score accomplishment was about 20 years ago, when Dennis Stearns rolled back-to-back 300 games to complete an 877 series.
But shouldn't all bowling centers, tournament directors and local associations contact me EACH AND EVERY TIME there is something noteworthy going on? I'm willing to publicize all facets of local bowling, but I'd appreciate all of the cooperation I can receive. Is that asking too much?
Ok you have good points but.
who contacts you in school events like golf track football baseball the reporters are interested in the bowling event I am sure if they were bowlers themselves that they would write something up. we have a local scratch tournament every month on the that nights news couldn't it get the winners mentioned by the local news - top 5 anyway. bottom line is the media does not consider bowling a sport its a recreation to them and has a reputation of a pool hall like in the old days.
willard46: Ok you have good points but. who contacts you in school events like golf track football baseball the reporters are interested in the bowling event I am sure if they were bowlers themselves that they would write something up. we have a local scratch tournament every month on the that nights news couldn't it get the winners mentioned by the local news - top 5 anyway. bottom line is the media does not consider bowling a sport its a recreation to them and has a reputation of a pool hall like in the old days.
No offense, but could you try somemore punctuation? It makes it a little difficult to read and follow your meaning without it.
Digm
who contacts you in school events like golf, track, football, baseball ,
the reporters are interested in the event
I am sure if they were bowlers themselves that they would write something up.
we have a local scratch tournament every month
on the that nights news
couldn't it get the winners mentioned by the local news
the top 5 anyway.
the bottom line is the media does not consider bowling a sport
its a recreation to them
and has a reputation of a pool hall like in the old days.
Willard, does the person doing the calling on a friendly basis with the sports writer(s). Does your association run events where the sports writers for the newspaper, tv and radio stations are invited, fed and have some booze available? Have your tried working with a local outlet of a corporate supporter of bowling, like Denny's or Pepsi Cola, to see if they might bear the costs of an ad that accompanies bowling news if there is a good bottom line reason for them to do it?
Willard, as another suggestion, sometimes you can bypass the sports department and go right to the person doing the agate. When I ran regional PBA tournaments I would call a 'friend' who typed out the agate with the Saturday night listing of finalists for the Sunday bowling. I could get a little headline, names, scores and when the finals began at the host center. You might be able to do that with your sweepers but it has to be timely, same night after it is over, no second day or week later stuff.
guys I am Off this topic.
I just wanted to give some out put on how the sport could grow.
options or some help.
heck centers are closing all over the place
we just had one closed yesterday 8 miles away form me
and then I read about one in Ohio I believe closing.
bottom line I don't know how much longer my home town center will be here.
the economy its bad - gas prices - negative people - same old people involved everyone wants change but complains when it does.
I just thought some extra coverage by tv and news would help a dying sport.
bottom line if the owners don't make money they close the doors.
I don't have the answer
just giving some input
and yes the local assoc. can do better job of getting the info to the paper.
also the center managers as well.
I was not attacking usbc
the only thing I can suggest to them is In there packets to the secretaries is to SUGGEST that they give reports to local news agency.
thats all folks.
