Article in Sunday's Washington Post

See

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20
09/09/25/AR2009092501910.html?referrer=emailarticle

The sport of soaring is very easy to get major publicity to a very
hungry media.

Tom Knauff

Sorry - try this one

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...r=emailarticle

Tom

On Sep 28, 4:20*pm, Tom wrote:
Sorry - try this one

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...09/09/25/AR200...

Tom

It's really nice, but too bad that incipient airsickness is so much of
the story. I think that turns off so many to our sport.
John Cochrane

On Sep 28, 3:16*pm, Tom wrote:
See

*http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20
09/09/25/AR2009092501910.html?referrer=emailarticle

The sport of soaring is very easy to get major publicity to a very
hungry media.

Tom Knauff

During a recent lunchtime discussion with Bruce Bulloch, SSA Governor,
Washington, he mentioned contacting your local TV weather person to
see if there was interest. This is one result http://tinyurl.com/ydr9z9j
(45 mins)

Frank Whiteley
SSA Governor, Colorado

There's such a genre divide in media reporting on soaring isn't there?
Most reporting seems to be of the "the reporter overcomes fear of
dying (or vomiting, in the case of this story) and bravely flies in a
tiny airplane with no engine! Reporter reflects afterwards on how
courageous he/she is and plans never to do it again" variety. Very few
are of the "what a wonderful/lyrical experience I had in this niche,
practically unknown sport, you really should try it" variety.

This one's not so bad and it does have some nice references to the
view from aloft and a bit about thermalling, but its bookended by
negatives (not looking forward to flying after the long drive and big
lunch; and reflecting on barely keeping down her sandwich as she
drives away) - so the fear of flying and nausea are the starting and
finishing messages.

I wonder whether its possible to encourage the latter type of more
positive story by the way the reporter is handled by clubs? I wonder
do most clubs give the journo the basic trial flight experience, or
whether there's an opportunity to tailor something more towards
positive stories that focus on the experience and craft of soaring,
the beauty of the aircraft and what an accessible means of flying
soaring is?

One thought I've had is that most stories I've seen of the "weatherman
or travel writer experiences something new" variety are that they are
mostly lightweight puff-pieces of the quirky spot-filling kind -
"colour" pieces. The articles I have been most impressed with are by
more technical writers (like the Subaru magazine one), so I wonder
whether automotive journalists might be a better mainstream source for
good stories?

Any thoughts?

smith

On Sep 29, 7:16*am, Tom wrote:
See

*http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20
09/09/25/AR2009092501910.html?referrer=emailarticle

The sport of soaring is very easy to get major publicity to a very
hungry media.

Tom Knauff

On Sep 28, 7:56*pm, smithcorp wrote:
There's such a genre divide in media reporting on soaring isn't there? . .. .I wonder whether its possible to encourage the latter type of more
positive story by the way the reporter is handled by clubs? . .

snip

That Post article pretty good, as newspaper reports go. Remember,
reporters are usually after "news" for the average reader, not
promoting a sport for enthusiasts. And the average reader (like the
average reporter) starts out highly skeptical, often scared.

While no one can really "manage" news media to get the story he/she
wants (and attempts to do so can have disastrous results), we might -
as a general proposition - get better coverage by doing homework on
the reporter's mission, being honest, and (most importantly) being
prepared - especially by learning to listen to what we say through
someone else's ears.

In 1999, when Don Engen and Bill Ivins were killed in a glider, our
club (which is near Washington, DC) got a call from the Washington
Post asking for help on a story. Obviously the prospect was
terrifying, since it carried all the portents of a very negative story
in a major newspaper, but we figured that if our Club didn't help her,
someone else would and might do a worse job. So, with a lot of
planning and no pretense, we had her out for the better part of the
afternoon, and the resulting headline was "A Mountain High: Glider
Pilots Mourn Crash Victims but Won't Stop Riding Winds". The closing
line in this story was a quote from a teen-age member; "You can see
everything up there . . it's the coolist thing. Like my dad says,
it's a legal high".

Luck and preparation helped turn what started out as a "ain't it awful
good men died in this silly sport" to a promotion for soaring!

Jim

Wouldn't it be nice if Sports Illustrated did an article on a Soaring
Contest - especially if it was in the swimsuit issue, using gliders as
backdrops?

Then again, you would probably have to clean all that body paint off
the gelcoat afterwards....And then there is all that silicone!

Seriously - could SSA contact SI and invite them to a contest, say the
15M Nats at Uvalde next year?

Kirk
66

On Sep 29, 11:59*am, "
wrote:
Wouldn't it be nice if Sports Illustrated did an article on a Soaring
Contest - especially if it was in the swimsuit issue, using gliders as
backdrops?

Then again, you would probably have to clean all that body paint off
the gelcoat afterwards....And then there is all that silicone!

Seriously - could SSA contact SI and invite them to a contest, say the
15M Nats at Uvalde next year?

Kirk
66

Many years ago when my contest number was SI I thought it would be fun
to send a nice picture with the contest number clearly on the glider
to SI to see if I could get it published. Never got around to doing
it before I changed ships and numbers. Anyone want SI for a contest
number it is available.

Tim (TT)

On Sep 30, 4:56*am, Tim Taylor wrote:
On Sep 29, 11:59*am, "
wrote:

Wouldn't it be nice if Sports Illustrated did an article on a Soaring
Contest - especially if it was in the swimsuit issue, using gliders as
backdrops?

Then again, you would probably have to clean all that body paint off
the gelcoat afterwards....And then there is all that silicone!

Something like Sports Illustrated's a pretty good idea I reckon.
Gliders can be marketed as sexy and sophisitcated (as long as old men
in bucket hats are kept clear), as seen he

http://www.rodeo.net/uploads/images/949.jpg

smith


Seriously - could SSA contact SI and invite them to a contest, say the
15M Nats at Uvalde next year?

Kirk
66

Many years ago when my contest number was SI I thought it would be fun
to send a nice picture with the contest number clearly on the glider
to SI to see if I could get it published. *Never got around to doing
it before I changed ships and numbers. *Anyone want SI for a contest
number it is available.

Tim (TT)