MediaCorps Media Guide

Bringing Larry King's message home to your neighborhood

Making the Media Work for Us

For some, the word "media" conjures up an image of a huge, impenetrable fortress that only the famous and infamous can access. In truth, media is the sum of its parts. It is made up of newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and the Internet, but it also includes newsletters, listservs, and even regular email. You already have the message - "Support Larry King for Congress!" - now choose the medium that will carry your message to the people. You may decide to vary the medium per assignment, or you might always want to interact with a variety of media. It's your decision -

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Be brief, focused, and positive. Relate how supporting Larry King makes sense for your local community and the State.

Write an opinion piece for your local newspaper.
If the outsourcing of jobs has impacted your community, write about how the local economy has been affected and how Larry King has a plan to discourage American companies from outsourcing jobs overseas. Call the opinion page editor and convince him/her that you have a perspective that readers will find interesting.

Write a letter to a magazine.
Craft a letter to fit the magazine's readership. For example, Larry King's support for low emissions vehicles and cleaner diesel engines plays to the readership.

Call a national cable television news (CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN, FOX News Channel) call-in show and/or a nationally syndicated radio show.
Callers are screened before they are put on the air. Be calm, polite, positive and brief. If you have a tendency to ramble, write yourself a script and stick to it.

Call a local television call-in show and/or a local call-in talk radio show.
Follow the tips above, and talk about how supporting Larry King makes sense for your local community and the State.

Talk to your community newspaper.
These are small, mostly advertiser-supported newspapers that serve a very limited area within a larger metropolitan area. Write a letter to the editor - remember to keep it local - or convince the editor that you have an opinion piece you would like to share with the paper.

If you subscribe to a professional or special interest newsletter, submit a letter, article, or opinion piece.
Craft a piece to fit the readership.

The Internet offers many opportunities.
Many news websites (for example, cnn.com or fox.com), in particular, solicit comment mail. Use a story posted on the site as the reason you are writing in support of Larry King. If you visit blogs, read posts carefully and comment when you think it's appropriate. When you comment, keep it short. Blogs are great because they give people greater flexibility in self-expression - use humor, express outrage, link to other articles you think people should read, etc.. If you have your own blog or website, pick a topic of the day (or week) and relate it to your support for Larry King. Forums or special interest listservs offer another place to express your support. If you go to the Larry King Forum, you'll meet others who feel as strongly about electing Larry King as you do - ask them what other forums they belong to. Your own email list/address book is also an extremely effective tool to make a personal appeal to support Larry King for Congress among your family and friends. By emailing news articles and clips, as well as your own commentary, you can make a tremendous impact on their desire to get politically involved.