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Arena Magazine 2005 Issue 3 |
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Making the news
Spring proved to be a very busy period for your media team working at ADM in Blackpool and responding to the sad news that the Index chain was to close.
The Index story appeared in the newspapers on Sunday morning and by lunch time Media Officer Paul Clarke had recorded interviews for the BBC, ITV/Granada and ITN with Sky turning up later that day.
National Officer John Gorle was on hand to mop up a large number of radio interviews and we issued an emergency press release.
As the week progressed there was huge media interest in such a well known high street chain closing and we took a decision to meet the story head on. The idea was to make sure Usdaw members in the Index chain were kept fully aware of what was happening.
By mid-week we had some good news about possible redeployment for staff and potential opportunities within the Argos chain after a meeting with senior management at Littlewoods. This prompted another round of radio interviews and even more interest from the press.
The Index closure was a very sensitive issue with thousands of our members affected, but the key thing was to make sure the media had the right information and that members could see that the union had a coherent response that would safeguard their interests.
ADM is the most important event in our calendar and chancellor Gordon Brown electrified the conference with a barnstorming speech that earned him no fewer than four standing ovations. There was a good media turnout with BBC, Reuters and the Press Association covering the keynote speech only days before the General Election.
The media team also launched a 'Back In Blackpool' initiative to publicise our commitment to the resort as a conference venue. We took out a number of adverts on the back of local buses to tell local people that we were in town. The Blackpool Gazette also carried a very impressive double page spread.
So it's been a busy period for your media team but one that illustrates once again the need as a union to fully engage with the press on good and bad news stories. The message is very clear - our number one aim is to make sure in all our media dealings that Usdaw members are always fully informed about what we're doing on their behalf.
The reality is that by far the quickest and easiest way to do that is through TV, radio and newspapers.
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