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Corporate Media Services - Your Media Training Experts

Media Training
Media Spokesperson Training
Crisis Media Management Training
Media Consultancy Services

Other Communication Services:

Communication Skills Training
Presentation Skills Training
Public Speaking Training
Public Relations

Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin, Australia

Director - Doug Weller

Corporate Media Services Media Training Public Relations Specialist

Advertiser since:
28 March 2008

Organisation Name:
Corporate Media Services Pty Ltd

Online at:
 http://www.corporatemediaservices.com.au
Email info@corporatemediaservices.com.au

Contact:
Doug Weller
Corporate Media Services

Telephone:
In Australia: 1300 737 913
International: +61 3 9529 8905

Mobile/Cell:
In Australia: 0412 298 905
International: +61 412 298 905

Details:

This information has been collected from the Corporate Media Services Website

Short description of Media Services:

Media Training, Media Spokesperson Training, Media Training Courses, Media Training Programs, Media Training Seminars, Conference Presentations, Media Services, Media Strategy, Media Counselling, Critical Issues Media Management Training, Public Relations, Corporate Relations, Corporate Events, Newspapers, Radio, Television, Online, National, International

Short description of Public Speaking Services:

Public Speaking Training, Presentation Skills Training, Communication Skills, Communication Training, Communication Strategy

Online at:

http://www.corporatemediaservices.com.au
Email info@corporatemediaservices.com.au

Why Choose Corporate Media Services for your media training:

Corporate Media Services caters for beginners and those with more advanced media skills. Program development can be customised to enable any curriculum combination.

Programs include practical interview exercises and a professional TV-news cameraperson films all presentations, which are then reviewed for immediate feedback by the training team.

Corporate Media Services’ trainers cover all mediums; print, radio, television and online.

Trainees are given the only copy of their training tape or DVD at the end of training to ensure their privacy; this allows trainees to review their performances at a later date (no other copies of the interview are made unless requested).

Corporate Media Services works closely with clients to develop a full range of customised training programs that enhance the skills of staff members.

Programs are specifically targeted to all staff members within organisations depending on their current media skills and level of interaction with the media.

Confidence building and empowerment of the trainees are at the core of our training philosophy.

Journalist, Doug Weller, founded Corporate Media Services in 2004 after a distinguished career in journalism spanning more than 30 years. Doug’s journalistic expertise and extensive insight into the operations of the media and presentation style are of great benefit to clients.

Doug Weller lectured in journalism for six years at RMIT University, Melbourne. He draws on the educational skills gained while teaching at this prestigious school of journalism in formulating Corporate Media Services’ Doug Weller lectured in journalism for six years at RMIT University, Melbourne. He draws on the educational skills gained while teaching at this prestigious school of journalism in formulating Corporate Media Services’ training programs.

Experienced and knowledgeable Corporate Media Services trainers keep abreast of the changing media landscape and impart their skills and wisdom to clients through discussions about the media, media trends, practical exercises and personal experience.

Our clients include a number of leading commercial, educational and service organisations, both in the public and private sectors. Our team of experienced journalists offers strategic advice and tailored training so you can manage the media effectively.

What does Corporate Media Services do?

Are you looking for a media relations specialist? Look no further than Corporate Media Services. Our staff includes media relations specialists and media trainers with more than 20 years experience in journalism, public affairs and media management.

Looking for media training? The Media Spokesperson training programs are structured to teach participants how all sectors of the media operate. We discuss the media and explain what drives journalists. Participants are then given public speaking skills and confidence to effectively and professionally communicate with journalists in order to get their message across.

A media strategy is your road map to media success. In order to communicate effectively with and through the media, you must have a clear strategy. Your objectives must be focused and clear. You must know why you wish to communicate with journalists and the media and how it will advantage you and your organisation. Corporate Media Services can develop a strategy that works for you and your organisation.

Does your company need presentation skills and public speaking training? Corporate Media Services staff includes public relations specialists and media trainers with experience in journalism, public affairs, media management and corporate and government relations.

Does your company need communication training? Corporate Media Services staff includes public relations specialists and media trainers with experience in journalism, public affairs, media management and corporate and government relations.

We provide our services in Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, Northern Territory and internationally on request.

Media Training Introduction - Course Code MT001

Media Training Introduction is recommended for staff who may come in contact with journalists or other media representatives but are not spokespeople. This training is designed to teach participants how all sectors of the media operate and what drives journalists.

The participants are given control skills to deal with journalists and other media representatives on the spot. Participants are then taught how to usher journalists to the appropriate media spokesperson without giving comment. You will learn the following:

Media Spokesperson Training - Course Code MT002

The Media Spokesperson Training is structured to teach participants how all sectors of the media operate. We discuss the media and explain what drives journalists. Participants are then given the skills and confidence to effectively and professionally communicate with journalists in order to get their message across.

Customised training caters for different skill levels. You will learn the following:

Media Spokesperson Training Advanced - Course Code MT003

This is the next level of Media Spokesperson Training. Participants learn more advanced skills and have an opportunity to practice more intense and difficult situations in realistic simulations.

Customised training caters for different skill levels. You will learn the following:

Crisis Media/Critical Issues Management Training - Course Code MT004

A crisis can hit a company or organisation at any time. The media will respond quickly to news of a crisis. It is essential that you and your staff also respond quickly and get your message across to the public and other 'stakeholders'.

'No comment' is not an option. The Critical Issues Management Training is structured to give you the skills and confidence to quickly, professionally and effectively communicate with journalists during a crisis.

Participants learn how the media and journalists operate when covering a crisis and what is required to professionally represent yourself and your organisation. You will learn the following:

Published Articles

This section contains articles that have been previously published by Corporate Media Services or where Corporate Media Services' media trainers have been quoted:

Finding the right voice

Published: 23 January 2008
Publication: Herald Sun
Author: Paula Beauchamp
Words: 148
Image of article: Shown below

**START TRANSCRIPT**

More and more organisations are looking to engage with the media and seek out media training to improve the outcome, experts say. Media trainer Doug Weller says much of the focus today is on crisis media management.

"I think organisations realised, more and more after 9/11, that any organisation can be hit with a crisis, that it can happen in a moment", said Mr Weller, who runs Corporate Media Services.

Organisations want to know what they need to do to communicate quickly and effectively. Most crisis media training courses explain the pressures journalists work under and the steps organisations must take to effectively deliver their message.

If a crisis hits, Weller recommends speaking to the media as soon as possible, even if you don't yet have all the information at hand. Organisations that seek out media training typically range from medium-sized to very large corporate or government entities.

**END TRANSCRIPT**

Busting the Media Myths

Published: November/December 2007
Publication: AAA
Author: Doug Weller
Words: 989
Image of article: Shown below

**START TRANSCRIPT**

The media can often seem rude, pushy and difficult to understand. Doug Weller give's a journalist's point of view and explains why it's crucial to cooperate with them.

According to some people, journalists are 'thugs', 'parasites' and 'scum'. These are just some of the responses we have received when we ask participants what they think of the media at the start of our media training programs. In fact, some responses are even more colourful than this – so much so that they could not be printed here.

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years and even though there are some in the media industry who are not my bosom buddies, I would never describe them using the words listed above. In fact most of the journalists I know are great people – dare I say, some of my best friends are journalists!

So why do some people, particularly those involved in the aged care industry, have such a negative view of journalists and the media?

In a nutshell, it is a clash of cultures and a lack of understanding. In the general community, there is a lack of understanding of how journalists operate, a lack of understanding of what journalists require – especially in crisis – and a lack of confidence to deliver what the journalist wants and needs.

THE OTHER POINT OF VIEW

Journalists work in a pressure cooker. They face deadlines like few other professionals; 'same-day-stories' will be done no matter what! If the evening news on the TV is scheduled to go to air at 6pm, it will go to air at 6pm. Not at 6.05pm. Not at 6.01pm.

66 | NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2007 | AAA

All mediums face deadlines and they are sacrosanct. This means, as journalists get closer to those deadlines the pressure increases. And if you refuse to comment on a story, especially in a crisis, journalists will become hostile. They will gather what they require – comments, vision, photos – any way they can. By frustrating journalists who are under pressure to produce a story, you simply ensure the journalist is upset and angry with you when writing that story. That's not a good move.

Journalists will always meet their deadline! There is no other option. If a journalist, cameraperson or photographer tells an editor they are unable to get what was required to meet the deadline, it is a career destroying move.

THE WRONG RESPONSE

After many years of training people how to deal with the media I believe that most people actually want to comment to the media in a crisis, yet instead, as the pressure increases it all becomes too hard and they say "lock the gates".

Locking the gates, locking the doors, calling security or the police to keep the media away when you are dealing with a crisis, is an understandable and very normal human reaction. But it causes problems.

If the media is interested in a story relating to your aged care facility it will probably be because you are facing a very difficult situation. It could even involve the death of a resident. The bigger the issue, the bigger the story for the media and the less you may want to talk. However, it should be the other way around. The bigger the issue, the bigger the story, the more interested you should be in speaking to the media.

GIVING THE MESSAGE

You see, it's not the media on which you need to focus, it is the audience. The media is simply the vehicle by which the message is delivered to that audience. By shutting out the media, you shut out the audience, often when you need to reassure that audience. "No comment" is not a good look, especially in a crisis.

What did you think of the company that last delivered via the media, a curt message of "no comment"? There is always something an aged care facility spokesperson can say. What you need is a formula: a set of words – a process if you like – that will allow them to communicate their message, even when they know very little about a crisis, or can only give very limited comment.

They need to respond quickly. They need to look in control, and appear neat, tidy and confident. They need to deliver a set of words which express concern and action being taken. It doesn't have to be very long. It just needs to be delivered.

A TELLING EXAMPLE

Some years ago I was covering the story of a death in a residential facility. When I rang the complex the woman on the switch was obviously under pressure and she insulted me, hanging up in my ear. When I arrived with my TV crew we were insulted again and had the gates locked on us. The more the other journalists and I attempted to gain a comment, the more the aged care facility management resisted.

In the end we had TV news helicopters flying above the facility to gather vision. For verbal comment we interviewed family members of those inside the facility. Their comments about the facility were not complimentary.

Without much effort the facility management could have easily handled the situation in a way, which made them look professional, caring and pro-active. The opposite was the case. By the way, on that day we all met our deadline.

For more information contact Doug Weller at djweller@bigpond.net.au or visit his website: www.corporatemediaservices.com.au – see also Gerard Mansour's state view on dealing with the media on page 25.

DOUG WELLER will be speaking at the Retirement Village Association's (RVA) National Conference on how to work with the media. The AdvantAGE 07 Conference will be held in Melbourne from 13-15 November at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Victoria. For more information, visit www.rvadvantage.com.au

'The bigger the issue, the bigger the story, the more interested you should be in speaking to the media.'

'Doug Weller'

'By the way, on that day we all met our deadline.'

AAA | NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2007 | 67

**END TRANSCRIPT**

Here is the news

Published: February 93
Publication: Herald-Sun
Author: Editor
Words: 66
Image of article: Shown below

**START TRANSCRIPT**

If the bubble and squeak of Today and The Big Breakfast isn’t your style, you can wake up to hard news with the ABC’s new morning show, First Edition, which premieres next Monday at 6.30am hosted by Doug Weller and Kate Dunstan.

“This won’t be the traditional morning program, we want to concentrate on news and current affairs without the chit-chat in between,” Weller told Spotlight.

**END TRANSCRIPT**

ABC makes a new start

Published: 15 February 1993
Publication:Herald-Sun
Author: Editor
Words: 173
Image of article: Shown below

**START TRANSCRIPT**

The ABC’s first 'serious' morning news and current affairs program, 1st Edition finally went to air today.

Technical problems delayed the show’s debut by a week, but presenters Doug Weller and Kate Dunstan were excited that today’s show went without a hitch.

Dunstan said 1st Edition which covered 52 items including the latest national and international news, a live interview cross to Canberra,checks on what newspapers said, and business and law reports, was difficult to produce.

ABC Close to 24-Hour News Plan

Published: 7th February 1993
Publication: Herald-Sun TV Extra
Author: Editor
Words: 234
Image of article: Shown below

**START TRANSCRIPT**

The ABC will next week strengthen its bid for a 24-hour news service with Kate Dunstan and Doug Weller at the forefront.

Dunstan and Weller will co-host First Edition (premiering tomorrow week and running weekdays at 6.30am) and take the network a step closer to covering national and international news around the clock in a timeslot traditionally dominated by magazine-type shows. 

“It will focus mainly on politics and business, and aim to break news,” Dunstan said. The show will also help set up the main news for the day to be built on.” 

While the mother-of-two hopes First Edition will appeal to all viewers, she said it would be aimed at people “including politicians and businessmen who lead busy lives”.  

“The program should prove popular with those who work early in the morning, and don’t want to spend their evening assessing what has happened throughout the day,” she said. 

Dunstan said Australia would not be the only continent to benefit from the show. But she said the ABC was still to negotiate a telecast into Asia. 

Dunstan has vast experience in the news-gathering arena, having started with The Age and later moving on to Channels Nine and Seven. 

Her First Edition co-host Weller also had penty of experience in the media. His last post was as a political reporter for ABC Radio in Canberra, reporting from Parliament House for the AM and PM programs.

**END TRANSCRIPT**

Saddam on Toast

Published: 6th February 1993
Publication: TV Week
Author: Editor
Words: 441
Image of article: Shown below

**START TRANSCRIPT**

There is good news for viewers wanting to wake up to something serious on television. 

First Edition starting on February 8, is the ABC’s early morning offering for 1993. 

Don’t expect cute-puppy stories or beaming presenters – this is one hour of hard news. 

The program will screen on weekdays at 6.30, meaning a 3.30 start for presenters Doug Weller and Kate Dunstan, who say the only bonus is not having to be merry in the morning. 

“It is going to be a much more serious program than morning television has been to date.” Dunstan says. “It will be hard news, a lot of international news and a lot of politics. It will be a really serious program.” 

There are those who may argue few people will want to fall out of bed to watch the woes of the world on television. But Weller has a different view and points to the success of ABC Radio’s morning news programs, which have a large and faithful audience. 

“I don’t think what we are doing is really brave,” he says. 

“There are a lot of serious-minded people who watch television at that time of day.” 

“The audience we are after will be up at 6.30am and out the door by 7.30am. It’s going to be perfect for them.” 

Executive producer Jill Singer, formerly with The 7.30 Report, hand picked the team, which includes reporters Kevin McQuillan and Lisa Backhouse with ABC Radio’s Pru Goward as a commentator. 

Dunstan is a familiar face in the ABC TV’s newsroom, reading weekend bulletins and, in summer, the nightly seven o’clock news. 

Earlier she was one of the original producers of the Seven Network’s Tonight Live news. 

Jill Singer says First Edition will combine headline news with interviews and background stories. 

She wants the program to set new ground rules for Australian morning television, which in the past has aimed mainly to entertain. 

So what sort of news do you find at 3.30am? 

The timeslot gives the first bite at international news and events developing in Canberra.  

Singer also points to the way ABC radio news in the morning tends to set the agenda for the day’s news.  

“If you listen to radio in the morning, a lot of it creates the news of the day,” she says. 

“That’s what we want to do – it’s just that we’re on television.” 

By the time First Edition goes to air the team will have had three weeks to make a series of pilots and organise their schedule. 

Singer, Dunstan and Weller remain undaunted by their starting time.  

Perhaps their zeal has something to do with the origins of First Edition?

**END TRANSCRIPT**

Breakfast at Aunty's

Published: 5th February 1993
Publication: The Age Green Guide
Author: Editor
Words: 1501
Image of article: Shown below

**START TRANSCRIPT**

The first thing different about ABC-TV’s new national breakfast news program First Edition is its set.

The traditional news desk sits in front of a blue backdrop that is slashed by a wide, multi-coloured bang of painted carpet. It flows across the set like a river, complete with waves of plastic edging that conceal fairy lights that could be meant to be city lights – or maybe they are glow worms.

Sitting in an editing booth at the ABC’s Ripponlea studios, First Edition’s executive producer Jill Singer rolls through the opening credits and good naturedly responds to the rather impolite question, “Um, what is it actually supposed to be?”

“We’ve tried to get away from that traditional corporate blue look with city buildings, and so we’ve set up that in the background and then run this, I suppose, organic look across the background – the colours change across the set and we can move the panels around to suit the seasons,” she says, then pauses. “Mmmm. It is a bit bright at the moment, but we’ll tone it down”.

With only days to go before First Edition launches on the national airwaves from 6.30 to 7.30 on weekday mornings, it is Singer’s relaxed confidence in the program’s format, production, and editorial crew and two presenters (Doug Weller and Kate Dunstan) that has given her the time and patience to focus on cosmetic details and colour charts. “We’re actually having great fun putting this together,” she says. Quelling rumours that the new program, although broadcast from Melbourne, is being orchestrated by the power brokers at the ABC’s Sydney headquarters, she adds: “I’ve really been given a lot of freedom to do what I want. There have been a couple of compromises but, on the whole, we’ve been left alone.

Singer has been free to initiate for First Edition a few other differences that go beyond the colourful set. She says this program is radically new for Australian television because it is a serious morning TV news program.

“It won’t be touchy-feely,” she assures. “I don’t mind a human interest element but I don’t want a silly schlock and inane chatter between the presenters.”

“I used to like the banter between Bryant (Gumble) and Jane (Pauley) (on NBC’s Today) but Australian presenters don’t seem to be good at it at all, so it’s better to avoid it. I think the stuff on commercials here, where news is based on the presenter’s personalities, is a lazy, disrespectful approach to TV news.”

From 6.30 to 7.30, First Edition viewers will get three short news bulletins on the half-hour, with a strong emphasis on foreign news and crosses to the weather bureau. Bureau meteorologists will explain weather charts and data (“I just love those guys” singer says, “they’re just so un-TV, they’re really into the weather”). There will be a rundown of what is in the morning newspapers and a five minute business report before the 7am news from economics correspondent Craig Saunders. However, that is where a defined structure ends.

“We want to blur the distinction between news and current affairs. Our reporters and presenters will be doing both. We wanted to loosen the whole format so we’re not tied down to fitting stories to pre-determined lengths. For example, if an interview in the studio with a politician is going really well we can keep it running or go back to it after the newsbreak.”

“If we present some foreign news, we can then have a cross to an ABC foreign correspondent for a looser conversation on the topic. Our studios in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney are open for us to bring in politicians or commentators for interviews, and we can have vans in other cities for live links. I want us to have a good coverage of rural areas as well.”

Although Singer says this loose format makes First Edition more demanding from a production aspect, it will ensure a better coverage of news, crossing to Canberra correspondent Lisa Backhouse and national reporter Kevin McQuillan in Melbourne for pre-packaged reports or to follow up the morning’s news.

“It will actually be easier for us because I think the hardest thing in news is to reduce everything to the same duration – to give equal time to a colour piece about Australia Day and to what’s unfolding in Iraq.”

This is Singer’s first job as an executive producer of news. While her appointment reflects ABC policy to promote women to senior positions, her news background reveals that this job is not paying lip service to affirmative action. Until last year she was a senior reporter on The 7.30 report, winning a Walkley Award for her “Baby M” story; before that she was a senior reporter on Countrywide and Ten’s Page One. If anything, Singer has had to overcome a reputation as a “difficult woman” – her quirky humour and unpredictable bluntness occasionally costing her the warm embrace of some colleagues and superiors. “I guess they think they are being brave getting me to do this because I am perceived as difficult, and I suppose that’s because I don’t have a huge respect for authority.”

With Singer’s maverick reputation, it probably came as no surprise to ABC chiefs that her choice for the coveted role of chief anchorperson was Doug Weller. While having no prior television experience and with looks that Singer describes as not the “classic TV beauty”, Weller compensates with his abilities as a journalist. Weller, 37, is widely regarded as one of the country’s most tenacious political reporters and toughest interviewers from his eight years woking on ABC Radio’s AM and PM news programs in their Brisbane, Washington DC and most recently, Canberra Bureaus.

Singer describes Weller by miming a head-butt and says “Doug’s really out there. He’s got a great, assertive delivery and a real Australian barging-in approach to getting the information. Politics is his forte and he’ll be handling most of the political interviews.”

Weller says he had never really considered moving into television until he saw a clipping from the ‘Green Guide’ pinned up in the Canberra press gallery, describing the program. He immediately sent off an application.

“I thought this sounds authoritative and credible, and I couldn’t believe that no one had thought of doing it before,” Weller says, “Today and Good Morning Australia shows have their place and their audience, but there is an audience for what this is. Without being to tough and blasting people away in the morning, it will give people the information they need.

“I see First Edition as being the sort of program people will turn on when they get up, listen to or watch while they are having breakfast and, when they get in their car, they’ll turn on AM on their radios.

Weller admits that he initially thought TV was simply radio with pictures, but after a few weeks in the medium he has changed his mind.

“I forgot about the emphasis on appearance, on sets and just the logistics of getting people in and out of a studio – in radio that doesn’t matter. You also have to be a lot more controlled on TV – if you frown or look uncomfortable, your reaction becomes exaggerated.”

Weller may be a departure from the square jawed anchorman, but his co-host, Kate Dunstan, represents the more conventional image of breakfast television. Smooth, professional and sporting the standard issue anchorwoman’s helmet of blonde hair, she brings with her 13 years of experience as a TV reporter and presenter for ABC-TV, Channels 7 and 9 and, before that, as an ‘Age’ reporter.

Dunstan will share the news reading with Weller and, while he concentrates on the political interviews, she will handle other interviews and the crosses to correspondents and the weather bureau. “I just can’t wait to get up and running,” says Dunstan. Even the 2.30am wake-up hour (she has to be in the studio by 3.30) does not dampen her enthusiasm – “I’m a morning person anyway,” she says.

First Edition has been in the pre-production stage since November. When it was announced, there were those in the highly politicised corridors of the ABC who predicted it would not last six months. Some employees and executives in existing news departments are reportedly resentful of the reported $4 million a year First Edition will cost, as well as the money being poured into the new youth current affairs program Attitude. There is a belief that this sort of money should be spent on improving existing services.

One rumour doing the rounds since First Edition was mooted is that it was specifically set up to be sacrificed if the ABC’s budget were cut by a new Coalition government after the coming Federal election.

“I’ve heard that rumour too,” says Singer, “but I think this will be one of the last to get chopped. David Hill (ABC managing director) and Paddy Conroy (Director of Television) are right behind it – this is part of the ABC’s commitment to having a 24 hour news and current affairs service”.

**END TRANSCRIPT**

Is Washington ready for Doug?

Published: December 1989
Publication: Queensland Wireless News
Author: Unknown
Words: 122
Image of article: Shown below

**START TRANSCRIPT**

Sheer hard work and professionalism does pay on ABC Radio!

Brisbane staff, and no doubt many interstate, were thrilled last week to learn that Doug had been promoted to correspondent, Washington.

Doug is likely to take up his appointment in the early new year after seeing out the Queensland election campaign.

It's a three year appointment and he will join another former Brisbane journo, John Cameron, in the US capital.

State rep Andrew Buchanan had this to say: "This is a great credit to Doug. We also see it as flattering to the Branch. Everyone appreciates the tremendous work Doug has performed for ABC Radio in his current affairs position, particularly over the last 12 months." #

**END TRANSCRIPT**

Weller's away to Washington

Published: 16th December 1989
Publication: Gold Coast Bulletin
Author: Editor
Words: 84
Image of article: Shown below

**START TRANSCRIPT**

ABC Radio’s Queensland chief Doug Weller will take up a senior position as Washington foreign correspondent early in the new year.

The three-year posting is considered the pinnacle of any ABC reporting career.

Weller is a Queensland political reporter with ABC’s AM, The World Today and PM.

In five years of current affairs experience at the ABC, Weller has worked closely with the Joh for PM campaign through to Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s demise, the Fitzgerald Report and the rise and fall of Mike Ahern.

**END TRANSCRIPT**

Overseas Posting

Published: December 1989
Publication: Sydney Morning Herald
Author: Editor
Words: 236
Image of article: Shown below

**START TRANSCRIPT**

ABC RADIO, known for its excellent coverage of overseas events, is currently shuffling its correspondents around the bureaux.

The Washington job, vacated by Warwick Beutler, is to be filled by Doug Weller, who has been prominent in the coverage of politics in Queensland.

Agnes Warren will become the first ever woman ABC correspondent in London when she takes over from John Highfield. Warren joins the other two London correspondents, Peter Cave and Michael Dodd. Highfield is coming back to Australia to be Radio's foreign editor.

And what about Warwick Beutler? Well, the Canberra current affairs job still has not been decided yet. However, I have it on good authority that Beutler is a strong contender for the position.

Also up for grabs later in the year are the Asian postings. In the near future there will be changes in Bangkok, Beijing, New Delhi, and Tokyo.

According to Ian Wolfe, controller of information programs (radio), ABC policy is to turn over the overseas offices much more than before.

"In the past, people frequently went to overseas posts and stayed a long time," he said. "Now we try to share them around as much as possible and keep people on the move.

"One of the big things we offer at the ABC is the opportunity of an overseas posting. We have so many good reporters it's wrong to say that just one or two people should be overseas."

**END TRANSCRIPT**

Corporate Media Services’ Director Doug Weller is called upon regularly to speak to the media and business groups throughout Australia and the South Pacific about the media industry and the media training industry. Here is a transcript of a recent address he delivered to a business group in Melbourne, Australia.

Today we are going to talk about the media and media training.

I’ve been involved with the media industry for more than 30 years. I’ve worked in all areas of the media - print, radio, television and public relations, both in Australia and overseas.

But let’s not talk about me, let’s talk about you. You may not realise it, but you are consumers of news. If you didn’t consume media products, read, listen or watch media publications or programs, those media products would not exist.

As much as people complain about the media, they constantly consume media products - everyday. The media is a business: print, radio, television and online. It is a very competitive business. It can be beneficial or disruptive, but never forget, it is a business.

Do we in the media deliver what people want, or what we think they want? It is a never-ending argument. Make no mistake, the media is a business and yes, it is interested in the ‘wow’ factor. That is what sells.

Let’s get straight on to speaking about the journalists. If you want to know the main things driving journalists, it is ambition and deadlines. There is nothing wrong with ambition. Regarding deadlines, let me make this clear, there is no point in a journalist producing a story if he or she can’t meet the deadline. You don’t know what a deadline is until you’ve been a journo and faced a media deadline.

Let me explain it this way.

The ABC TV News will go to air across Eastern Australia tonight at 7pm. It won’t go to air at three minutes past, or five minutes past. The newsreader will not come on and say "Good evening and welcome to ABC TV News. Can I tell you we have had one mother of a day! We’ve had people off sick, equipment breakdowns, it’s been murder but just amuse yourselves for the next five minutes, we should be ready by then". Do you go to the newsagent for them to say "Sorry, we couldn’t get it together so there will be no newspaper today, but there will be two newspapers tomorrow"?

The media industry is an incredibly competitive industry. That is why we do media training, so people know how to communicate with the media industry – know what drives journalists.

You need to know what to do when faced with a difficult situation or a crisis when you’ve got this incredibly powerful thing, the media, about to confront you - there are these journalists coming to you to get information. Sometimes you will want to deliver the story to them and sometimes you won’t.

People often say to me "I hate the media and I hate those journalists, they’re an absolute disgrace and I won’t communicate with them!" But what if you have a crisis? What if four people in your organisation are badly injured today and the media is gathering downstairs. What will you do? You’ve got a disaster, perhaps people are killed, what would you do? The research tells us you’ve got between 8 and 15 minutes to get organised and start delivering information to the media. It is too late then to conduct media training. The media training needs to be conducted before such an awful event. You can’t do media training on the run. Media training is a very focused process. You also need to have a communication strategy in place, and the public speaking or presentation skills and communication skills to help you speak to the media and the public in such a crisis.

Are you or your media spokesperson able to handle the situation? A lot of people ‘freak out’ when they see a journalist. Don’t ‘freak out’. You need to think about how we, the journalists, operate as human beings under pressure. You’ve had this dreadful thing happen. It is emotionally disturbing, people are very upset. All of a sudden, the media is downstairs. How do people who have not conducted media training react? Lock the gates. Lock the doors. Get security. This happens over and over in a crisis. Yet, with competent public speaking skills and a sound communication strategy, your organisation can activate an effective crisis plan to help deal with the media.

What happens when people are dealing with the media is that they forget about the most important thing, the public - the consumers of news. 

The Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, during and after September 11, came to his media conferences with all the city chiefs behind him, and he went through a very simple process that changed crisis communication strategies across the world. He said "this is what we know, this is what we don’t know, this is what we are doing, this is what we want you to do" - he took the community with him.

We teach our trainees in media training that there are certain things you can control when dealing with the media, whether it’s a good news story or a crisis. These things are crucial to you being able to get your media message across. This is where your public speaking and communication skills are vital.

If things get aggressive, don’t bite! What we are talking about here is being completely and totally in control of the situation by having good calm communication skills to assist your media communications and public speaking process. As soon as you lose control with any media you can’t get it back. You need to think about what message the consumers of news are getting when they watch, hear, or read about out of control media interviews.

This is the process we discuss in our media training programs.

By the way, you need to be very careful with media training. There are old style media training programs and there are new style media training programs. The media is constantly changing so media training programs and courses also need to change with the times. I am pleased to say Corporate Media Services’ media training programs are constantly updated to ensure we are giving our media training participants the latest in media and media trends.  

The media industry is very, very competitive. Journalism is about pushing and meeting deadlines and yes, looking for the ‘wow’ factor, looking for a good story. Journalists will come to you and you must ensure you know how you get something out of this thing called "the media". What will you deliver physically and verbally? How well honed are your presentation skills and communication skills?

Remember, if you don’t take control of a crisis situation, what will the fall-out be from a poorly thought-out communication strategy? Perhaps you will only need to speak to the media about good issues – let’s hope so. Even then, you need to ensure you communicate your media message effectively.

Finally, how many languages do you speak? When someone is being interviewed and they are speaking a language that is too complicated for people to understand, the audience switches off. All the audience has to do is use their remote control if it is television they are watching and go ‘click’. So as an interviewee, you need to think about your audience and think about your objective. Who is the audience and what is the objective, because if you miss these, you can forget about it. Your communication skills need to target your audience and influence their understanding of events. It is no good having a great public relations department and excellent media strategy if you can’t communicate your message in a media interview.  Before you go into any media interview situation, you need to do your preparation. 

So remember, many of the journalists you will come into contact with live in a very pressured world. Try to work with journalists but make sure you know what you are going to say. Practise your communication skills and presentation skills and quickly work out your key points. Be confident and natural and remain calm at all times. In the end, it is what you want to get out of the media process that matters.

Never forget this - out of the billions of media interviews that have been conducted around the world, not one single person has ever got into strife because of the question, it has always been because of the response.

It is how you respond both physically and verbally in any given media situation and how you handle your public speaking, presentation skills and communication skills, that will have the biggest impact on the outcome.

Corporate Media Services' Director Doug Weller speaks about the Three Major Myths of Media Training:

Media Training-Media Training-Media Training. Why is there such a thing as media training? Why do we conduct Media Training Programs and Media Training Courses? A few decades ago media training did not exist. Media training has only been around, in a formal sense, since the 1970’s. Let me speak to you about the three main myths in regards to media training.

The First Myth: This Company seems professional so it must be Ok.

There are a lot of media training organisations throughout Australia and the South Pacific. Some media training organisations are good; others not so good. How do you pick a legitimate media training organisation?

I’ve been saying for some time that there is a lot of ‘fluff and bubble’ involved in the media training industry. There are many people out there conducting media training who don’t know a great deal about the media.

The best way to work out if a media training organisation is reputable is to choose a journalism-based media training organisation. What I mean by that is; choose a media training company which is owned and operated by a journalist.  

Let me speak about Corporate Media Services - our organisation. I am the owner and director of Corporate Media Services. My history in journalism spans 30 years, it covers all mediums and I have worked as a journalist both in Australia and overseas. I’ve worked in roles ranging from an on-the-road reporter, to Chief of Staff, and have fronted radio and television programs.

So people should choose a media training organisation which has a journalist as the Director or operator. Many media training organisations are owned and operated by people who have had no journalism experience.

Obviously, if you are going to contract somebody to do media training for you, you should be choosing somebody who has a media/journalism background. But how can you be sure that the media training organisation you are contracting has the qualifications it claims to have?

The internet is an amazing and useful tool, it allows us to check things quickly and in many cases, thoroughly. Don’t just take the word of any media training organisation in terms of the background of the trainers and the operators, check it on the internet.

For instance, with our company, Corporate Media Services, if anybody wanted to check my background, I would suggest they do a google search on ‘Doug Weller’ and ‘journalism’ and see what comes up. If they wanted to check my credentials in terms of being a University Lecturer, google ‘Doug Weller RMIT University’ and see what comes up.

So you should not just take the word of the media training organisations in terms of the background of the trainers or the operators of that organisation. You also need to thoroughly check that the media training organisation you are contracting has people at the top with a substantial media/journalism background.

The second myth: The use of studios for media training.

Some organisations claim to have radio and television studios where their media training will be conducted. There are two major myths in this area: the first is that very rarely are these ‘so called’ TV and radio studios really studios, they are ‘mock ups’ to look like studios. To the untrained eye, this may look very impressive, however in reality, these 'so-called' studios are not really studios.

Secondly and more importantly, it can in fact be counter-productive to conduct media training in a radio or TV studio for most people. For instance, unless you are the Prime Minister, the Premier, the head of a major organisation, or somebody like the Police Commissioner, it is highly unlikely you will be asked to do a media interview in a radio or TV studio. The vast majority of interviews that are conducted around Australia and indeed around the world, are conducted with newspaper journalists over the telephone. After that, the majority of interviews are conducted with radio journalists, again over the telephone. The only person sitting in a studio during those radio interviews will be the journalist.

If trainees do their media training in ‘so called’ radio or television studios, it can be counter-productive because the training is being conducted in an unrealistic environment. If people are to undergo media training, they need to undergo that media training in environments that are as close to 'real life' as possible. That generally means your office environment because that is where you are likely to do most interviews. That is why we conduct our training at your premises. 

For instance, if you are likely to be doing radio interviews over the telephone from an office, your media training should be conducted in an office environment. If you are likely to be doing television interviews outside, the media training should be conducted outside with a media industry standard television camera. If you are likely to be doing interviews over the phone with newspaper journalists in an office environment, then that is the environment in which the training should be conducted.

To conduct media training in a 'so-called' radio or television studio, that the trainee is highly unlikely to encounter, in my view would not be productive.

The third myth: The media trainer told me it was true, so it must be true.

Media training falls into basically two types. There is 'old style' media training and there is “new style” media training. The media is changing constantly: for instance, the way news is delivered is changing, the way interviews are conducted is changing, what is expected of people in terms of those interviews is also changing.

The way we did a radio interview ten years ago compared to the way we do it now is totally different.  If people are being taught an old style of media training, it will be detrimental in terms of their media performance. For instance, people were once told to work out their key messages, to avoid questions and simply repeat their key points no matter what the journalist asks. That is now completely and totally counter-productive. In fact, it is quite damaging in terms of the media message delivery process.

The media industry and community has moved on a great deal in the past few years in terms of what they view as acceptable and not acceptable as a media performance. If media trainers are delivering “old style” media programs, it will be detrimental to the trainee.

To avoid these three major myths within the media training industry, you should:

1. Check the credentials of the owner or operator of the media training organisation that you are contracting to do your media training.

2. If you are being told that your media training will be conducted in a TV or radio studio, check that so-called studio out to see if it is a real studio. More importantly, ask why the training will be conducted in a studio if the majority of your interviews are going to be done in an office environment or outside.

3. Ask the media trainer what sort of training they deliver. Ask them about the changes that have occurred in the media industry in the last several years, especially in terms of interviewing and media-message delivery.  

It is essential when you are getting media training that you get the correct media training, conducted by people with solid credentials and in an environment which is suitable.

Corporate Media Services' Director Doug Weller speaks to Public Relations students at RMIT University about how to use radio to communicate your media message:

Radio is one of the most useful mediums in terms of getting a media message across. People tend to fear radio because it is a live medium. Some people feel that they can’t communicate properly if they can’t see the person who is conducting the interview. However, radio is a terrific medium and is very, very powerful.

Research tells us that most people listen to the radio at some stage of the day. So I just want to give you strategies for dealing with radio and I want to walk you through the different components of the radio medium.

You’ve basically got radio news programs, whether they are on the ABC, SBS or commercial radio networks. In that arena, you are only ever going to get across a very short message. It’s going to be very quick. It’s going to be a ‘grab’ or sound-bite when you are speaking to radio journalists from newsrooms; that is all they want. They don’t want you to go on for twenty minutes because they just don’t have the ability to accommodate that.

I’ve worked for radio news organisations at the ABC and I’ve worked for commercial news organisations. Short snappy comments are what they want. They simply want a ‘grab’. So when you are speaking to people on a radio news program, you simply ask them what they want, and then deliver it. This is very much the case for journalists across the board.

Ask the journalists what they want and what they’re after. Whether it’s a couple of quotes for a newspaper article, a couple of ‘grabs’ for a radio station or a longer interview. Whether it’s going to be pre-recorded or it’s going to be live. You need to empower yourself in this process, you need to actually say to these journalists, ‘what do you actually want from me?’. 

You can deliver a series of ‘grabs’ for a radio news journalist or a newsroom but if the audience doesn’t understand your message, there is no point in you actually delivering anything. It needs to be very concise, it needs to be jargon-free and it needs to be snappy, otherwise there is no point to conducting the interview. Focus on the audience and focus on the outcome; never forget that. 

Then you move on to radio current affairs. The two major radio current affairs programs in this country are ABC programs called AM and PM. There are other current affairs programs but AM and PM are the main ones: now this is where you need to broaden it out.

Following on from ABC Current Affairs Radio, there are radio programs which are very similar to current affairs interviews. By ‘programs’, I mean interviews you might have with Alan Jones in Sydney or Neil Mitchell in Melbourne. It will be a longer interview and if it is going to be in that arena, it is more likely to be a bit feisty, depending on the topic. You need to know how to get your message across in a situation like that. You also need to know how to remain calm because when people overreact, the whole interview becomes counter-productive. There is generally an amount of ‘radio theatre’ in commercial radio interviews.   

And then you’ve got talkback radio. A lot of people fear talkback because anybody can ring in and they can make any claims at all. So people tend to get very scared of talkback radio and they tend to back away from it when there is no need to. Talkback is a terrific medium if you want to get your media message across because there are very few other areas of journalism where the journalist or the commentator will actually give you the floor for a period of time. So people tend to steer away from talkback radio because they’re scared that people are going to call them and make whatever comments they want. Many people fear it will make them look like an idiot.

Suppose you receive a phone call from a commercial radio station, Neil Mitchell for example, wanting you to come on his program and talk about a controversial issue. People tend to back off because their reputation is going to be on the line.

Some people opt to put out a statement instead. But by talking on the program, you have an opportunity to deliver your media message. You simply must be in control and know what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. 

If you do receive phone calls out of left field from someone at a talk back radio station, how would you handle that? Somebody rings up and says ‘I am from xyz program and we have been told that you and your organisation are corrupt.’ How do you think you would handle that?

You are only in control of three things in any media situation: firstly, what you say (your key messages), secondly, how you look (the way you are dressed) and finally, how you deliver your media message (e.g. physically and/or verbally). You need to make sure that you are in total control. On radio, you don’t have to worry about the physical delivery but you do have to worry about the verbal delivery and word content. You have no control over anything else in this process except those three things mentioned above. In a radio situation, you are only in control of two things (e.g. points one and three).

Don’t repeat words that can be manipulated by a journalist. A journalist may say that “your organisation is corrupt and outrageous”. You do not respond and say “we are not a corrupt, outrageous organisation”. If you do, you have taken ownership of those words. You are then on their agenda, not your agenda. If faced with accusations like that, you respond by saying “that’s not true, that’s not right. Our organisation is a terrific organisation, we are currently undergoing some problems and we are fixing those problems”.

Some people tell me that because they can’t see the person at the other end during a radio interview being conducted over the phone, they find it very unnerving. Other people prefer communicating over the phone with radio commentators and journalists because they are happy to be on their own territory (e.g. security of their office, home, etc.) because they feel they have more control over the radio interview. By the way, unless you’re the Prime Minister, Police Commissioner or some other kind of dignitary, you are unlikely to have an interview conducted in a studio. The vast majority of radio interviews are conducted over the phone.

When you come up against aggression in a media interview, especially in radio, you need to take control of the process. In every media interview situation, you need to focus on the outcome and you need to focus on the audience. 

When we do media training, I say to people, ‘Why are we doing media training? Why would you bother doing media training? What is the point of going through this media training course”? If the audience does not understand your media message, there is no point conducting the media interview. If you are delivering a media message that people don’t understand, it’s like delivering a message to an empty room, there is no point to it. If they understand it but it’s not professional and you’re not calm under pressure, again there is no point to it.

So finally, I want to walk you through some of the theories we are talking about. News journalists, like all journalists, are facing deadlines. The deadlines in a radio newsroom come around very swiftly. Generally speaking, they are either on the hour or the half hour. So understand the amount of pressure these people are under if they’re pumping out news bulletins every half hour. By the time the news bulletin goes to air, if these journalists go and get a cup of tea and get back to the newsroom, they have about twenty minutes before it’s time for the next news bulletin.

So if somebody calls you from a radio newsroom, make sure you give them what they want and need. If they require a couple of ‘grabs’, give them a couple of ‘grabs’. Give them what they need, and consequently, it will work for them and it will work for you.

In a radio news bulletin, you will never hear anything longer than about five to ten seconds, unless it’s a huge news story. Most radio stations have a very broad audience; so again, you need to focus on the objective and the outcome.

It’s very difficult to condense an important issue into about seven or eight seconds but if you don’t, they will. I’ve had people ask me “how can I condense four years of work into a few seconds”? I tell them it’s very hard, however, if you don’t do it, the journalist will, and you may not be happy with the outcome.

So you don’t go into these situations thinking you can’t do this or that. You have to fit in with what the journalist is doing and what the radio station is doing. If you deliver a long rambling quote or comment that goes for thirty seconds and it can’t be edited, then it won’t be used. 

Current affairs programs also have deadlines. How do you find out what their deadline is? You ask them. A lot of people feel confronted by the whole process of dealing with journalists and the media and they don’t ask questions. You need to empower yourself in this process and ask the journalist what he or she is looking for, what it’s going to be used for, how much material they will need from you, what audience is the report aimed at? Then you will have a good understanding of where they’re coming from and they will have an understanding that you do know how to deal with a ‘media situation’.

Corporate Media Services provides a range of professional and confidential Media Services:

Media Consulting - Service Code MS001

For many organisations, managers and leaders the media can seem complex, confusing and even threatening.

Our Media Consulting allows us to understand your business and your media needs. We learn about you, your organisation and your issues.

We then give you advice that helps you understand what you can do about your media situation; both its implications and consequences.

This may lead to developing a media strategy or undergoing training. Either way, we will prepare a written summary that you can study with your colleagues.

Media Strategy Development - Service Code MS002

In order to communicate effectively with and through the media, you must have a clear strategy.

Your objectives must be focused and clear. You must know why you wish to communicate with journalists and the media and how it will advantage you and your organisation.

A Media Strategy is your road map to media success. Corporate Media Services can develop a media strategy that works for you and your organisation.

Public Relations Consulting - Service Code MS005

Public Relations Consulting services include:

Corporate Media Services is proud to have provided advisory and teaching support to the RMIT University Public Relations Division since 2000. This has included contributions to public relations short courses, including the Public Relations Certificate.

Some of the areas covered in these public relations programs include:

Communication Skills Training - Service Code MS003

How many times have you left a meeting or presentation and thought "What was all that about?"

Can your staff effectively communicate with your clients and their colleagues?

Many people make simple and fundamental mistakes in trying to communicate with staff, clients and stakeholders.

Communication Skills Training is structured to give participants the skills to effectively and confidently communicate their message. You will learn the following:

Public Speaking Presentation Skills Training - Service Code MS004

Many people rate Public Speaking as the thing they fear the most. However, in today's business world, public speaking and an ability to deliver professional and dynamic presentations is essential.

The Presentation Skills Training gives participants the tools to improve their public speaking and presentation skills. The training aims to improve confidence and presentation impact.

Public speaking and presentations should be enjoyed and embraced, not feared. You will learn the following:

Conference Presentations - Service Code MS006

These are lively, interactive, multi-media presentations which explain what drives the media and journalists.

They are suitable for conferences of any size, in any location around the world (some notice may be required).

The Conference Presentations are so well received that, many organisations now include them as a regular conference feature.

Media workshops can be included as part of a conference presentation package to add a more intensive practical element. You will learn the following:

Conference Presentation Testimonials:

"Excellent. Very lively and full of beans! Informative, fun and a very good learning experience"
Lee Milne
Sales Manager, ANZ

"I would rate Doug Weller 10/10 as a presenter"
Marilyn Howley
Finance and Operations Manager - Construction, Deakin University

We have previously presented at the following conferences:

Date Conference Details Location Topic Presenter

5 Mar 08

The Australian Society for Media Research

Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

Getting Your Message Across In The Media

Doug Weller

1-4 June 08

Retirement Villages Association of New Zealand
Annual Conference - Emerging into the Sunshine

Hyatt Regency Resort, Coolum, Queensland, Australia

Dealing With The Media And Staying Credible

Doug Weller

18-19 Mar 08

Deakin University –The Deakin Business School

Deakin Management Centre,
Waurn Ponds,
Australia

How To Deal With The Media In A Crisis

Doug Weller

31 Jan 08

CMSF 2008 – Super ‘Shaping the Nation for the Future’

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Brisbane Australia

How To Deal With The Media In A Crisis

Doug Weller

14 Nov 07

AdvantAge07

The Grand Hyatt, Melbourne, Australia

The Media- Controlling It/ Using It

Doug Weller

16 July 07

Australian Medical Association – Leadership & Media

Melbourne,
Australia

How To Get Your Message Across In The Media

Doug Weller

25 May 07

Aged Care QLD

Caloundra,
Queensland,
Australia

Communicating With The Media

Doug Weller

8-9 Feb 07

The Alfred Hospital

Melbourne,
Australia

How To Get Your Message Across In The Media

Doug Weller

22-23 Mar 07

Deakin University –The Deakin Business School

Deakin Management Centre,
Waurn Ponds,
Australia

How To Deal With The Media In A Crisis

Doug Weller & Karalee Tilvern

28 Aug 05

Australian Professional Products Association

Sydney Convention Centre, Sydney, Australia

Communicating With The Media

Doug Weller

Guest Speaking

Corporate Media Services is regularly invited to be a part of corporate and business events and media information sessions.

If you would like us to provide a guest speaker, be part of a panel or provide a more formal presentation to your group, please contact us with your request. Special rates are available for not-for-profit organisations.

The following is a summarised list of our Guest Speaking engagements. For confidentiality reasons, not all organisation names are listed:

Date Guest Speaking Details Location Topic Presenter
18 Oct 08 Continuing Professional Education PR - Media Training RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia Dealing With The Media With Confidence Doug Weller
7 Oct 08 Graduate Diploma (Public Relations) RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia How To Deal With Journalists Doug Weller
13 Sept 08 Public Relations Certificate RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia How The Media Works; Media Language; Media Releases; Media Conferences, Contacts, Events; Print, Radio, TV Doug Weller
14 Aug 08 The Executive Connection Sydney,
Australia		 The Media - Controlling It/Using it Doug Weller
9 Aug 08 Continuing Professional Education PR - Media Training RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 How The Media Works; Media Language; Media Releases; Media Conferences
Media Contacts;
Media Events; Print, Radio,TV		 Doug Weller
31 May 08 RMIT – Public Relations Certificate RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 Media Relations – How To Conduct A Media Conference Doug Weller
24 May 08 RMIT – Public Relations Certificate RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 Media Relations - Radio Doug Weller
6 May 08 RMIT – Public Relations Certificate RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 Media Relations - TV Doug Weller
15 April 08 The Executive Connection Brisbane, Australia The Media - Controlling It/Using It Doug Weller
6 Oct 07 RMIT – Public Relations Certificate RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 TV Workshop Doug Weller
22 Sept 07 RMIT – Public Relations Certificate RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 TV Workshop Doug Weller
15 Sept 07 RMIT RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 Media Relations – Radio Doug Weller
28 Aug 07 RMIT RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 Media Relations - TV Doug Weller
19 Aug 07 The Executive Connection Sydney,
Australia 		The Media - Controlling It/Using It Doug Weller
2 June 07 Continuing Professional Education PR - Media Training RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 How The Media Works; Media Language; Media Releases; Media Conferences;
Media Contacts;
Media Events; Print, Radio, TV		 Doug Weller
24 May 07 The Executive Connection Adelaide,
Australia		 The Media - Controlling It/Using It Doug Weller
12 May 07 RMIT RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 Media Relations - TV Doug Weller
05 May 07 RMIT RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 Media Relations – Radio Doug Weller
17 April 07 RMIT RMIT University, Melbourne,
Australia		 Media Relations – How To conduct A Media Conference Doug Weller

Our approach:

Corporate Media Services delivers focused training with experienced journalists.

All trainers are experienced professionals. They currently work in the media industry or have done so recently to ensure their media and communication skills are current.

Training programs are structured to meet the client's specific needs.

All trainees are interviewed on camera and those interviews are replayed and assessed by the training team. Immediate feedback is given to enhance the learning process.

Interviews are conducted in a non-threatening but challenging environment to ensure a realistic media experience.

Trainees are handed the copy of their interview tape at the end of training, to ensure privacy (no other copies of interviews are made unless requested).

Customisation:

Corporate Media Services training programs are designed to suit a variety of training requirements.

Our three core training options can be customised to suit any specific requirements that you or your organisation may have.

These options apply to all Media Training Programs, Presentation Skills Training Programs and Communication Training Programs.

The options can be adapted for half-day, full-day or multi-day programs.

Training can be conducted at the client’s premises or at other locations as arranged.

Corporate Media Services’ trainers conduct all interviews in ‘realistic environments’. This ensures participants gain the necessary skills to deal with journalists in the ‘real media world’.

Media programs cover print, radio, TV and online.

Confidentiality:

Total confidentiality is assured.

All Corporate Media Services’ trainers sign a strict confidentiality agreement before each training program to ensure nothing of a private or confidential nature is discussed outside the training room.

What is discussed in the training room stays in the training room

Meet the Corporate Media Services Team:

Doug Weller
Journalist/Trainer/Team Leader

Doug established Corporate Media Services in 2004. He has been a media trainer since 1996.

Doug has 30 years experience in journalism, including 13 years with the ABC in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Washington D.C.

After Washington, and following a year as political reporter in the Canberra Press Gallery, he transferred to television in Melbourne, anchoring a national morning news and current affairs program. Other positions held at the ABC include Editor, Chief of Staff and Executive Producer.

Doug has also lectured in Journalism at RMIT University, worked as a political adviser, developed media strategies and executed issues and crisis management programs for a range of companies and organisations.

He has conducted more than 800 media presentations and has also designed and presented a range of advanced training programs for journalists from Indonesia, Vietnam and China.

He is now Director of Corporate Media Services Pty Ltd.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

ABC Correspondent - Washington D.C.
Television News Anchor - First Edition
Political Reporter - National Press Gallery Canberra
Lecturer in Journalism - RMIT University
Ministerial Adviser - Queensland Government
Executive Producer - Asia Pacific
National Reporter - ABC TV Sydney
Bureau Chief - AM/PM Programs

ACCREDITATION
1996 - 2008 Quill Awards Judge
Best New Speaker Award (Southern Region) - (TEC)
Resource Speaker Excellence Award - (TEC)

FOREIGN TRAINING
Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City TV - Presentation Skills Training
Indonesia TVRI - Presentation Skills Training
Indonesia Metro TV - Presentation Skills Training
China The General Administration of Media and Publication (GAPP) - Senior Management Training
Indonesia TVRI - Presentation Skills Training
Indonesia - IASTP 111 Print Journalism Training Project

Janet England
Journalist/Trainer

Janet is one of Australia’s most respected public relations professionals and media trainers with 20 years experience in journalism, public affairs, media management and corporate and government relations.

Her career in journalism involves reporting for regional newspapers as well as metropolitan radio and television networks.

Janet has been involved in high-level issues and crisis management for state and local governments and the corporate sector, including national media relations and marketing roles with AMP.

Her experience as a working journalist and media and communications professional allows her to bring a unique ‘both sides of the fence’ approach to her public affairs management, media training and strategic planning.

Career Highlights

Journalist - ABC Brisbane
Journalist - Channel 7 Brisbane
Ministerial Press Secretary - Brisbane
Media Manager - AMP Limited
Media Manager - 2001 Goodwill Games
Media Manager - 2003 Rotary International Convention
Media Manager - Royal Flying Doctor Service
Journalism Tutor - Griffith University

Sandy Kaye
Journalist/Trainer

As a television producer she also contracts to several USA television production companies to bring Australian stories to television screens throughout the United States.

In 1978, Sandy became a household name when she became Sydney’s first female radio newsreader. Since then, she has produced and presented programs on major radio networks throughout Australia. Sandy is in demand not only as an on-air radio personality but also as a magazine contributor.

In the corporate world, Sandy is an accomplished media trainer and media consultant.

Career Highlights

Presenter/Producer - 'Great Southern Land' Channel 7
National Reporter - SBS TV
Talkback Radio Anchor - Radio 3AK Melbourne
Documentary Producer - Channel 4 UK
Director/Producer - 'Extra' United States
Editor - Pocket Book Magazines - Sydney

Karalee Tilvern
Journalist/Trainer

Karalee has been a journalist for more than ten years working for newspapers and magazines as well as TV and radio networks.

She has worked throughout Australia in both regional and capital city media. Her diverse skills-base has allowed her to report on a vast range of issues involving everything from politics to police, health to sport.

As well as being an accomplished journalist, Karalee holds a Post Graduate Diploma of Education. She also speaks several languages including French, Chinese Mandarin and Arabic.

With these skills, Karalee is in high demand as a media trainer and reporter for Australia’s media outlets.

Karalee is also a keen sportsperson. She has reported on some of Australia’s major sporting events and taken part in many competitions herself (golf and swimming).

Her community work has included Ambassador for Kidney Health Australia and Taylormade-Adidas. She is also a member of the Royal Children’s Hospital Fundraising Committee.

Career Highlights

Presenter/Reporter - Channel 7 Network News, Melbourne
Presenter/Reporter/Producer - WIN TV Network News, NSW
Reporter - SBS World News Australia
Presenter - Lifestyle programs - Channel 9 Network, Perth
Newsreader/Journalist - Australian Radio Network, Melbourne (GOLD FM and MIX FM)
Newsreader/Journalist - Austereo Network, Perth
Feature Writer/Reporter - Australian Golf Digest Magazine/Golf Australia
Feature Writer/Freelance - West Australian Newspapers, Perth

Brett Jenkin
Training Coordinator/Office Manager

Brett is responsible for the day-to-day operation of Corporate Media Services. He also coordinates our team of trainers. He has been instrumental in streamlining the services provided by Corporate Media Services and is the primary support for the Director and trainers.

He oversees training program development and delivery.

Brett brings to Corporate Media Services an extensive background in management from his 16 years in the Police Force and successful business operations.

He also has extensive customer service credentials in the Government and Corporate sectors.

How we ensure your confidentiality:

All Corporate Media Services’ trainers sign a strict confidentiality agreement before each training program to ensure nothing of a private or confidential nature is discussed outside the training room.

What is discussed in the training room stays in the training room.

For many organisations, managers and leaders the media can seem complex, confusing and even threatening.

Our Media Counselling allows us to understand your business and your media needs.

We learn about you, your organisation and your issues.

We then give you advice that helps you understand what you can do about your media situation; both its implications and consequences.

This may lead to developing a media strategy or undergoing training.

Media Strategy:

In order to communicate effectively with and through the media, you must have a clear strategy.

Your objectives must be focused and clear.

You must know why you wish to communicate with journalists and the media and how it will advantage you and your organisation.

A Media Strategy is your road map to media success.

Corporate Media Services can develop a strategy that works for you and your organisation.

What Our Clients Say About Our Professional Development Programs:

"Excellent"
Bernie Carolan
CEO, Metlink

"Excellent. One of the most useful training sessions I’ve ever been involved in"
Dr Hilde Lovegrove
Associate Dean, Deakin University

"Doug Weller delivers fantastic media training. His messages were clear, fun, informative, entertaining
and - most importantly - covered all the critical areas that staff need to know about dealing with the media. Doug's sessions are also flexible enough to be tailored to meet my brief precisely"
Kylie Sprague
Manager Media & Communications, City of Greater Dandenong

"Brilliant. The training sessions provided had multiple applications for each of our members. We could not have been happier with the professionalism exhibited by Corporate Media Services"
William Kestin
CEO - APPA, Australasian Promotional Products Association
Vice President - IFPPA, International Federation of Promotional Products Associations

"10/10. Down-to-earth. Had the knowledge. First rate presentation"
Louise D’Archy
Regional Manager, Coles Myer Supermarkets

"Excellent. They know their business. they give pragmatic advice. Easily digested presentation"
Dr Rob Moodie
CEO, VicHealth

"Fabulous. Professional and informative Wish I’d done it earlier"
Rose Hodge
Councillor, Surf Coast Shire

"Fantastic"
Ron Stoop
Manager - Asset Strategy & Environment, Powercorp

"Excellent!! First class"
Natina Bonadonna
Operations Manager, ANZ Margin Lending

"10/10 – Thanks for giving me the structure and confidence to deal with the media"
Andrew Brewster
Distributor Operations Manager, Tupperware

"Experienced, passionate, knowledgeable, wealth of knowledge, excellent! Keep doing what you are doing. Doug is vibrant & passionate about the subject & an excellent communicator"
Heather Carr
Mortgage Specialist Manager, ANZ

"Excellent! Very knowledgeable and experienced"
Ian Coles
CEO, EcoRecycle

"The media presentation was the highlight of the week. Thank you once again for the fantastic experience"
Geraldine Ilott
Finance/Administration Manager, Loreto Mandeville Hall

"Thanks for your teaching skills over the last month Excellent! Interactive learning from a professional with years of experience in the field"
Darren Saffin
Accounts Manager, Porter Novelli

"Challenging," "entertaining," "in your face" are just a few of the words and phrases that spring to mind. It was fantastic and the take home value was very important to those members who will now be bursting at the seams to get in front of the media"
Barry Upfold
Chair, The Executive Connection

More information:

Is available on the Corporate Media Services - Media Training, Public Relations, Public Speaking, Australia website
http://www.corporatemediaservices.com.au

See our link on the following pages:

Member Of
Media Coverage Received

Links on this Corporate Media Services Profile page
Corporate Media Services
http://www.corporatemediaservices.com.au

Last update: 8th March 2009
First published: 2nd March 2009
Author: Sue Ellson
Page views: 2122


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