Media Advisory (Sample)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

September 30th, 2013
8:00am

Contact: Matthew Schumacher

Sports Information Director
Phone: (860) 555-5555
Email: matt.schumacher@uconn.edu
Media Advisory

The Athletic Department of the University of Connecticut invites members of the media to
attend a press conference this afternoon at the Burton Family Football Complex in regard
to the status of the University of Connecticuts Football Program.
Who:

The University of Connecticuts Athletic Department/Football Program

What:

A press conference hosted by the University of Connecticuts Athletic

Department/Football Program at the universitys main campus in Storrs,
Connecticut

Where:

The Burton Family Football Complex (media room)

505 Stadium Rd. Unit 3204
Storrs, CT 06269

When:

September, 30th 2013 at 3:00pm

Why:

To address the concern surrounding the University of Connecticuts Football

Program in relation to the teams recent performance on the field and to discuss
the plan the Athletic Department has for resolving these issues.

Immediately following the press conference, there will be an ample amount of time
for members of the media to ask Athletic Department/Football Program Staff any
questions they may have with respect to the press conference.
Above is a sample media advisory that I constructed in regards to the firing of UConn
Football coach Paul Pasqualoni. Pasqualoni was fired in September of 2013 as a result of a
necessitous coaching record at UConn and following four extremely poor losses in particular. In
this scenario Warde Manuel, the Athletic Director at the time, informs the schools Sport
Information Director (my role) of the plans to fire Pasqualoni and assigns me the task of
organizing a press conference with the intent of relaying this information to the media. In this
situation, it would be important for a person in the role of a Sports Information Director to move
quickly and notify the necessary media about this press conference, allowing them an abundant
amount of time to prepare for it and schedule time out of their day to attend. It is also imperative
that a sport communication professional in this role does not release precisely what the press
conference is in reference to, but still writes the release in a way that entices members of the
press. If you were to blatantly mention in this specific press release that Pasqualoni was fired,

then members of the media may not even bother to attend the event. We want members of the
media to physically be at an event like this because we want them to engage with our staff and
ask questions and take pictures in order to best formulate a story that they can translate to the
public via whatever medium it may be. If I were in this role, I would start informing members of
the press by sending the release out to all of our contacts at local media outlets as soon as I have
finished drafting it. I would urge television networks such as ESPN, FOX CT, and NBC CT to
attend the conference along with newspaper outlets like the Hartford Courant, Republican
American, and campus newspaper the Daily Campus. It may be difficult to attempt to convince
these media outlets to step away from other stories to attend this conference, but by wording the
media advisory effectively and hinting at the significance of the event I believe they can easily
be persuaded.