Business Wire Releases 2016 Media Survey Findings at PRSA International Conference

By CommPRO Editorial StaffBusiness Wire’s 2016 media survey sheds light on how leading journalists and reporters view today’s communications, creating a blueprint for the journey news takes from source to audience. The data was released today during the start of the PRSA International Conference, where thousands of attendees will connect with more than 150 industry experts from all career levels, sectors, work environments and industries for three days of practical insight and networking.As technology continues to evolve and push the digital age further, the question of how journalists seek out the news they present for public consumption has never been more important. The industry’s redeveloping identity, traditional models of news delivery and encroaching new platforms create a wide variety of communications’ tools and outlets for brands to consider when issuing a news release.“Keeping current on the state of the media landscape is critical for Business Wire and our clients. The tempo of the change in the digital media space brings both challenges and opportunities for organizations as they look to share their news with the key audiences they need to reach,” said Scott Fedonchik, vice president of marketing at Business Wire. “Our new ‘Media Blueprint’ provides a great resource to communications professionals to help them better target, time, create and distribute news information in order to make sure their news is widely seen.”A glimpse at the findingsIn an interesting reversal from last year’s survey, this year 50% of respondents, the majority, perceive The New York Times “traditional” style of media as being the future of news media, while the BuzzFeed “interactive” model came in second. When analyzing the data further it was revealed that the BuzzFeed model does lead among the Generation X demographic, however, the emerging journalists in the Millennial age bracket lean towards Reddit.Key questions were asked regarding journalists’ use of newswires. Journalists that use a newswire do so daily (54%) with nearly a quarter using one several times a day (24%).Online NewsroomsWhile pitching the media and issuing a news release constitutes outbound media relations, it is just as important to have an inbound resource, an online newsroom and investor site. Our questions to the media regarding their engagement with online newsrooms will help companies and organizations determine if their website is properly organized and fully utilized to meet the needs of journalists and reporters. Our findings relay the blueprint for constructing a newsroom that the media wants and expects.“An organization’s online newsroom is the centralized digital communications platform that houses all news, brand articles and press materials that both media and consumers expect to access immediately,” stated Ibrey Woodall, vice president of web communications services at Business Wire. “Proper functionality within an online newsroom also enables communicators to distribute targeted email alerts desired by registered journalists.”One expectation is that over 50% of media surveyed want between a minimum of 1-5 years of historical press releases available within the online newsroom, while almost 30% want the organization's entire archive.Download the free 2016 Business Wire Media SurveyThe report and analysis are from a Business Wire survey of more than 600 members of the media from more than 40 countries - our largest study yet.The survey covers multiple topics including:

• Integrating more interactive multimedia online
• Press release elements most beneficial to reporters
• The role of long form and short form news produced by platforms such as BuzzFeed and The New York Times
• Reporters’ increased usage of video