How to Use

Recruit your
Newspaper

Hold a Community Hospital Summit

Organize a
Public Forum

Develop a
Radio Campaign

Organize a
Spirituality in
Dying Event

Work with Bookstores and Libraries

Introduce Discussions into Schools

Download
The Guide
(PDF Format)

Goal: 
For community groups to schedule local radio interviews that tie in with the Finding Our Way newspaper series themes. 

Suggested Timing:  Early August

Locate and designate three local experts, each of whom is:

• comfortable doing radio interviews

• knowledgeable about local EOL resources

• credentialed and articulate on the topics specified below

• available for radio interview in the month specified below

1. For the first radio interview, recruit a palliative care doctor, social worker, hospice representative, or other qualified person who is comfortable talking about end-of-life issues and can help lead conversations about the end of life. Discussion points might include how to talk to doctors, how to begin planning, and how to make choices. The expert should be able to address physical, emotional, and spiritual concerns. This expert needs to be available for radio interviews during the month of September.

2. For the second radio interview, recruit a doctor whose expertise is in the area of pain management and is able to discuss cutting-edge pain treatments as well as answer questions from people who call in to the radio show. This expert needs to be available for radio interviews during the month of October.

3. For the third radio interview, recruit one or two people who can talk on radio about the emotional and spiritual issues that arise near the end of life. Consider having a clergyperson and/or a social worker who can offer inspirational stories of people “finding their way” near the end of life, who can answer questions and guide callers. Diversity is particularly important for this topic: be sure your expert(s) can discuss the ways in which people from various cultures and heritages deal with emotional and spiritual issues at the end of life. These experts need to be available for radio interviews during the month of November.
   

On August 15, you will be able to download the first of the three radio “pitch” materials that tie in with the topics outlined above at www.findingourway.net. The radio pitch materials that you’ll use to obtain September interviews will include:

• A two-page news release that announces the Finding Our Way national campaign
  
• A one-page “Radio Interview Suggestion” release recommending that radio interviews cover the topic, How to Talk about the End of Life. There will be suggested points of discussion, including how to talk to doctors, how to talk to family members, how to talk to the person who is dying, how to make choices, etc.
  
• A one-page “Radio Interview Request Form.” The first half of this sheet will have one area for you to fill in:

1. a space for you to write a brief bio about your local expert on holding conversations about the end of life
   
2. a space for you to fill in your name or the name of your local contact person, i.e., the person who will work with the radio show and the expert to arrange a date and time for the interview(s).

The second half of the "Radio Interview Request Form" will contain a note to the radio shows from Diane Glynn Publicity. The note will tell the shows that they have the option of also interviewing a national expert during their interview with your local expert. If the radio show chooses this option, the following will occur:

1. The radio show will work with your local community contact person to confirm a date and time for an interview with your local expert. The local expert will most likely go to the radio station to do the interview. In some cases, the radio show and the local expert may prefer to do the interview by telephone. 
   
2. The radio show will then work with Diane Glynn Publicity in New York City to arrange an interview with a national expert on the same topic. The radio show host will telephone the national expert at some point during the interview with the localexpert and talk about what is happening both locally and nationally.

Here’s how to use these radio pitch materials:

1. Fill in information about the local expert in the space provided.
   
2. Make copies of all three pieces—the news release, the radio pitch, and the request form for each potential station.
   
3. Collate and paperclip them in this order:
   On top: the radio pitch
   In the middle: the news release
   Last: the request form
   
4. Mail or hand-deliver them to radio shows: morning drive, public radio, 
   library radio, general talk.
   
5. Call the shows 5 days after you mailed the materials or 3 days after you 
   dropped off the materials, and ask if they shows are interested in interviewing 
   the local expert. If you leave voice mail messages, we suggest calling every 
   other day. If you do not get a call back, leave no more than 3-4 messages.
   
6. When the show is ready to schedule an interview, check with them on whether the interview will be in the studio (verify the date, time and exact location) or by telephone. Coordinate with the station and your local expert as necessary.
   
7. Ask the show if it is interested in the option of also interviewing a national expert by telephone during the interview with the local expert. If yes, remind the show to contact Diane Glynn Publicity. (If the show has lost the Radio Interview Request Form, fax them a copy. The show must contact Diane Glynn Publicity to get a Finding Our Way national expert.)
   
8. Try to schedule these interviews for the month of September. If a show wants 
   to do the interview in October, that’s fine, too, but we’ll have a new pitch 
   and new press materials coming to them for October and November as well.

On September 12, you will be able to download the second set of radio pitch materials from www.findingourway.net. The topic for discussion will be How to Manage Pain and Symptoms Near the End of Life.

Follow the same procedures as outlined above; try to schedule the interviews for the month of October.

October 10, you will be able to download the third set of radio pitch materials from www.findingourway.net. The topic for discussion will be How to Find Positive Opportunities Near the End-of-Life (this is the psychosocial and spirituality-themed topic). Try to schedule the interviews for November and early December.

Contact Info:
Diane Glynn Publicity & Public Relations, Inc.
274 Madison Ave., Ste. 1103
New York, NY 10016
Bus: (212) 689-0002
Fax: (212) 689-4540
E-mail: dglynnpublicity@aol.com