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Case Study - Release of National Traffic Signal Report Card Challenges National Transportation Operations Coalition spokesperson Shelly Rowe discusses the National Traffic Signal Report Card results at the national press conference on April 20, 2005. Washington, DC mayor and National League of Cities president, Anthony Williams discusses how the Report Card results will bring needed change to traffic signal operations in US cities. Local and national media gather in Washington, DC's Freedom Plaza to hear the Report Card results. The news conference resulted in more than 600 television stories. Release the first-ever National Traffic Signal Report Card for the National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC), an alliance of national associations, practitioners, and private sector groups including the Institute of Transportation Engineers, American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, American Public Works Association, Federal Highway Administration and others. Design and implement a media strategy to focus attention and increase awareness among public policymakers of the need for additional attention and resources for traffic signal operations. Solution With careful planning and an integrated print and broadcast media release strategy of local and national media, PTG Enterprises helped NTOC plan a national media event to unveil the results of the first ever National Traffic Signal Report Card on Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC. To secure national media coverage of the announcement, a national Associated Press (AP) transportation reporter was contacted more than a week before the event and offered an exclusive to run the traffic signal story on the morning of the news conference. This helped ensure that local papers would run the story and that television would cover the event. The reporter was given an advanced copy of the report and interviews were conducted with key members of NTOC in the days leading up to the news conference. Producers at all national radio networks were also contacted and offered to pre-tape interviews with NTOC spokespeople before the event. The stories with CNN Radio, ABC and CBS national radio networks were then embargoed for air during morning drive time on the day of the event. This ensured again that the story would be in both print and on national radio before the event took place. In addition to placing stories with the AP and radio stations, a media advisory was sent to all the daybooks including those of the AP, the Washington Times and Congressional Quarterly. Follow-up calls were made to the daybooks and hundreds of reporters and producers including numerous calls to all the television bureaus in Washington, DC and local television stations and print bureaus. Results The news conference generated significant media attendance and was covered extensively by print, television and radio outlets across the country and even in other parts of the world. Coverage included: a national Associated Press story that was picked up by hundreds of daily newspapers, radio, television stations and websites across the country, a story on page 3A of USA Today, segments on: ABC World News Tonight and Good Morning America, CNN Headline News, FOX News Live with Brian Wilson, CBS's Osgood File with Charles Osgood and more than 600 local television stories and 25 local print stories.

Cathy Gillen Consultant, PTG Enterprises cathy@cathygillen.com

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