What is the appeal of jobs in media relations?

Maybe, but I doubt it. He's just the extreme dickhead media relations guy.

I get along with most. Some will go above and beyond in my time of need and I always praise them for it. Always.

If they don't want to help me at even a minimal level, I just simply go around, above or below them for information. I'm not one to dick around with the media relations guy. If I'm getting info from someone else, he's got to answer for that, not me.

 

I was a PR intern for a professional sports team, and my outlook on the position seems to be different than some people.

I was taught in college that PR people are to make the writers' jobs as easy as possible. You are there to help them. You are not there to piss them off.

Pissed off writers write shitty stories. PR 101

I would try my best to make them happy.

I would grab players for interviews (never turned down, although one WR gave me an eyeroll) and just stand around making sure the interview would not go to Bobby Bonilla land.

I would talk with the writers and joke with them. Keeping them busy on the sideline during practice, trading Slap Shot quotes and other stuff was part of the daily routine.

They knew I would never answer something incriminating, and one simple no and they knew where they could and could not go with a question to me.

If they wanted general facts, I would try my best to find it for them. If they wanted a picture, I would work on getting it for them.

Any PR head who is a dick to the writers is not doing their job. Just be sure not to ask them to do things that make them seem like a dick.

 

Those responses were what I was looking for, thank you. (Not the defensive ones which read way more into my question than was there.)

I see that you seem to enjoy making people feel good. I bet you are good at your job. What makes this job appealing as opposed to being say, a counselor or social worker then? Is it the combination of feel-goodness and being a words person?

 

Media relations guys who are good and helpful are a great asset for us.
I can even deal with the ones who do the bare minimum.
It's the bastards who seem to think their job is just to be a roadblock that I have a problem with.
Fortunately, they are an extreme minority, at least in my experience.

 

This is it right here.

You have 'the right person for the right job' idea because everyone has different skills, abilities, tolerance levels, temperament, so on and so forth.

I've talked with sports writers over the years who detest their job with a searing, white-hot passion; and I've talked to sportswriters who would do their job even if they weren't paid.

Babs, just because YOU don't want the job doesn't mean someone else wouldn't want the job. Believe it or not, there are those out there who would hate, and I mean HATE being a reporter -- sports or news. Do I understand that? Yes, I do.

And I absolutely LOVE, and I do mean LOVE my job.

And Moddy, I thought you became Moderator1 because "ModdyisGod" was taken.

 

The job title gives a hint as to its appeal to people, and also about how to do it well. Good media relations people enjoy relating to other people, as Moddy's anecdotes make clear. My son's in PR, hell he did political PR. He's outgoing and likes meeting people.
Misanthropes like his old man are not cut out for media relations. But that's on me, not the job.

 

I would also think better pay and hours are probably pretty appealing.