A Public Relations Assistant working at a television and/or radio station can have an exciting job. If he or she is working at a major station, the individual will have the opportunity to work closely with celebrities. Even in a station in a small town people may consider D.J.’s, television anchor people, and talk show hosts as something special. The assistant’s main responsibility is to help the public relations director build the station’s image and that of its onair celebrities. During the course of carrying out his or her duties he or she will handle a lot of the grind work assigned by the PR director.
As a Public Relations Assistant an individual will often be asked to research and write press releases about events at the station. For example, the station may be hosting a telethon for a worthy cause. The assistant will have to research the event and write a news release about it. He or she might additionally be asked to arrange for a photograph of one of the stars of the extravaganza or might even have to personally take the picture. The press release will then be reviewed by the PR director. The PR assistant might be responsible for having copies made and sending them together with the photos to the appropriate media in the area.
Depending the size of the station, the PR assistant may act as a sort of secretary for the public relations director. He or she might have to type and copy memos, letters, envelopes, and press releases. He or she might also answer the phone in the public relations office. The Public Relations Assistant will be expected to handle correspondence from the media as well as from fans of the station personalities. The individual must learn whom to let through on the phone to the public relations director and whom he or she can take care of.
Other responsibilities of a Public Relations Assistant might include taking people on tours of the station or introducing them to station celebrities. The assistant may write biographies of the station stars, compile press kits, and send out autographed copies of photos to fans.
If there is no promotion department, the Public Relations Assistant—or trainee, as he or she might be called—would also help in the promotion of the station. The individual might assist in coming up with and implementing contest ideas or other promotions to help boost station audiences. If the station is running contests, he or she might be responsible for finding companies interested in co-sponsoring promotions and/or donating prizes.
The Public Relations Assistant may be asked to work with nonprofit groups such as hospitals, health organizations, schools, museums, etc. in order to enhance the station’s public image. For example, the individual may coordinate a health screening with an organization such as the American Cancer Society. The station would promote the event and possibly broadcast live from the scene at which the program is being conducted.
The Public Relations Assistant may be asked to represent the station and may have to make public appearances on behalf of the station. It is therefore imperative that the individual be articulate and personable. At other times the individual may be responsible for setting up public appearances for other station personnel such as disk jockeys, television stars, news anchors, and variety show hosts. The assistant may coordinate and attend, for example, a celebrity baseball game with on-air celebrities who make up the station’s team. Depending on the station that the assistant works for, its size, and the availability of other departments, he or she may have to update program schedules and distribute these to the media. Everything that the public relations department does is geared toward letting people know what is happening at the station and having the station and its people look good in the public eye.
Salaries for Public Relations Assistants working at radio or television stations vary greatly depending on a number of factors. These include the amount of experience the individual has and his or her responsibilities. Other variables include the size of the station and its geographic location. Annual earnings for Public Relations Assistants working in small-market radio or television can range from $20,000 to $25,000. Earnings will be higher for individuals working in larger stations in major markets. Salaries for these individuals can go up to $33,000 or more annually.
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04202010
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