MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 1

Media Relations Report: NEWSPA

Jessica Rosga

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 2

Table of Contents:
Content Page
Creative Ideas ………………………………………………………………………... 3
Journalist Information ……………………………………………………………….. 5
Press Release ……………………………………………………….............................7
Pitch Writing ………………………………………………………………………….8
Talking Points…………………………………………………………………………10
Measure of Success (Research Element) ……………………………………………..13
Sources………………………………………………………………………………...14
MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 3

The Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association (NEWSPA) has had decent

turn outs in the past, with almost 400 high school students attending the event at University of

Wisconsin Oshkosh. The client’s current goal is to expand the knowledge of NEWSPA to the

surrounding 90 miles from UW Oshkosh.

My first idea is to highlight that NEWSPA brings in well-known speakers every year.

This year a speaker from the New York Times, one of the largest media platforms in the United

States, will be presenting. Having someone of this magnitude come to Oshkosh is an amazing

opportunity for networking, growth, and experience. The main focus is to inform high school

students about this opportunity in hopes that they will show interest of attending the program.

With students interested in journalism, there is no one better to learn from than someone who is

already well established that was once in their shoes.

My second idea is the NEWSPA award for one $500 scholarship to a graduating high

school senior who plans on majoring or minoring in journalism and plans to attend UW Oshkosh.

With journalism being a field often criticized due to lack of trust of the public, upcoming

journalist need to be reassured that it is fine to want to go into this field. High school seniors are

stressed out about what their next steps in life are, especially when figuring out how they are

going to afford college. This scholarship could help ease some of the stressors of paying for

school, which in return would help the student focus solely on their education. is important to

highlight this talking point to high schoolers as a resource on how to afford higher education.

Once someone hears they could potentially receive a $500 scholarship, this brings attention to

the event. The scholarship will help get students motivated to attend the speakers, allowing them

to have the opportunity to experience new learning opportunities and networking once they are

there.
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Both of my ideas are helpful in bringing awareness to the idea of NEWSPA. They both

play a role in proximity, as there is a 90-mile radius involved. Human interest, significance, and

timeliness are also involved in both ideas. In my first idea human interest and significance go

hand in hand. Having a well-known journalist from The New York Times would bring the event

to people’s attention. Significance is also included in my idea of highlighting The New York

Times speaker because it is a well-established newspaper that brings credibility to what the

speaker has to say. Despite the first idea hitting two of the three newsworthy elements, my

second idea hits all three.

The scholarship idea hits human interest, as a scholarship could help a future UW

Oshkosh student afford college. The scholarship brings significance as well, as the scholarship

will help someone follow their dream. The third element is timeliness, which is also important

due to this scholarship coming to a high school senior who is just a few short months away from

attending college. With this being said, I will be going with idea number two. I am deciding on

the second idea over the first in hopes that this will bring a stronger sense of human interest. The

idea of receiving a scholarship plays a significant role in how people tend to react to things.

A possible scholarship opportunity may encourage more people to open their eyes to the

idea of joining the journalism community and attending the event of NEWSPA. The second idea

brings up more points towards being “newsworthy” than the first idea. The idea of informing the

public on the idea of the scholarship plays to the timeliness, significance, human interest, as well

as proximity being the fourth element. Proximity plays a huge role as this scholarship is for high

school seniors within 90-mile radius who can attend the NEWSPA event. In this type of

information, it is best that this event does not bring any sort of unusualness or conflict to the
MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 5

story. Conflict or unusualness are not needed in an event that is supposed to bring awareness to a

future career.

After finding out what major cities were within a 90-mile radius of Oshkosh Wisconsin,

this lead to a follow up question - who is potential new assets to the NEWSPA world? When one

looks up “Oshkosh, WI to Madison, WI” on Google, the mileage is a solid 100.8 miles. Despite

Madison being out of the range of 90 miles, that does not mean their viewing area is out of the

range. Madison has a large broadcasting range where they cover most of the south central

Wisconsin areas, including the towns north of Madison.

Being from the Madison area, I realize that NEWSPA is missing a large potential section

of people that are from northern Madison viewing area that is between Oshkosh and Madison on

highway 151. In southern Wisconsin, there is already Kettle Moraine Press Association

(KEMPA). Despite there being an event similar to NEWSPA happening, I believe the more

options aware, the better. On highway 151 places such as Beaver Dam, Sun Prairie and

Columbus communities are places that NEWSPA could reach within the 90-mile radius that are

missing the chance to even hear back it through their local TV stations. One of the journalist that

would be a great fit for this role would be Leigh Mills from channel NBC 15 out of Madison.

Mills has won numerous reporting awards, has worked at NBC 15 for 15 years and has done

stories regarding education, such as Crystal Apple Award for one local teacher every year that

has made a difference in their community. Mills is trusted throughout the Madison community to

bring them reliable news and information. “[Mills] started studying journalism at Northwestern

University through its Radio, TV and Film program as a high school senior” (NBC, 2019). With

her background, Mills seems to have personal ties to events similar to NEWSPA. Mills would be

a great fit for NEWSPA information to be broadcasted.

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For the other journalist that would be a good fit, I looked through the local area. Of

course, NEWSPA is going to target Oshkosh students as this is where they live and would bring

the best public interest. When doing research, I found local reporter Shane Nyman would be a

good writer to give NEWSPA life. Nyman works with Post Crescent as a Fox Cities reporter on

current events going on around the Fox Valley area. Nyman’s prior work is regarding restaurants

and local events, such as Wine in the Park. People pay attention to his articles as he brings

insight to the people who may not know certain events throughout the community exist. Nyman

has prior experience in the area which would bring a sense of comfortability. Although, high

schoolers may not read his articles or postings their parents may. When bringing the chance to

participate in an event that could bring a future college student a chance to help pay for it,

parents would be more than willing to share the article with their children.
MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jessica Rosga

608-575-4838

rosgaj62@uwosh.edu

NEWSPA BRINGS $500 SCHOLARSHIP TO FUTURE UW OSHKOSH STUDENTS

OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN (Oct. 3, 2019) – Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association

(NEWSPA) is to take place on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at Reeve Memorial Union on UW
Oshkosh campus.

NEWSPA is a daylong seminar for high school students to learn about journalism. Any
high school student interested in journalism can attend. NEWSPA strives to bring experience and
guidance to the future journalist of America, through a scholarship opportunity.

In recent years, the scholarship has been funded by the Wisconsin Newspaper
Association for a senior high school journalist. Applicants must attend at least one NEWSPA
conference or register to attend the 2020 conference at UW Oshkosh and declare as a journalism
major or minor at UW Oshkosh, Fond du Lac or Fox Cities. The deadline is April 1st, 2020 for
this application.

Journalism Academic Department Associate at UW Oshkosh, Barbara Benish, discusses

how important it is for a future journalist to attend the event and strongly consider the
scholarship from NEWSPA.

Benish states, “Incoming freshman are not sure of how they are going to afford
school. [NEWSPA] scholarship helps Wisconsin students afford college in the pursuit of their
dream. High school students are not always aware of how huge of an impact NEWSPA can truly
have on their future.”

The Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association (NEWSPA) began in 1969

with a small group of college students traveling to local high schools, teaching students about
journalism. Today, nearly 400 people participate annually in our spring conference that brings
together media professionals and high school students and advisers for a day of sharing and
learning. The annual conference is designed to teach students about the field of journalism
through workshops, speakers and the ability to network with other schools and students.

For more information on how to apply to the NEWSPA yearly scholarship, go to

NEWSPA’s website at UW Oshkosh.

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MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 8

There are two pitches I would send, one to each of the journalist. Before sending both or

one of the journalists the press release, I would try to grab their attention. Below you can find

both of my pitches, first to Leigh Mills, second to Shane Nyman. Before sending both of these

emails, I would try to connect with both of them through their twitter accounts, to help bring my

name on their radar before even sending the initial email.

 Good Morning Leigh,

I enjoyed your latest piece on “Crystal Apple Award”. This yearly event brings light on a

local teacher that brings their light to their communities. I am currently working on an event,

Northeastern Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association (NEWSPA). This event is where future

journalist within your community can dip into the world of journalism as a high schooler,

through events, speakers and seminars. I have a press release already complete regarding this as

well contact information if interested.

Thank you for your time,

Jessica Rosga

 Good Morning Shane,

I enjoy your featured writing on the events going on around the Fox Cities, especially

“Octoberfest in Appleton: Here’s what to know and what to expect”. This piece is great on

telling your audience the information they need to know for the upcoming weekend and keeping

the local interest involved. This piece shows how important it is for the community to be aware

of upcoming events in the Fox Valley. I am currently working on a yearly event, Northeastern

Wisconsin Scholastic Press Association (NEWSPA). This is a local organization held at UW

MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 9

Oshkosh where high school students who are interested in journalism are able to learn the ins and

outs of journalism. I have a press release already done regarding this as well that I can send over

if interested.

Best,

Jessica Rosga

After sending over my pitches, if I do not hear back regarding this in the next two

business days, I will send a follow up email regarding the first sending. I would only ask one

question, and that would be in regard to if they received the email. If they are unable to complete

this request, as journalist tend to be busy, I would simply ask if they can recommend someone

who would be willing to cover this information or if there is any other information that need to

help tell the story on their end, such as who to interview and when.

As both of them are journalists, I figured explaining what the event is right off the bat

would be helpful. What journalist would not want to help expand the minds of future journalists?

I think both of these journalists would be excited to hear that there is already a press release

written and all they would need to do is share the notice in whatever form they feel fit. If they

would prefer that I write a media alert, I could do that for them as well. As Shane Nyman seems

to be an internet-based writer, I feel a media alert would be best for him with the quick

information in a click.
MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 10

Once the journalists have decided that this a story that they should cover for their

communities, I would have Matthew Smith and Shannon Kuehmichel be the spokespeople. As

both of these high school students are involved with NEWSPA and are on the board. Most high

schools would take this seriously if they heard the information from a fellow high schooler who

has already been through the process of NEWSPA. With this being said, I would need to create

important talking points for them to cover in their short interview with Leigh Mills. I would

suggest that only one of them answers each question, as it could be overwhelming having both of

them speak. Below are the main talking points that one of them would need to cover in their

interview along with hot topics that may come up.

Main Talking Points:

 What is NEWSPA?

-NEWSPA is an opportunity for all student media high schoolers to learn about the

journalism world

-There are speakers and seminars all day.

-There is also a $500 scholarship opportunity to any high school senior whom has

attended the event before and plans on majoring or minoring in journalism at UW

Oshkosh.

 When and where?

-The event is held at Reeve Memorial Union on the UW Oshkosh campus on April 22nd,

2020

-Spot need to be filled by October 23, 2019 to attend the event.

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 What are possible opportunities?

-Learn from current journalist from all over the United States, as a speaker comes every

year to bring a new perspective as well as training sessions.

-There are over 33 different speakers, seminars and groups you can attend during the day.

-A chance to win certificates and bragging rights for winning specific events throughout

the day.

Hot Topics:

 How does UW Oshkosh have the resources to hold this event?

-Oshkosh holds this event for future journalism students that are planning to attend this

school.

-Reeve Memorial is newly renovated and has dozens of rooms to hold certain events and

groups throughout the day.

 Why does the scholarship only benefit future UW Oshkosh students if other Wisconsin

schools offer this major as well?

-Oshkosh has a great journalism department that holds this event every year for any

journalism student interested. The scholarship is given to a future journalism student at

UW Oshkosh, one of the best journalism departments in the state.

 Is UW Oshkosh using this event and scholarship as a way to lure people into attending

this school over the others?

-NEWSPA is held every year as a way for future journalist to learn about the field from

current journalist from all over the United States, not just students that are interested in

attending UW Oshkosh.
MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 12

-The event is open to the public and ANY high school student that would like to attend.

I would make sure to let the students know that these hot topic questions may come up, as

the scholarship is only for future UW Oshkosh students. Both would be aware that this could

create an issue as Oshkosh is not the only journalism school in the world. I would make sure to

have them know to just go back to the main topic points, bring up how this is a great opportunity

for any future journalist – not just future UW Oshkosh journalist. The event is for any two-year

media high school student that would like to attend.

MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 13

Measuring Success

When measuring the success of this campaign, it comes down to the actual event

happening. Once the NEWSPA 2020 event has taken place, I would look at the numbers. Was

the press release successful in increasing the overall attendance of the 2020 event? Was the

message made clear through the broadcast interview? Was the post written by Shane Nyman

effect for the Fox Cities community? I would be most interested in seeing how many people

attended NEWSPA 2020 versus NEWSPA 2019. I think this plays an interesting role in how to

measure the success of this campaign as a whole.

I would take note of how many people attended but also keep track of where the students

are from. As KEMPA is another situation similar to NEWSPA, I would see how many people

attended from the northern Madison area compared to prior years. I reached out to Leigh Mills, a

broadcast journalist from Madison, WI. If the number is higher, which in this case hopefully it is,

that means there is some margin of showing success. More students from surrounding areas that

had not been there before due to expanding where the information is shared, is a form of success

in itself.

If the overall numbers of NEWSPA went up by 50 people, I would not only take a survey

regarding where they are from, but how they heard about the event. I think expanding the overall

information of NEWSPA would be great as parents, guardians or siblings could help spread the

information just as quickly as high school advisors. Although I would measure most of my

success by the increase of 50 new high schoolers attending the event, my idea was off the

scholarship. I would compare the amount of scholarship applicants from prior years to the 2020

year. If the number of scholarship applicants went up, this would also show the success of

campaign. Everyone that played a role in this event shows the success as a team as well.
MEDIA RELATIONS REPORT 14

Overall, the press release is what would continue to bring in people. I was able to build a

relationship with two different community journalist that are interested in getting the message

out to future journalism to reach their dreams. As I continue to create more relationships in

getting the message of NEWSPA out, I will continue to have these relationships for other

possible events. The success will be measured by the numbers of people who attended the event

compared to prior years, who attended the event from where and how many people applied for

the scholarship compared to other years due to more awareness around this opportunity.
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References

NBC15. (n.d.). Leigh Mills Bio. Retrieved September 26, 2019, from

https://www.nbc15.com/content/bios/1319416.html.

NEWSPA - UW Oshkosh Department of Journalism. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2019, from

https://uwosh.edu/journalism/northeastern-wisconsin-scholastic-press-association-

newspa/.

Shane Nyman: Wisconsin Group. (1AD, January). Retrieved September 26, 2019, from

https://www.postcrescent.com/staff/snyman/shane-nyman/.