Skill-Based Training & Resources for Businesses & Nonprofits Focuses on Improving All Facets of Communications

New York Sea Grant Discusses Award-Winning Social Media Campaigns

— Published by Patch.com, Huntington

Huntington, NY, February 12, 2021 - The Fair Media Council announces the creation of its Capacity Building & Development Center, which provides skill-based training for businesses and nonprofit organizations to improve all facets of communications.

As a complement to this exclusive programming, FMC has created a Digital Toolbox, which is filled with data and resources for communicators.

"The media landscape advances very quickly and today, it is very complicated. And the pandemic is putting new pressure on organizations to excel in communicating with their customers, clients, and stakeholders like never before," said Fair Media Council CEO & Executive Director Jaci Clement. "Through our Capacity Building & Development Center, we address these issues by offering very focused skill-based learning to help organizations of all sizes. The live webinar format is the perfect fit for this type of programming."

Unveiled in January, FMC's Capacity Building & Development Center is currently offering live monthly webinars, which are one-hour long and provide Q & A opportunities with the audience.

The January workshop focused on how to create a multi-media press kit for an organization's website and was taught by Jeffrey Morosoff, chair of the Department of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations at The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University. 

February's workshop on how to create an award-winning social media campaign was taught by New York Sea Grant (NYSG) Assistant Director of Community Relations Paul C. Focazio. Highlighted in Focazio's talk were two FMC Folio Award-winning NYSG campaigns: 2020's "Currents Clips" limited video series and 2014's science-based information released before, during, and after Superstorm Sandy. 

Upcoming workshops include improving media relations, with a story pitching session with Jamie Herzlich, who pens the small business column for Newsday. Another workshop sees noted advocate Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, president and CEO of the Family & Children's Association, teaching how to become a trusted news source.

FMC's Digital Toolbox provides media contact information on the Long Island hyperlocal, New York metro regional, and national news levels. Data visualization illustrates Long Island reporters by area, while other tools include showcasing radio and television stations' signal reach, to provide communicators with audience targeting information. The Digital Toolbox is continuously expanding. Also new are portals for organizations to showcase their podcasts and books, as well as a portal to drive traffic to sign up for an organization's newsletter.

The programming and resources are available for free, provided an organization becomes a member of the Fair Media Council, which is comprised of businesses and nonprofit organizations. Membership fees are on a sliding scale, based on the number of employees. Corporate and nonprofit rates are available. Find out more at www.fairmediacouncil.org.


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, University at Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Elmsford and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly. Our program also produces an occasional e-newsletter, "NOAA Sea Grant's Social Media Review," via its blog, www.nyseagrant.org/blog.