Media Alerts are one-page announcements of an upcoming event. They are designed not for the public, but for journalists. Their purpose is to inform reporters of upcoming events, and convince them that these events are genuine news stories that are worthy of coverage.  Get inspired by looking at this media alert from a Lights On Afterschool event from a previous year.

Some tips about media alerts:

• Media Alerts are excellent tools to use to attract media to your afterschool events. If a newsmaker like your mayor or Congressional representative is attending, make sure this is emphasized in your Media Advisory.
   
• Alerts can be written in narrative form, like the example that follows. Or they can be written in bullet form, answering the questions: What, When, Where, Who and Why. Regardless of the format, an alert must announce an upcoming event or press availability.
   
• An Alert should say when an event is, where it is, and what and whom reporters will find there. It should also offer a compelling reason for media to attend.

SAMPLE MEDIA ALERT

(on your letterhead)

MEDIA ALERT

October XXX, 2010

Contact: [your program/rally contact]
[daytime phone number] (day)
[evening phone number] (eve.)

[Your program name] to Hold Lights On Afterschool! Rally October 21

7,500 Rallies Nationwide Aim to Make Afterschool Programs Available to All

The [your program name] Afterschool Program will sponsor a Lights On Afterschool rally on Thursday, October 21 at 3 p.m.  It will be one of more than 7,500 such events around the nation that day, the tenth annual Lights On Afterschool celebration, organized by the Afterschool Alliance. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is Founding Chair of Lights On Afterschool, a position he has held since 2001. Speakers in [your city/town] will call for expanding afterschool opportunities so that every child who needs a program has access to one, and discuss the harm that results from budget cuts and freezes.

Participants in the Lights On Afterschool rally include Mayor [your mayor], School Board Chair [your school board chair], as well as local business leaders, educators and other officials. The event will highlight three of the significant contributions that afterschool programs make to [your city/town/district]: keeping kids safe and healthy, inspiring them to learn, and relieving working parents of worries about their children's activities during the afternoon hours. Hundreds of parents, supporters and community members are expected to attend.

• What: [your program or city name] Lights On Afterschool Rally
• When: 3 p.m., October XXX, 2010
• Where: [location, address]
• Who: Mayor [your mayor’s name], School Board Chair [your school board chair], local business leaders, parents and supporters of afterschool

For more information or to arrange interviews with speakers, contact [your program/rally contact] at [daytime phone number].

[Amend the following section to the specifics of your program]
The [your program name] opened in [year opened] with a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant from the U.S. Department of Education. It now serves 250 children, providing homework assistance, mentoring, tutoring, and classes and clubs in sports, recreation, mathematics, chess and dozens of other subjects. The program is a collaboration between the school system, YMCA, Museum of Arts and Sciences and three local colleges.

The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children have access to quality afterschool programs. More information on Lights On Afterschool is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.