WILL (TV and radio) in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, worked closely with local public-health authorities on its H1N1 coverage. It found that this was a very effective way to get the word out during a health crisis. Jack Brighton, who heads up WILL’s new media, explained to me recently how the cooperation evolved.
Back in the spring, Brighton told me, Champaign-Urbana’s healthcare providers and public-health officials began meeting regularly about H1N1. WILL decided to join in and sent staff from TV, radio, and new media to “become part of that conversation.”
One result was a series of PSAs that aired on WILL TV and radio and were featured on WILL’s H1N1 page.
Another outcome was the H1N1 page itself, which, based on anecdotal feedback, was helpful to WILL’s audience. It became the second project on a site called WILL Connect. This site is separate from WILL’s main website, and Brighton explained that it’s “envisioned as a community engagement portal.” It’s a place to do projects, he said, “in partnership with other public-service entities.” (The other WILL Connect project is on the economy.)
Brighton said that the cooperative H1N1 project was a “good model” in a couple of ways. First, it was “really effective in developing relationships with community partners — and in their seeing our value in getting the word out.” Second, working with WILL’s staff helped the other project members spread information more effectively through their own channels.
Brighton says he “can’t overstate the importance of the relationships built in the process” of the H1N1 collaboration. He feels it set WILL up to “be more effective with other [public-health] projects down the line.” In assessing WILL’s work on H1N1, Brighton is also figuring out possible improvements. WILL’s H1N1 page, for example, didn’t display WILL’s own reporting on the story — something Brighton plans to remedy on future similar Will Connect pages.
