Not in the clique.. an upset rant !!!

[MissDeMeena]

Not really sure where to start, as i'm a bit upset.. rants arn't ment o make any sence tho are they

I've just been shown the local rag. The Western Morning News.. the Wed section of which always has a horsey section.. They have a nice big write-up about the West-Country riders at Blenheim..
That would be Lucy Wiegersma, Tamsyn Hutchings and Daisy Trayford.. I'm not sure where i'm from, obviously North Devon isn't local enough for them...

But the thing that has p!ssed me off the most!!!!!!!
When i won the PN at West Buckland, they rang me up to get a few words for the article... As well as the usual chatty stuff i said "please please could you mention my sponsors 'BlackStar'" to which i was firmly told no, as it's a form of advertising, and that's not aloud, unless it's paid for... To which i thought, fair enough and left it at that...

So.. forward to the Blenheim article, and Tamsyn Hutchings has managed to call herself "The Maxavita and Charles Owen-sponsored Tamsyn"...

I struggle BIG time trying to fund my one and only horse..
Not many people event the way i do.. everyone thinks they struggle along on a shoe-string, when infact they own a couple of nice PN horses, a novice and an Int, waiting in the wings...
Ernie is the one and only for me.. This season wouldn't have happened without the help of BlackStar, for which i'm truely greatfull... But gaining their help again next season isn't a certainty!!
Getting small mentions in the local paper would help so much.. So how come some people are aloud to mention their sponsors and others not?

 

[SpottedCat]

That really sucks.

I do have a contact who may be able to help though. Will PM you.

 

[kerilli]

why don't you contact the paper, point out the fact that they missed you out, say that if it is allowed for 1 rider, it should be allowed for you too, and try to get them to do a special feature on you, esp as it was your first 3-star etc etc. got to be worth a try.

 

[BBs]

ARGH No wonder your furious, I would be also, I shall be on your behalf.

Sorry you didnt get a mention

esp when Tamsyn finished behind you

That sux, I have a feel a little moan coming on to your local rag.

 

[diggerbez]

how irritating

i would maybe write in to the paper asking why you haven't been included...or get someone else to do it for you

 

[MissDeMeena]

[ QUOTE ]
ARGH No wonder your furious, I would be also, I shall be on your behalf.

Sorry you didnt get a mention

esp when Tamsyn finished behind you

That sux, I have a feel a little moan coming on to your local rag.

[/ QUOTE ]

Both Tamsyn and Daisy finished behind me.. and neither of them won a Patey top hat, which is another person who also should have a mention Mr Patey for sponsoring the prize in the first place!!!

We need to encourage sponsors!!! Not mentioning them doesn't help!!!

 

[BBs]

I agree hon, sponsors are like hens teeth in this game as it is

It wouldnt have hurt them to give a quick mention, its no different when you have someone read out the info at an event!

A carefully worded letter wouldnt go amiss honey, something should be said IMO

 

[Thistle]

Def write to the paper, they will prob do you a piece next time.

 

[nona1]

Get someone else to contact them as otherwise I'm afraid it sounds like very sour grapes.

Who knows why they only covered the other riders? Don't take it personally. I've worked in PR and I'm pretty sure it's part of the event PR organised by Bleinhem themselves - contacting local papers all round the country with press releases and contacts of local riders for them to contact. There's no way the paper would have just randomly come up with the riders names themselves - they were sent a list. Or if they were unusually pro-active, they requested a list. Was there anything in the entry form about being willing or not to take part in publicity? It could even have come from BE. It wouldn't hurt to make sure you are known as a 'willing to take part in publicity' person with BE, event organisers etc. You may even have been on the list and they just picked a few names at random, they may have tried to call you and not got an answer first time and just moved on to the next person...there are lots of possibilities.

You sound well narked off but don't let that atttitude come across or you are guaranteeing you will never appear in their paper again. No-one is 'entitled' to coverage.

Likewise the sponsorship mentions; yes it's annoying if someone else managed to get theirs a mention. It wasn't picked up by the sub-ed that day, that's all. Papers may or may not mention them, it's up to them, you can't demand that yours is. Papers get their revenue from advertising, so they don't like giving it away free. Don't, for goodness sake, complain to the paper about this. another way to guarantee never appearing again.

there are lots of things you can do to get more coverage but sometimes you just have to accept that this time, it was not your turn.

 

[CastleMouse]

I'd be seriously p*ssed off too

 

[worMy]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd be seriously p*ssed off too

[/ QUOTE ]

agreed

 

[igglepiggle]

I know it doesn't help your sponsor but we think you are great and are very impressed about the Patey!

 

[henryhorn]

I am afraid I'm with you on the WMN being cliquey lately, although we got a mention now and then it seems the equestrian editor has lots of contacts with some horse people, and they get mentioned far more often though they win less!
The best way to get in apparently if you don't know anyone at the paper is to email a report yourself then they will ring you, so perhaps try that with a pic of your Patey hat when it arrives.
If you mention your sponsors in your email they are more likely to keep the main format as an article and leave it in.
It's not too late, fire an email and some pics off now, there aren't many comps this time of year so you may get a decent write up.
I had no idea how some people seemed to be forever mentioned until C was told by a mate that's what she does all the time..( she seems to be in very often to me so obviously it works)
Don't forget there are other local papers as well, plus a report added to a sponsorship request to Mole Valley, Mole Avon, Cornwall Farmers, Town and Country Supplies, and anyone like them with some good pics of you at Blenheim might get some sponsorship at the moment.
I agree you should have been mentioned but get out there and fight back...

 

[cjdjivanovic]

henryhorn is right about WMN being cliquey. I don't want to get personal but certain people who write articles for the paper (or who have done in the past) seem to get a monopoly on mentions, not to mention big write-ups. You must bear in mind that the whole equestrian section probably has one journalist inhouse to do it all - and she's probably writing up other bits in the main paper too; so you need to make it easy for her. I suggest you ring her to let her know who you are and what your story is - and play up the "against the odds" side of it. Offer to send in an account for her to play with; or give her the story over the phone. I'm a bit worried that an unsolicited email might get overlooked or even spammed . . . If you have a picture to email her, I'm sure she'll be delighted. Good luck with it - I'll be looking out for a monster write up!

 

[jumptoit]

I would do what henryhorn suggested our paper could be a bit cliquey but one e-mail and now they must be checking on bdwp to see how people have been getting on. As well as adding in any pc stuff we e-mail them too.

Good luck and please post a link when it's in

 

[Zebedee]

A lot of these people will have sent their own results in (or had someone do it on their behalf) - self promotion is vital. There's one person who is quite regularly in the paper you mention, & has never competed above pre nov, but who sends in reports & pictures which then get published. There was a similar situation with an RC team who got a huge write up for finishing third at a Nat Champs, but the article in question failed to mantion the other club from the area who had actually won the same comp !! The difference was that the team who'd finished third had sent the details in. The winning team hadn't.
I suggest you put an article together written in the third person & include some pictures. I can help with some contact details if you need them.

 

[Bossanova]

I agree you have to be pro-active and send your own results in. Thats what the paper round me does, I had an owner who did send some of mine in once and I was astounded by what they printed- it was for a little local unaff!

 

[Chloe_GHE]

MissDS I'm in the same position as you (but at a much more modest level! intro/PN) a one horse band trying to make the most of every opportunity for their sponsors and it's that time of year now where I'm asking the scarey question 'do you want to continue sponsoring me for 2010?' it's nervewracking!!!!

I think it sucks they didn't print your sponsors but as they say 'what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger' so if I were you I would find every local publication going and harrass them into doing a write up about you!

Good luck and let us know when you get your name in print

 

[_April_]

What a shame

You really deserve some recognition.

I def. agree with the others who said send in your own report and pics. Make it easy for them - everyone loves to copy and paste.
I used to do this all the time for my Riding Club as no-one would ever bother covering horsey events in our area.

They would often edit the reports, making the most ridiculously small events sound amazing and over 7 people was a 'great turnout' haha.

 

[Beanyowner]

Awww pants!!! Thats rubbish!!! Hope you get something printed soon and that your sponsor continues to be supportive and great next year too!

 

[Weezy]

You got a mention in H&H

 

[humph]

I agree with Henry horn - my initial thought was to write to them but I used to work for an estate agent and used to write press releases on every property I brought to the market. The papers loved this as it was a paper-filler without any work required by them. As HH suggests, i'd write a report on your successful season 09, which wouldn't have happened in the credit crunch had it not been for your loyal sponsor, blackstar and culminating in your winning a patey hat at blenheim. Perhaps angle it towards how the credit crunch is affecting struggling sportsmen and women and how you have managed to cope - they love to think of it as a story rather than just a dull factual report.

If you need any help with writing it, let me know - my sis is a journo and my brother in law an editor on a national, so got some contacts, though none with the WMN.

Good luck,