Reaching the audience: new communication technology practices in college sports public relations

Abstract

The Internet has created new communication alternatives and challenges in public relations. Despite the increase in social media and multimedia in college sports public relations, no research has been conducted into which tools are utilized most, where those tools may be found on athletic websites, or how PR offices utilize such tools. This study intends to fill that gap. Grounded in a co-orientation model of communication, it utilized a content analysis of college athletic websites (N = 120) and a telephone survey with 16 college sports public relations professionals. Twitter, Facebook and RSS feeds are the social media tools utilized most often, while live video and audio and archived video are the most frequently used multimedia tools. Most tools are identified by a graphic in the right-hand column on departments' home pages. Tools are used primarily for disseminating information. Usually the director maintains the site alone without a published policy.

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