Media
Provides 4.7 Million Opportunities to Hear About
Elizabeth Dole at Erskine College
Elizabeth Dole's visit to Erskine College May 15
as commencement speaker brought state and national
media attention to Due West and Erskine College, and
the growing publicity figures for the event have
been, for Erskine, staggering.
Over a seven month period, from the time Dole's
visit to Erskine was announced until she spoke on the
Erskine campus, more than 4.7 million opportunities
were available for people nationwide to see a
newspaper story, television segment or radio
broadcast related to Dole's visit at Erskine.
The highlight of the media coverage on Dole's
visit to Erskine came on Wednesday, May 19, four days
after graduation, when the Washington Post,
with 1.7 million daily readers, carried a color photo
on its front page of Dole on the Erskine campus
posing with five Erskine students. The caption under
the Associated Press photo read, “Elizabeth Dole
with students at Erskine College commencement in
South Carolina.”
During the seven-month period in South Carolina,
newspaper subscribers alone had 1.9 million
opportunities to see stories on Dole's visit to
Erskine (this figure represents subscribers only, and
does not take into account readers who purchase
papers from racks or stores). The first South
Carolina newspaper mention of Dole's visit to Erskine
came on Nov. 23, 1998, and related articles appeared
in state newspapers for the next four consecutive
weeks.
South Carolina newspapers continued to report on
Dole's visit to Erskine in January 1998 with stories
appearing during two separate weeks in January and
two separate weeks in March (publicity efforts in
February at Erskine dealt primarily with the
dedication and opening of a new $7.4 million science
center on campus).
The heaviest newspaper exposure on Dole's visit to
Erskine began the final week of April 1999, with
stories appearing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Saturday, May 1, was the busiest day prior to
graduation, with more than 10 South Carolina
newspapers carrying stories on Dole's visit to
Erskine.
On Sunday, May 9, almost a week prior to
graduation, stories began appearing daily in South
Carolina newspapers about Dole's visit to Erskine and
would continue for 10 consecutive days, through
graduation on May 15, until Wednesday, May 19.
State television crews arrived on the Erskine
campus the day before graduation. Television news
broadcasts carried stories on Dole's visit to Erskine
on May 14, May 15, May 16 and May 17 to more than 1
million people.
Another 200,000 radio listeners in South Carolina
heard portions of Dole's speech at Erskine, and her
speech was broadcast live over the internet to an
undetermined amount of listeners. Internet listeners
from as far away as California phoned the Erskine
Public Relations Office to say they had heard Dole's
speech.
According to Erskine Public Relations Director
Jason Peevy, 52 credential requests were filled by
photographers and reporters covering Erskine's
graduation, including the Associated Press and local
and regional television stations, newspapers and
radio stations.
Peevy said People magazine reporter Jason
Lynch had contacted the school and requested a copy
of Dole's speech at Erskine for a possible upcoming
magazine story.
Members of the media were provided several photo
opportunities with Dole while she was on the Erskine
campus, although, at her request and the request of
the Erskine senior class, there was no official press
conference.
The media was allowed to photograph Dole as she
arrived on campus at the Bowie Arts Center. She
walked to the new Daniel-Moultrie Science Center and
posed for photographs with 10 Erskine underclassmen
before attending a private brunch in the arts center.
The media then met Dole again on the steps of the
arts center as she met with members of the Erskine
Class of 1999 and posed for a class photo before
graduation.
Members of the press sat on two rows of tables
near the podium, stage left, during commencement.
Photographers were placed on a four-tier photo deck
constructed by the Erskine facilities department.
“We had several positive comments from
members of the media about their accommodations at
graduation,” Peevy said. “Junior McClain
and his facilities staff did an excellent job in
constructing the photo deck, providing power and
phone hook-ups and clearly roping off media parking
and other areas.”
Peevy also thanked a volunteer group of Erskine
students, alumni and staff members who worked with
public relations during graduation.
Brooke Wilson, a member of the Class of 1998 and a
public relations graduate student at the University
of South Carolina, spent a week working in public
relations. The remainder of the public relations
“Dole Squad” included students Kyle Setzer,
Tom Lewis, Ashley Cain, Ashley Wright, Brad Anderson,
Rebecca Gregg, Reiggen Hilderbrand, Elizabeth
Pursley, Sarabeth Scott, Sue Kahrs and Kris Whitten.
Staff members were Joyce Guyette, Kendall Poppell,
Jeff Craft, Cory Young and Aldon Knight.
Figures are based on media outlet reported
subscription rates and market saturation. Totals were
figured from press clippings received (clippings are
still being received), number of TV airings, etc.
