Communications quarterly performance report 2011/2011: Quarter two

1. Background

1.1This report provides statistics and analysis of the council’s in-house Communications Team’s media performance over the second quarter of 2011/2012. It follows the first media performance report of the newly centralised communications service, which was published in July 2011.

1.2The report sets out performance on the two key elements of the team’s media work: proactive and reactive. The proactive side will cover the media releases issued by the team, with the reactive side looking at the enquiries the team has received over the second quarter.

1.3Coverage will also be assessed on whether it is positive, negative or neutral for the council; as well as how it was achieved.

1.4The statistics included in this report have been compiled based on weekly monitoring of media coverage and outputs, which is carried out by members of the Communications Team on a rota basis. To support this process, communications uses a media monitoring programme called Precise to capture and assess all media coverage relating to the council; and a programme called Glide to record enquiries that come in to the team and also distribute media releases.

1.5A summary of how media coverage is assessed by the team is included as annex A.

2. Headline statistics

2.1 The following headline statistics provide an overview of the Communication Team’s performance over the second quarter of the year.

  • 688 pieces of media coverage in total
  • 421 pieces of positive coverage
  • 646 pieces of positive/neutral coverage
  • 43 pieces of negative coverage
  • 93% proportion of positive/neutral coverage (key performance indicator)
  • 213 media enquiries received
  • 152 media releases issued
  • 394 pieces of coverage achieved by proactive work
  • 57 pieces of coverage resulting from reactive work i.e. media enquiries

2.2 Comparative data on how these headline statistics compare to those of the first quarter of the year are provided below:

Fig. 1

Coverage
Q1 / Q2
Positive / 411 / 421
Pos/Neutral / 603 / 646
Negative / 54 / 43
Proactive / 387 / 394
Reactive / 69 / 57
Proportion of positive and neutral coverage / 92% / 93%

2.2 Figure one shows how the team’s performance has improved in terms of both the number and proportion of positive coverage achieved. Proactive outputs have also increased, whilst negative coverage has reduced.

Fig. 2

Q1 / Q2
Enquires / 204 / 213
Releases / 133 / 152

2.3 Figure two shows that both the number of media enquiries the team received and the number of media releases issued increased during the last quarter.

2.4 Whilst media coverage can be dictated by unforeseen events e.g. the London riots, the figures in both of the above tables appear to evidence an improvement in the team’s performance; both in its ability to manage media enquiries and also its efficiency and effectiveness in communicating council messages proactively.

2.5 A detailed breakdown of the statistics covering the year’s second quarter are provided in this report, as is a conclusion with further explanation as to the reasons behind variations in performance.

Month by month analysis

July 2011

3.1 A breakdown of coverage statistics for the four week period over July is provided below:

Fig. 3

July / Total
Positive / 14 / 34 / 11 / 50 / 109
Neutral / 25 / 22 / 24 / 22 / 93
Negative / 3 / 9 / 8 / 4 / 24
Proactive / 14 / 34 / 11 / 47 / 106
Reactive / 4 / 10 / 9 / 6 / 29
No contact / 24 / 21 / 23 / 23 / 91
226

3.2 In total, 226 pieces of coverage were achieved with 89% deemed either positive or neutral for the council.

3.3 Almost half of all coverage (47%) was achieved as a result of proactive outputs from Communications.

3.4 A breakdown of media releases issued over July – broken down by directorate – is provided below.

Fig. 4

July / Total
AHWB / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Chief Exec / 2 / 1 / 1 / 2 / 6
Resources / 1 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0
CSF / 4 / 0 / 5 / 2 / 11
CLC / 9 / 7 / 11 / 9 / 36
D&R / 1 / 0 / 1 / 2 / 4
57

3.5 In total, 57 media releases were issued during July at an average of 14 per week.

3.6 Of the 57 releases, 63% covered issues relating to the CLC directorate, with CSF making up the second highest proportion of releases with 19%.

3.7 Media releases were distributed on the following key issues during July, which will go some way to explaining the above statistics:

  • One year to go until the start of London 2012
  • Launch of the Partnership Taskforce (with the police)
  • Launch of ‘Find it fix it’ team
  • Promotion of Summer Fun activities

3.8 A breakdown of media coverage by the type of outlet is provided below.

Fig. 5

July / Total
Local / 9 / 22 / 14 / 26 / 71
National (print and broadcast) / 1 / 1 / 4 / 5 / 11
Regional (print and broadcast) / 0 / 3 / 3 / 0 / 6
Ethnic / 28 / 35 / 19 / 25 / 107
Trade / 1 / 0 / 0 / 3 / 4
Online / 3 / 4 / 3 / 17 / 27
226

3.9 Of the 226 pieces of media coverage achieved in July, the highest proportion (47%) featured in the ethnic media – made up largely by Bangladeshi media outlets. Second highest is local media with 31%. Communications has a largely positive relationship with both sectors, so these figures are expected.

3.10 A breakdown of the reactive work Communications carried out during July is provided below:

Fig. 6

July / Total
AHWB / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Chief Exec / 1 / 4 / 8 / 6 / 19
Resources / 0 / 0 / 2 / 0 / 0
CSF / 7 / 2 / 1 / 10
CLC / 3 / 9 / 3 / 5 / 20
D&R / 4 / 4 / 4 / 2 / 14
63

3.11 In total the team worked on 63 enquiries during July, an average of 16 per week. The average for the first quarter of the year was 17 per week, so this is approximately as expected.

3.12 As with outputs, the majority of attention from the media focused on CLC issues (32%), although the Chief Executive’s directorate also received a high number of enquiries (31%).

3.13 Examples of the issues media enquiries related to during July include:

  • Resignation of the chief executive
  • The mayor’s use of an allocated car
  • Council’s refusal to provide a blue badge parking permit to a resident with a disabled child
  • Preparations for London 2012

August 2011

4.1 A breakdown of coverage statistics for the four week period over August is provided below:

Fig. 7

August / Total
Positive / 55 / 46 / 36 / 57 / 194
Neutral / 26 / 19 / 12 / 6 / 63
Negative / 6 / 1 / 2 / 1 / 10
Proactive / 50 / 43 / 33 / 52 / 178
Reactive / 6 / 5 / 8 / 3 / 22
No contact / 31 / 17 / 9 / 9 / 66
266

4.2 A total of 266 pieces of media coverage was achieved during August, with 97% deemed either positive or neutral for the council. This is significantly higher than the previous month and also higher than the team’s average performance. A number of high profile issues will have contributed to this, such as the campaign to get the EDL march banned.

4.3 Over two thirds (67%) of this coverage was achieved as a result of proactive work by Communications, which again is significantly higher than the previous month.

4.4 A breakdown of the media releases issued during August – broken down by directorate – is provided below:

Fig. 8

August / Total
AHWB / 1 / 0 / 2 / 0 / 0
Chief Exec / 1 / 2 / 3 / 1 / 7
Resources / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
CSF / 2 / 3 / 5 / 2 / 12
CLC / 10 / 8 / 6 / 2 / 26
D&R / 2 / 1 / 1 / 2 / 6
51

4.5 In total, 51 media releases were issued, at an average of 13 per week (approximately the same as the previous month).

4.6 Again, CLC provided the subject matter for the highest proportion of media releases issued by the team (51%), with CSF next highest (24%).

4.7 Media releases were distributed on the following key issues during August, which will go some way to explaining the above statistics:

  • Promoting high profile support for the city status campaign e.g. City of London, Ledley King and Whitechapel Bell Foundry
  • Highlighting positive clean-up work following the London riots including mayoral statements
  • GCSE and A-level result photo-calls
  • Campaign to get the planned EDL march banned including invitations to press conferences and the release of mayoral statements

4.8 A breakdown of media coverage by the type of outlet is provided below.

Fig. 9

August / Total
Local / 17 / 22 / 20 / 17 / 76
National (print and broadcast) / 5 / 1 / 5 / 0 / 11
Regional (print and broadcast) / 1 / 1 / 0 / 11 / 13
Ethnic / 48 / 32 / 17 / 32 / 129
Trade / 4 / 2 / 1 / 0 / 7
Online / 12 / 7 / 7 / 4 / 30
266

4.9 As expected, the ethnic (49%) and local media (29%) make up the majority of all coverage achieved during August. This is an ongoing trend that was evident in the first quarter, and has continued throughout quarter two.

4.10 A breakdown of the reactive work Communications carried out during August is provided below:

Fig. 10

August / Total
AHWB / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Chief Exec / 25 / 6 / 2 / 11 / 44
Resources / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
CSF / 2 / 3 / 5 / 5 / 15
CLC / 3 / 4 / 7 / 6 / 20
D&R / 2 / 5 / 2 / 4 / 13
92

4.11 In total, the team worked on 92 media enquires at an average of 23 per week. This is significantly higher than both the overall average for the first quarter, as well as the average for July.

4.12 CLC usually experiences the highest number of media enquiries, and whilst still relatively high for August (22%), issues relating to the Chief Executive’s directorate accounted for the largest proportion of calls (48%). This is a result of media attention on the council’s campaign to prevent the EDL from marching through the borough, but additional issues that occurred during August include:

  • London riots and the clean-up operation that followed.
  • Chair of Council’s car parked illegally
  • Children’s centre restructure

September 2011

5.1 A breakdown of coverage statistics for the four week period over September is provided below:

Fig.11

September / Total
Positive / 30 / 41 / 25 / 22 / 118
Neutral / 15 / 31 / 7 / 16 / 69
Negative / 3 / 5 / 1 / 0 / 9
Proactive / 29 / 36 / 25 / 20 / 110
Reactive / 5 / 3 / 3 / 5 / 16
No contact / 14 / 38 / 5 / 13 / 70
196

5.2 A total of 196 pieces of media coverage were achieved by the team during September, down from 226 and 266 in July and August respectively. However, 96% of coverage was deemed either positive or neutral for the council, which remains above the team’s overall average.

5.3 Whilst down from the previous month, proactive media coverage still accounted for over half (57%) of all coverage achieved.

5.4 A breakdown of media releases issued over September – broken down by directorate – is provided below.

Fig. 12

September / Total
AHWB / 1 / 2 / 0 / 1 / 4
Chief Exec / 1 / 0 / 1 / 0 / 2
Resources / 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 1
CSF / 2 / 1 / 0 / 3 / 6
CLC / 6 / 11 / 5 / 5 / 27
D&R / 0 / 0 / 0 / 4 / 4
44

5.5 In total, 44 media releases were issued during September. This is an average of 11 per week, which is slightly down from previous months but in line with the average for the first quarter. The Communications restructure that took place during September may well have impacted on outputs during this period, with staff taking part in an assessment process.

5.6 As has been the case throughout the majority of the performance year. CLC accounted for the highest proportion of media releases (62%), followed by CSF (14%).

5.7Media releases were distributed on the following key issues during September, which will go some way to explaining the above statistics:

  • Promoting celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street
  • Promoting the sex establishment consultation
  • Launch of the anti-touting code of conduct
  • Celebrating outstanding ‘mother tongue’ education performance
  • Promoting the council’s budget roadshows

5.8 A breakdown of media coverage by the type of outlet is provided below.

Fig. 13

September / Total
Local / 6 / 16 / 10 / 14 / 46
National (print and broadcast) / 6 / 3 / 0 / 0 / 9
Regional (print and broadcast) / 11 / 8 / 3 / 7 / 29
Ethnic / 13 / 34 / 18 / 9 / 74
Trade / 4 / 2 / 1 / 0 / 7
Online / 8 / 14 / 1 / 8 / 31
196

5.9 As is usually the case ethnic (38%) and local media (24%) accounted for the highest proportion of media coverage, although there was an increase in the proportion of regional coverage (15% in September compared to 5% in August and 3% in July). This significant increase can be put down to coverage of the aftermath of the EDL campaign, and also additional proactive work around issues such as the anti-touting code of conduct.

5.10 A breakdown of the reactive work Communications carried out during August is provided below:

Fig. 14

September / Total
AHWB / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Chief Exec / 6 / 4 / 1 / 11
Resources / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
CSF / 2 / 1 / 1 / 4 / 8
CLC / 2 / 10 / 5 / 9 / 26
D&R / 2 / 5 / 2 / 4 / 13
58

5.11 The team dealt with a total of 58 enquiries over September, an average of 15 per week. This is lower than the previous two months of the quarter, but only slightly lower than quarter one’s average (17).

5.12 As in previous months and the first quarter of the year, CLC issues accounted for the highest proportion of enquiries (45%) with D&R issues the next highest (23%). However, the team also dealt with a high proportion of Chief Executive directorate enquiries (19%).

5.13 Examples of the issues media enquiries covered during September, which will help explain the above figures, are provided below:

  • Transformation of Victoria Park (including enquiries based on residents’ complaints)
  • Anti-touting code of conduct
  • Sex establishment consultation
  • Aftermath of the EDL campaign including questions around the static protest on 3 September
  • Work to tackle unemployment rate

Conclusions

Media coverage

6.1 As set out at the start of this report, the team has achieved an increase in the number of pieces of coverage in total, as well as the proportion of positive and neutral coverage compared to negative. With the latter being a key performance indicator for the team, these statistics reveal an improvement in performance.

6.2 The ethnic and local media outlets still provide the highest proportion of media coverage – as in quarter one – whilst high profile issues such as the proposed EDL march have also generated good quality regional coverage (15 % of all coverage in September, up from 5% and 3% in previous months).

6.3 Trade coverage has reduced from 29 pieces in quarter one, to 18 in quarter two. Whilst efforts may have been focused on achieving local, ethnic and regional coverage around high profile issues such as EDL march, Olympic preparations and the anti-touting code of conduct, trade media coverage remains an area where improvement is necessary.

6.4However, regional coverage has increased from 38 pieces in quarter one, to 48 pieces in quarter two (as highlighted in Q1’s recommendations). Interviews with the mayor on the Olympics, EDL march and other issues have certainly helped this, as well as coverage on the anti-touting code of conduct and other council initiatives. It is fair to say that the team is better prepared for regional work than in quarter one, and also targets regional outlets more often and effectively.

Outputs

6.5 As highlighted earlier, the team issued a higher number of media releases than in quarter one (152 compared to133). In addition, the team has ‘sold-in’ stories to the media – pitching ideas in order to achieve coverage – and provided a number of briefings.

6.6This increase in productivity is evidence of the team’s work ethic, but also of the way in which the team has improved its ability to get to grips with key council policy and communicate it efficiently and effectively. An improved planning process (as highlighted in Q1’s recommendations) also helps the team to better prepare media releases in a timely manner.

6.7 CLC still accounts for the majority of all outputs, and this remains as a result of the high profile nature of many of the services managed by that directorate.

6.8 However, there has been an increase in the number of media releases relating to the Chief Executive’s directorate (15 in Q2 compared to 10 in Q1), which is an example of how the team is continuing to work hard to support all directorates on communicating their key messages. This was also something raised in the recommendations in the Q1 report.

Reactive

6.9 Overall, there is an increase in the number of media enquiries the team dealt with from quarter one.

6.10 CLC issues continue to dominate the type of media enquiries the team works on, which as explained previously, is not surprising given the importance of CLC services to residents e.g. community safety, refuse collection, parks and open spaces.

6.11 It remains important to note that Communications often has little control over the nature and amount of enquiries it receives. However, the increase in enquiries coupled with the higher proportion of positive and neutral coverage demonstrates how the team has become more adept at either preventing negative stories appearing, or at least neutralising them. This is extremely important in terms of protecting the reputation of the council.

7. Recommendations

7.1 Please see below for recommendations for the next quarterly report.

Appendix A

Media monitoring briefing – June 2011

Monitoring coverage of the council and how that coverage has been achieved is essential to measuring the effectiveness of the communications team’s work. Having a consistent approach to monitoring coverage will ensure that data is robust and can be used as an accurate measure of the team’s performance. Crucially, the proportion of positive/neutral overage compared to negative coverage is a key performance indicator for the service.

This briefing sheet sets out the headline do’s and don’ts of media monitoring to ensure that the procedure is carried out both accurately and consistently.

When media monitoring, we do monitor the following types of coverage:

  • Any coverage that mentions the council and/or named officers
  • Any non-political coverage that mentions the mayor, councillors
  • Any coverage that mentions a service universally accepted as being managed by the council. These services include:
  • Trading standards
  • Idea Stores
  • Planning
  • Parking or “traffic wardens”
  • Licensing
  • Waste or “bin men”
  • Borough-wide educational performance
  • Letters for publication written by the communications team
  • Coverage that whilst not explicitly mentioning the council, was achieved beyond any doubt as a result of the work of the communications team.

When media monitoring, we don’t monitor the following types of coverage:

  • Mentions of Tower Hamlets as a place rather than the council e.g. housing prices, pollution levels, crime scenes etc.
  • Letters mentioning the council that were not drafted by the communications teams
  • Coverage of political issues
  • Opinion pieces such as regular newspaper columns by political representatives or other individuals. This includes blogs.
  • Coverage of individual schools unless it involved a contribution from the communications team
  • Coverage of health service initiatives unless it involved a contribution from the communication team
  • Coverage of Tower Hamlets police matters unless it involved a contribution from the communications team
  • Online coverage of articles that also featured in print editions i.e. do not count coverage twice
  • Comments on online articles

What is positive coverage?

Coverage is considered positive where on balance, an article presents the council favourably. This encompasses the following types of coverage:

  • Coverage achieved as a result of pro-active communications (unless interpreted as overtly negative)
  • Coverage that communicates key messages of any of the following:
  • Mayor’s priorities
  • Community plan themes
  • Directorate priorities
  • Objectives of a specific service, initiative or event
  • Coverage where the council is praised for its performance, level of service or intentions.

What is negative coverage?

Coverage is considered negative where on balance, an article presents the council in a way that could lead to readers having a poor perception of the council. This encompasses the following types of coverage:

  • Coverage where the council is openly criticised; either based on reports, resident comments and/or other sources
  • Coverage where the council’s performance in certain services and/or service areas is presented as unsatisfactory
  • Coverage where policies and specific actions from the mayor, members and/or officers are considered as harmful to the council’s reputation
  • Coverage where a policy decision is presented as having a detrimental effect on residents and other service users

What is neutral coverage?