I entered PR at the turning point. In the old system, public relations practitioners were heavily drawn from the ranks of the media. In the 1980s, that had begun to change. So when Sandy Frinton walked into JMC in 1998, she was an unusual representative of the PR candidates of the past. She was intent on crossing over to the other side, from journalism – then the business team at DowJones’ Times Herald-Record – to the world of PR with JMC.
Sandy Frinton
Sandy, minted from SUNY University of Buffalo, began her career with the Register-Star in Hudson and then moved to the Daily Freeman in Kingston. She went to NYC for a stint as a textiles editor at Fairchild’s Home Furnishings News (HFN) in New York City before returning to business reporting in the Hudson Valley at the TH-R in Middletown.
She has been with JMC for more than 10 years, wearing one hat as director of media relations supporting most every client, and as account leader, currently for Polymer Group, Inc. (PGI) and the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), and also serves on the JMC team supporting Performance Fibers.
Something Old
Reminiscent of PR in the past, Sandy brings to public relations what so many once did – a deep respect for the working media steeped in a sense of shared mission.
In a recent conversation, it became clear, “I am a writer. I interview clients. I write their stories and I bring the stories to the media.”
To be very clear, Sandy does not see herself primarily as a salesperson selling stories to people in the media. “I see my role as being there to help the media whether it is providing a good news source when they are on deadline, providing a photo or graphic to add to their story, or preparing a bylined article on a timely topic.”
In a sense shared by many former media people now in PR, Sandy has two clients: first, the customer client who hires us and second, the media client with whom we share a professional stem – preparing stories.
“PR agencies need to maintain relationships with the media. We need them and they need us. When I call people in the media, I want to add value for them. I see the writing I do and what I bring from the client as helping the media people do their jobs,” Sandy says.
“I don’t like disappointing the media, as when clients back out of an interview they have committed to do,” this being one of the negative things about her job.
This PR professional has a relationship of trust and respect of the media. “My passion is in getting the story, finding journalists to accept the information and write it. I like having the relationship with the media people we work with. I connect with them as a fellow writer because I am excited about the story. I talk about a client story as a story I would like to write, and sometimes I do because newsrooms are so short staffed these days with cutbacks.”
Something New
Social media is today’s buzz. Coming from her journalistic roots, “I feel bad. The mainstream media is declining. Journalists are losing their jobs and not being treated well,” Sandy says.
“But there are a lot of good writers in the social media world. Young people are still being attracted to journalism for the same reasons we were but the shape of the industry is changing. It may begin with a blog or a newsletter. People are coming up with different ways of making a living because they have to.”
“The good writers in the social media world have become sources of real reliable news. They are part of the total media today and I respect them and the role they play.”
