Resort of Okinawa brings death to its golden beaches

Drive hunts return to Okinawa

Okinawa is the southernmost prefecture of Japan. It occupies the southern part of the Nansei (Southwest) chain of islands which stretches over 1,200 km from the southern tip of Kyushu to within 100 km of Taiwan. Okinawa prefecture consists of around 160 of these islands, 46 inhabited.

The prefecture takes its name from the largest and most populous of the three groups of islands that form it, the other two being the Miyako and Yaeyama group. The Okinawa group is centered on the largest island in the prefecture, Okinawa Island; the Miyako group on Miyako Island; and the Yaeyama group on Ishigaki Island.

But don’t be misguided by the tourist guide image.

The city has recently re-commenced dolphin hunting. Nago hunted dolphins 20 years ago but the barbaric practice was stopped due to opposition by conservation groups and bad publicity the city received for allowing these hunts. However, the practice is still alive, as a small percentage of fishermen still retain licences to kill dolphins.

A few days ago, around 100 dolphins appeared off Nago Bay which resulted in six boats setting out to sea and the fishermen driving the dolphins into the bay, where they were slaughtered. This is a sad reflection on Japan’s attitude towards the continued and rising international condemnation of drive hunts in the country.

Despite the fact that the number of dolphins killed in this instance was lower than the hunts conducted in Taiji where the number of dolphins slaughtered reaches in excess of 20,000, the practice is equally inhumane and unnecessary.

Yet the world stands by and does nothing. One marine conservation charity has spoken out. The Marine Connection (www.marineconnection.org) condemns this expansion of drive hunts in Japan and is calling on the authorities at Nago abolish the hunt with immediate effect. But will the world listen?

Just don’t go there on your holidays!




Further information can be found at www.marineconnection.org

For media-related inquiries, contact The Marine Connection:
Janja Novak
Campaigns Development Officer
Marine Connection
00 44 (0) 20 7602 1574
Email: janja@marineconnection.org

The Marine Connection is a London-based charity, working both nationally and internationally for the welfare, protection and conservation of dolphins, whales and porpoises - from the smallest to the largest species, they all need protecting. One way the charity achieves this is through a mix of campaigning, education and research. The Marine Connection has achieved – or contributed to – many important victories for dolphins and whales, however whilst an actively campaigning organisation, education and research also play a vital part of the charity’s conservation work. One of the charity's main objectives is to ensure everyone understands the importance of protecting these marine mammals and their natural habitat.

Internet radio hits the mainstream

Internet radio hits the mainstream, so says an article published on guardian.co.uk on Monday January 28 2008.

The article says that more than 8 million people in the UK listen to web-based radio services every week and nearly 2 million download podcasts on a weekly basis, according to a survey that suggests internet radio has hit the mainstream.

Commissioned by the industry's audience research body Rajar, the Ipsos Mori survey last autumn found that more than 12 million people have listened to the radio online and 8.1 million listen every week either through live streaming or "listen again" services.

Ipsos Mori found that 75% of users do not listen to less live radio as a result of listening again online, with 50% tuning into new shows as a result.

The same was true of podcasting, with one-fifth of respondents saying they now listen to more live radio and nearly one-third saying they listen to new radio shows after sampling them via podcasts. Only 8% of those surveyed said they listened to less radio because of the availability of podcasts. Of the 4.3 million who have downloaded podcasts, around 1.87 million people listen to at least one podcast each week. Two-thirds of podcast listeners subscribe to their favourite shows through iTunes, with nearly half tuning in during the evening. Of these, 80% listen through their computers and 61% copy the podcasts to their MP3 players.

Music and comedy are the most popular genres, with each user subscribing to more than three podcasts, on average, and listening to 53 minutes each week.

"This survey is very much a toe in the water," said the Rajar research director, Paul Kennedy. "Although we already knew that listen again, personalised online radio and podcasting had many advocates, we knew nothing of their standing in the mainstream.

For Headline Promotions, Press & PR client CMR Nashville Radio, this is good news. Station Manager Lee Williams said: “This survey proves what we in the radio industry already knew! We have had over a million hits over the last 12 months and the rate of increase in our listenership shows no sign of diminishing.”

PR template for events and launches

Communication Plan & Event Exposure

I was recently asked to advise on devising a communications plan for a major event.

You would need to consider how the profile of the event is to be addressed, with marketing and public relations activity highlighted and costed as necessary, which will ultimately feed into the projected revenue figures.

An event PR plan should be written down and should include:

* A description of the “market” for the event, for example:
Who is the target audience? The profile of the target audience/potential attendees. For instance, are they already dedicated fans, enthusiasts, or casual participants? The geographical elements of the target audience. For instance, are they local, regional, national or international?

* A marketing plan outlining the objectives on pricing policy, advertising and promotion and target audience for the event;

* Sources/requirements for sponsorship – financial or services (from hair stylists for photo-calls to host venues)

* A public relations plan for raising the profile of the event locally, regionally, nationally and internationally as applicable; design of a media kit for quick response to enquiries;

* The image of the event that is to be portrayed to the public including the involvement and use of celebrities;

* The communication campaign in detail – from advertising and press releases through to social networking e.g. Facebook and MySpace;

* PR input into corporate or event website(s) and links to news coverage worldwide;

* How public awareness will be monitored;

* How media opportunities will be identified - and the anticipated exposure from all media outlets - television, radio and press incorporating:
.....National broadcasters – likely provider and extent of coverage incorporating any minimum requirements (such as free-to-air exposure/peak time programming etc.)
.....Overseas broadcasters – source, guarantees to be (or already) provided to the event organiser and/or hosts; and
.....Requirement for broadcasting sponsorship rights including the impact on event exposure and other anticipated partners;

* Detailed PR management “on the day” of events;

* PR budget with accountability and authorisation processes for budget lines.

Photos: Headline Promotions team out with the VK Balloon Team