WYOMING CIVIL AIR PATROL UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILIARY P.O. BOX 9507 Cheyenne, WY 82003-9507 (307) 773-4405 1 January 2019 MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD FROM: WYWG/PAO SUBJECT: Annual Public Relations Plan, 2019 1. This Public Affairs Plan, required by CAPR 190-1, will present the needs and opportunities of the WYOMING Wing’s Public Affairs program, establish objectives to meet the needs and opportunities to promote the Civil Air Patrol within WYOMING and establish goals and strategies to meet the objectives of the WYOMING Wing’s (WYWG) Public Affairs program. The desired impact for each goal will be noted and an evaluation of the previous year’s goals is included. The WYOMING Wing is based out of F.E. Warren AFB - U.S. Air Force, WYOMING Cheyenne, WY. The Wing consists of approximately 163 senior and 104 cadet members. The Wing should have a Public Affairs Officer (PAO) appointed in writing at all times; however, in the event there is no PAO, per CAPR 190-1, the Wing Commander will fulfill all PAO duties. a. WYWG Public Affairs Needs and Opportunities: (1) Ensure every subordinate unit has an assigned Public Affairs Officer and provide annual training IAW CAPR 190-1. (2) Support community organizations and establish a CAP presence in every squadron’s respective community and within the state. (3) Ensure all WYWG PAO’s are enrolled in PIO training and ensure adequate number of qualified PIO’s to support any and all WYWG exercises and missions. (4) Establish and maintain good relationships with the media throughout the state. (5) Secure funding for Public Affairs Officer training and to support other WYWG efforts to publicize and promote the organization, its activities, events and members accomplishments. (6) Explore networking with other WYOMING non-profit organizations to create partnerships, promote Civil Air Patrol, enhance exposure and assist recruitment of new members. b. WYWG Public Affairs Objectives: (1) Annually review all WYWG squadron PAO assignments to ensure PAOs are assigned at 100% of WYWG subordinate units (squadrons and flights). Review the assigned PAO’s status within the 201 PAO Track and plan. (2) Provide and Assist all squadron PAOs and Commanders with guidance and tools to make their units known and available to assist within their respective communities and at the state level. (3) Aggressively promote the annual Public Affairs Officer/Public Information Officer Academy and participation in SAREX’s for training to meet PIO qualification. (4) Make contact and develop relationships with all key WYOMING television, radio and print media and have those relationships produce multiple stories about the WYOMING Civil Air Patrol’s activities. (5) Provide revenue to the WYWG and its Public Affairs program through a partnership with Denison Brothers to annually publish multiple issues of the WYWG Wings magazine. (6) Create relationships with WYOMING Service clubs and other civic organizations to promote Civil Air Patrol and use their networking to increase CAP exposure statewide. c. WYWG Public Affairs Goals and Strategies: (1) By 01MAR19 review PAO assignment status of all WYWG squadrons and groups and their status within the CAPP201 PAO Track. Contact every WYWG assigned PAO via the Wing’s PAO List email system and provide information for their use. Send invitations via the PAO list and announce the training via Wing Announcements to all members. Create PAO/PIO Quarterly Online training agenda that covers all PAO training requirements IAW CAPR 190-1. (2) Contact or meet all WYWG subordinate unit commanders and PAOs by 31MAR19 to ensure they are aware of the opportunities to give exposure to their units and gain a presence in their communities. Provide introductions as may be possible to other organizations and chambers of commerce and supply commanders and PAO with a WYWG Civil Air Patrol Power Point Presentation they can use when scheduled to speak to community organizations as well as current CAP Fact Sheets and copies of Wings magazine for handouts. Also provide CAP Business Card templates so commanders and PAOs can pass out their contact information and CAP website info to all potential partner groups. (3) The Wing PAO will track the number of news releases/stories published in WYOMING media. Success will be considered when at least six articles are published or air by year’s end in external media. WYOMING media contact lists are provided to all WYWG PAOs and they are encouraged to develop relationships with their local newspapers and reporters. (4) Publish three (minimum) issues of the WYWG Wings Magazine through Denison Brothers within FY19. (5) The WYWG Annual Conference is scheduled for our member 23-25 August 2019 in Casper, WY. Goal is to have at least 200 members in attendance. 2. In support of the Wing’s objectives and associated goals, the Wing Public Affairs program supports and encourages all members to participate in many events, training and emergencies throughout the state, giving Civil Air Patrol positive exposure. Some of the events are as follows: a. Encampments – WYOMING Wing provides a summer basic encampment each year. Senior members and cadets from all squadrons participate. b. Competitions – The Wing should try to participate in Wing, Region and National competitions that include athletics, knowledge, color guard and drill. c. Community Service – The Wing is active as cadets and senior members from all squadrons volunteer to support their respective communities to raise money and help those less fortunate. d. SAR GTE, SAR EVAL, SAR EX and Tabletop events – These events are attended by members and give potential exposure to both the public and the media. e. Open House and Back to School Nights conducted by the Wing’s squadrons f. Incentive Flights – The Wing’s squadrons have access to CAP powered and glider aircraft and Wing CAP O-Ride pilots provide incentive and training flights to cadets and seniors. This is a source of publicity and recruiting. g. Civic Group Presentations – The WYWG PAO, Subordinate Unit PAO’s and senior members and cadets should participate as guest presenters for local Rotary, Kiwanis and Chambers of Commerce meetings. h. Other Events – Members of the WYWG works with members and organizations within their communities in many events throughout the year providing color guards, marching in parades, participating in emergency responses, and participating in various other activities. 3. In order to achieve the goals of this plan, the WYWG PAO will be responsible for producing products and interacting with members of the community. Below are several tactics that the PAO will employ. a. Social Media. The PAO or any approved Wing member will try to actively post on the WYWG Facebook Fan Page. The goals will be: (1) Once a week, post a photo to the squadron page about the events of the meeting. (2) No later than 3 days after each WYWG activity, post a photo(s) to our official WYWG Facebook fan page. This can also include a preliminary article about the activity. (3) Maintain an online photo library of all photos taken by CAP members. (4) Maintain an online video library of all videos taken by CAP members using our Facebook page. b. News Releases. The PAO will prepare news releases for significant events, to include award ceremonies and completion of official missions. If appropriate, an advance news release will be sent to local news media. After the event, a news release will be sent to the local media, and, if appropriate, to CAP News Online. Each significant article will also be forwarded to the Rocky Mountain Region and National PAOs. c. Photography. The PAO should shoot quality photos of events focusing on action shots and diversity of events. These photos should be included in the quarterly bulletin, included on the squadron Facebook fan page, and website when available. When providing photos to news media, ensure the photos are in high quality – more than one megabyte in size. Avoid having a busy background and make sure that the photo provides a clear message of what is being done with the names of the individuals in the photo. Make sure that all members are attired in proper uniforms and exhibiting appropriate behavior. Per CAPR 190-1, the PAO should provide one article a quarter to higher headquarters for publication that includes a photograph; that photograph should conform to the same requirements as those provided to the media. In addition, the PAO will take a photo of each squadron member and upload it to the Squadron Information Systems Database (SIMS) and eServices. d. Quarterly Bulletin. The PAO is responsible for producing a quarterly magazine, Wyoming Wings, telling about wing events and notifying the membership of upcoming events. The deadline for members wishing to submit articles for the magazine will be clearly communicated to the membership. The bulletin will be designed for release to parents and the public via e-mail and social media. e. Community Relations. The PAO will collaborate with other WYWG Staff members and the Wing Commander to increase wing visibility in the state with activities such as color guard performances, service club presentations and support for worthy community events. The PAO ATTACHMENT: Interview/Media Interaction Tips Guiding Principles • Be Straightforward and factual. • Stick to your immediate role and assigned responsibilities. Keep it basic. • If you don’t know, say so. Tell them you will get the answer, and make sure you follow up. Do not speculate. • Let leadership know you’ve talked to the media. Get the name of the reporter and the media outlet. Let others know whom you’ve talked with. Transitional Phrases • Suggested phrases to help you keep control of an interview o Before I forget, I wanted to say… o Let me put that into perspective… o It is important to remember, however… o That’s an interesting question, but to finish what I was saying… o What I’m really here to talk to you about is… o Let me just add… o Another thing to remember is….