When Your News Needs to be There in a Flash...

You've got breaking news to pass on to the news media in your area. You can call newsrooms with your info -- if you've got an hour -- or fax it to them -- and hope they see your fax mixed in with everything else. At certain times of the year, such as during a winter storm or after an earthquake, everyone is trying to reach stations and newspapers at the same time. Wouldn't it be better to be able to post your information in one place and have a system that passes it on immediately to all of the media and the public?

That's the principle behind FlashAlert Newswire. Each network region collects emergency information from a number of organizations in a specific media market and provides it to the media via a continuously updated website and by sending your info via e-mail to the newsrooms and into the media’s own websites.On FlashAlert, the media will find information about schedule changes and other urgent information from schools, colleges, law enforcement, businesses, hospitals, utilities, cities and more.

FlashAlert can help you with your everyday news releases, too. A second channel allows subscribers to dispatch regular news releases to stations and newspapers in the cities they choose. FlashAlert sends releases to the news media in electronic format, so they don't have to retype it. You can attach a photo or sound file or PDF. To keep your news release “alive” longer, they go into an archive webpage where they remain available to the media for one month.

"With this system, all of the information is right in front of us, posted by the schools directly. It is automatically updated, organized logically and very easy to read. It speeds the information process at a time when time is of the essence. It eliminates steps in which mistakes can be made-- there are no telephone calls to answer, no illegible handwriting or fuzzy faxes to decipher. To top it off, the information is automatically incorporated into our station's web site, making it even more useful. FlashAlert is a miracle cure. I could go on and on about this, it's so cool."
John Erickson, News Director, KKCW Radio, Portland
"We were amazed, astounded and entertained by how quickly the message was run across our television screens. We had very few calls; Vancouver was well represented in the regional picture and we were very impressed with the capability of the network. Thanks for your efforts!"
Rich McConaghy, City of Vancouver
"Just had to tell you that when I sent my first FlashAlert release last week, I got a call from a Seattle radio station within 15 minutes. Bob, the president, gave him an interview the same day. How about that? This is SO easy! Where have you been all my life?"
Rhonda Wehler, Corporate Communications Manager, West Coast Bancorp

Try out FlashAlert. First, click on "View Info" at the left. Then click on “Post a Test Message.” Use the username "Test" and password "Test." Click on “Enter/edit a closure/emergency report.” Post an emergency message, click "Send", then go back to "View Current Info" to see how the media would see it.