Simply put, media monitoring is the act of tracking topics across print, online, and broadcast media output.

In Public Relations (PR) and Communications it is important to measure the success of your campaigns, deal with a crisis quickly, and listen out for negative publicity. All of this can be achieved by effective media monitoring.

Brands are getting on board with media monitoring to an extent of purchasing tools and hiring media monitoring firms to observe issues that directly concern them.

Here are 11 reasons why you need to consider investing in media monitoring:

1. Get information in real-time

In this digital era, you can’t afford to wait for long to get information. There are media monitoring tools that offer real-time alerts. A case in point is Google Alerts. These allow you to be at the front of your competetion and get the information you need for in-moment marketing opportunities or to manage a crisis before it even starts.

2. Save time through automation

This is especially important when you’re heavy laden with work as a PR or communication professional. By using online tools like Socialbakers, Keyhole, Brand24 and Sprout Social among others, you’re able to get your social media analytics in no time, saving you from lengthy manual processes.

3. Get actionable and measurable insights

You not only want to monitor the media coverage you are receiving, you should also be looking for insights into the coverage. Insight is crucial as it provides an opportunity to improve your PR and prove value in a measurable way for reports. Different social media platforms provide insights that enable a user to know how well they’re fairing in the social race – Twitter Analytics, Facebook Insights, and YouTube Analytics are the most common.

Media monitoring tools now provide graphs that clearly visualize insights data over a specific time period, sentiment analysis of individual metrics or general coverage, and maps displaying the geographical origins of coverage.

Having a media monitoring tool that provides data insights will save time and unnecessary data entry.

4. Cross-platform monitoring

To fully understand the impact of your public communications efforts, it’s important to not only keep an eye on the daily headlines but also be able to monitor as many different sources of media as possible, across media platforms including social media, blogs, online news, and broadcast.

When looking for a media monitoring tool, you need to find a tool that can monitor various media platforms. This can also go a long way in showing you what platforms appeal to your target audiences the most. If there are specific publications you need to monitor that aren’t available, you can often request for sources to be added. But if this is not possible, then you can look elsewhere for a tool that fits your requirements.

5. Brand reputation

A brand’s reputation – how the particular brand is viewed and perceived by its publics, is its most vital resource and good media monitoring helps protect it.

Media monitoring enables you to stay on top of threats to your brand’s reputation. It can help you to develop your reputation further by keeping you on top of what’s being said about your brand and who’s saying it.

Data and sentiment insights into the media coverage you are receiving will also provide a simple overview of how your brand is perceived.

6. Monitor your competitors

Competitors just like brand reputation need to be monitored. Effective media monitoring can help you track your competitor’s publicity efforts like press releases, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) product launches, promotions, corporate events, and media coverage. This will enable you to you to make more informed decisions as to how and where you compete.

7. Manage crises effectively

It takes years to build a good reputation for a brand, but it only takes moments to destroy it. So, it is imperative to react quickly and be proactive in your recovery when faced with a crisis.

Real-time media monitoring allows you to keep ahead of the press and manage PR without any abrupt surprises. As such, you might be able to avert a looming crisis or come up with the perfect response to get out of it safe and sound.

8. Measure the effectiveness of public campaigns

Media monitoring can enable you monitor your campaign and provide measurable data to prove value. This will facilitate a greater understanding of the positive impact and success of campaigns.

9. Track success and sentiment

This directly points to campaigns and organizational activities. Companies for instance hire media monitoring agencies to track the success of their adverts.

It is vital to have access to, or receive, up-to-the-minute information if you are tracking success. Real-time alerts are a fantastic resource to give you moment by moment feedback on your efforts.

Timely knowledge facilitates a continuous learning process, enabling you to develop and optimize your PR and communications output.

10. Find new business opportunities

Media monitoring is an invaluable tool if you are scoping out new business opportunities. Tracking other industries will allow you to spot a gap in the market and be aware of potential competitors.

11. Understand and utilize trends

By being able to follow trends in the media in real-time you can better inform your campaigns, content, and social media.

Social media monitoring can help you understand what really engages your customers, informing you in how to up your click-through rate (CTR) on your social pages. Keeping an eye on viral trends will also facilitate smart in-moment marketing opportunities and quick responses to what’s happening in the world around you.

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The front view of Uganda’s Parliamentary building in Kampala.

Members of parliament called for tougher laws to curb inaccuracies and sensationalism carried in the media against parliament. MPs, who were reacting to a communication from Speaker Rebecca Kadaga during plenary said media houses were abusing their freedom of expression. In her communication, Speaker Kadaga said several publications and broadcasts were meant to ridicule and tarnish the image of Members of Parliament.

Media reports that made mps angry  were on on funds budgeted for MPs’ funerals, motor vehicles, and inaccurate reports that 78 members were facilitated by Parliament to attend the Uganda North American Association (UNAA) Convention held in the US at a cost of  2 billion shilling. Kadaga said that parliament going to issue sanctions to  editors will be called here to explain what they published, and apologized to the country.

The Speaker instructed the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline to examine the said publications and reports with a view of charging the media houses with contempt of Parliament. Aruu county mp Samuel Odonga Otto advocated for aggrieved MPs go to courts of law but warned Members against ridiculing colleagues on international duty and recommended that those cited be referred to the Committee on Rules. Busiro south Peter Sematimba  said the Electronic Media Act and the Press and Journalists Act were weak on the media and journalists and needed to be strengthened to put discipline into the media field. Mubende municipality  Anthony Ssemuli (NRM, Mubende moved that Parliament amends the laws governing local content and media institutions so as to make media houses and journalists accountable under oath. Usuk mp  Peter Ogwang  said it’s only in Uganda that freedom of the media is abused.

Minister of state for housing Chris Baryomunsi  asked the Parliamentary Commission to strengthen guidelines on media coverage of Parliament and to provide a budget for capacity building for journalists.

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The UCC says the move is aimed at ensuring that the communications sector plays its role in promoting national development.

The new quota regulations take effect on January 1st 2014, but it remains to be seen whether and how broadcast stations will implement the regulations, and whether UCC will be able to monitor effectively and bring those not fulfilling to do so.

The UCC statement is here below in full

LOCAL CONTENT BROADCASTING QUOTAS

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) is the regulator of the communications sector in Uganda. UCC was established to monitor, inspect, license and regulate the provision of communication services in Uganda, including broadcasting.

The Commission recognises the role local content plays in promoting national development. Given the cultural and linguistic diversity of Uganda, it is important that broadcasting stations in the country emphasise content relevant to the local audience and produced under Ugandan’s creative control.  This local content will promote national culture, pluralism and diversity. It will also enhance the employment capacity, identity of the nationals as well as develop our local film industry.

Accordingly, the Commission has set the following local content quotas which all broadcasters must comply with effective January 1, 2014:

1. Free to air broadcasting televisions stations

A television licensee must ensure that an annual average of 70% of its programming during prime time (6.00 p.m 11:00pm) consists of Ugandan television content.  In compliance with the above set 70% quota, for different genres the following quotas are set:

a)       50%-Drama ,comedy and reality show programmes

b)      10%-Documentary programmes consists of Uganda documentary programming;

c)       5%- Sports’ programs consists of Ugandan sports.

d)      5% -Children’s programs consists of Uganda children’s programming

2. PAY TV Subscription

A subscription television broadcasting licensee must ensure that a minimum average of 20% during the Ugandan television performance period, measured over the period of a year, consists of Ugandan television content.

3. Independent productions

Television broadcasting licensees must ensure that at least 40% of their Ugandan  television content programming consists of programs which are independent productions and are spread reasonably between, where applicable, Ugandan drama,  documentary and children’s programming .

The quotas have been set after benchmarking with other countries like South Africa, Australia, Tanzania, Canada and Spain and through consultations with broadcasters, independent producers and other stakeholders in the  broadcasting sector.

The Commission will from January 1, 2014 assiduously monitor the compliance of these quotas making a periodic review on a quarterly basis. The necessary regulations based on which local content rules will be developed are being worked upon.

The Executive Director

Uganda Communications Commission

UCC House

Plot 42-44 Spring Road, Bugolobi

P. O. Box 7376, KAMPALA

Tel: +256-31-2339000; +256-41-4339000

Fax: +256-41-4348832

E-mail: ucc@ucc.co.ug Website: www.ucc.co.ug

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Hundreds of people around the world consume ground nuts prepared or cooked in many forms.

Some people eat ground nuts when they are in raw form, others eat them steamed or roasted but still all consumers get the benefits of ground nuts.

However to benefit fully, ground nuts should be steamed but not roasted or fried. While others crush ground nuts and make sauce, it can reduce heart diseases and stroke by 50g%.

Eating ground nuts helps to check dementia, gall stones, macular degeneration and diabetes. Ground nuts have zero content of cholesterol and less amount of sugar.

Ultimate Media

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Uganda being a religious country, its leaders have no smiles for people who deal in pornographic materials and the people who molest girls.

On Wednesday the court in Uganda fined the Turkish national, Emin Baro, the 53-year-old man who was on Monday sentenced to two years in jail at Luzira Maximum security prison after pleading guilty to computer misuse and possessing child pornographic materials.

Emin Baro was fined 6 million shillings. But he was not released. It is said the judiciary wanted to have a test of Uganda’s jails. So he will be released on Thursday, March 29. Baro came to Uganda as a tourist six years back but he started sexually abusing girls below 10 years old.

Ultimate Media

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The conference is going to be hosted by the Parliament of Uganda and hundreds of MPs fromEngland,South Africa, and USA etc will be inUgandato deliberate on matters of access to health, good governance and distribution of power.

The delegates, according to the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga will be accommodated in Kampalahotels when they come. The March 28^th conference will take place at the Kampala Serena and Imperial Royale Hotels.

Ultimate Media

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Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala has asked the members of the police force to respect the uniform they put on and the civilians whose tax the government uses to buy policemen uniforms.

Preaching in the morning mass at Rubaga Catholic Cathedral in Kampala today, the cardinal told the policemen to respect the constitution of Uganda, other laws of Uganda, inherent human rights, Police ethics and the pips on their shoulders.

The Cardinal says that it is unholy for police offices to receive bribes, mistreat suspects, and grab peoples’ property. He says it bad for the police to put allegence to president Museveni.

Cardinal Wamala says it is better for the police to remember that allegiance is to Ugandans and not president Museveni.

Ultimate Media

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Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has finalized plans to turn Owino (St. Balikuddembe) market into a largest shopping mall in East and centralAfrica.

The sources at KCCA told our informers that the council plans to spend 28 million US dollars in the reconstruction of Owino into a modern and largest shopping mall.

The KCCA director, Ms Jenifer Musisi says that the shopping mall once completed would accommodate over 25 traders. She advised all traders in Owino to cooperate with KCCA in order to make its plan of modernizing Owino market a total success.

Ultimate Media

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A new political pressure group similar to Activists for Change (A4C) has launched its national wide programme in Kampala.

The pressure group of concerned Ugandan citizens has been named the National Action for Awakening Uganda (NAAU ). It officially launched shop at Fair Way hotel in Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).

Its national coordinator is businessman Frank Gashumba. The leaders of Awakening Uganda hope to bring on board all political pressure groups in Uganda to stage a joint pressure group against President Museveni’s reported despotic regime.

Ultimate Media

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