First of all, I wanted to point out a fact of life that has always annoyed me about the SotS (and I've only been watching it the past few years), and this story mentions it right in the beginning-
Those who support the governor stand up and clap at the "applause lines." Those opposed remain seated, their plastic diplomacy smiles distracting the cameras from clenched jaws and rolling eyes.
Quite frankly, I have always found this juvenile. I wish they would all remain seated throughout and stand up at the end. Applaud? Sure. But this jack-in-the-box jumping up and down seems to emphasize this partisan divide that everyone claims needs to be healed this year. The visual reminder won't help.
Yeah, it's tradition, I know. But turns out that tradition used to be that the governor's "address" was a memo that was probably filed in a stack of papers on a legislator's desk- if it made it that far.
The state constitution requires the governor to give legislators some type of annual update. For years governors gave written updates that frequently went unnoticed.
Who turned it into the pomp and circumstance that it is today? That would be Governor Jim Blanchard.
Those in the cheap seats, clap your hands. The rest of you, rattle your jewelry, over the flip...
The Blanchard administration realized the media could be useful.
“Pre electronic communication, the State of the State was a means of assuring that at least once a year the governor would give a report on the state’s progress and activity to the people paying the bills,” said Rick Cole, professor and chairperson of the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing at Michigan State University and former press secretary and chief of staff for Governor Jim Blanchard. “Over time it has become more of a vehicle for announcing the future plans and unveiling the public relations part of the strategy for achieving new policy.”
Cole credits the Blanchard administration with jump-starting the State of the State PR movement.
“It occurred to me that the governor speaking to the people, and also giving projections of what they could expect to see in the future, was something that was worthy of statewide media coverage,” Cole said. In fact, it was Cole who put together an unprecedented statewide network of television stations — both public and commercial stations — to carry Blanchard’s addresses.
Then they started the tradition of leaking info on the contents in the weeks leading up to the speech in an effort to drum up interest in the Michigan media. What got their attention? Cole gave a blockbuster story to an out-of-state paper.
Before one of Blanchard’s State of the States, Cole gave a reporter from The New York Times a front page story about an innovative college savings plan Blanchard planned to roll out in his address (the plan became the groundbreaking MET program, still in existence). Michigan reporters went crazy, but Cole said it was worth getting a huge national story.
“Honestly, if we had given them (Michigan reporters) that story they would have said, ‘that’s just some bullshit political ploy,’” Cole said.
Engler's people played reporters and editors off of their competitors. Another smart move. (yes, I'm praising John Truscott, and that's painful)
“We always had major stories out on Saturday and Sunday,” said John Truscott, press secretary for former Governor John Engler. Truscott said they’d ask a paper’s editor, “If we give you a big issue, will you give us the front page?” If the answer was yes, the reporter got his or her story.
“Inevitably I’d get yelled at by another editor, but everyone knows that’s the way it works,” Truscott said. That may be the way it works, but press secretaries carefully weigh the backlash they might receive from a scorned news outlet.
With the media attention came the protestors as well. I vaguely remember this next story when it happened-
Good public relations strategy also includes avoiding disaster, be it a loose-lipped governor or State of the State night snowballs.
One year during Engler’s address, protestors threw snowballs at the Capitol windows. Another year, the media got a shot of protestors’ tents that were spread across the Capitol lawn.
If I recall correctly, that was all pre-9/11. (feel free to correct that if I'm wrong) Something tells me you couldn't get away with throwing snowballs, or anything else today, due to heightened security in and around the building. (so don't try it, Mr. Perks)
Now I must go clean out the inbox and see what will happen tomorrow. It must be hard to decide what/how much to release for any governor- you want to build support for your plans, but you don't want oppostion to take hold before you get the chance to roll them out.
Tune in tomorrow and see...