Broadcast PR consultancy Be Broadcast has predicted that it could be October before we see TV schedules and advertising return to something approaching normality following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
The consultant has been appointed to advise a number of key national and regional associations on their TV and wider PR activities during this period, from Macclesfield’s Kennel Club and Cumbria’s Fell Pony Society to the global Royal Voluntary Service and the National Churches Trust.
Be Broadcast CEO Josh Wheeler described recent days as an “intense – amazing – but intense” period during which his company has delivered over 3,000 items of interview coverage.
For the current week (commencing with the Queen’s funeral on Monday 19), the company’s guidance notes that “No campaigns or activity should run…This week will have additional emotion connected to it.”
The guidance does make exceptions for campaigns specifically related to ways in which the Queen has engaged with charities or organisations during her reign.
Looking ahead, Be Broadcast notes that several planned news events that were originally scheduled over the last two weeks have already been rescheduled for late September/early October. This includes political and economic events such as the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Looking to next week, commencing September 26, the guidance stated: “Media believe that this week will start to see broader activity return but even this will be tempered. It is worth noting that broadcast will still be impacted – and there will be intense competition for space as many stories begin to return.”
Be Broadcast has based its guidance on questionnaires sent to TV and Radio broadcasters across commercial and BBC outlets.
The consultant further advised that planners should not at this stage be too concerned about factoring King Charles III’s coronation into ongoing campaign plans as this could take several months to organise – the Queen’s coronation took around 16 months to plan.
Wheeler added: “At this stage, we still advise planning and landing campaign activity towards the latter end of October.”
