Half of Communications Go Unrecorded: Why It’s Time to Rethink Media Management

Published on March 26, 2025 by Broadsight

The Missing Pieces in Your Media Puzzle

In early 2019, a university communications team found itself in a tough spot. A journalist had reached out about a faculty controversy, referencing an old comment from the university’s media spokesperson. The team scrambled to find the original quote—where had it been published? Had it been sent as an email, spoken in an interview or posted in an official statement?

Hours passed as they searched emails, combed through Slack threads and rechecked past press releases. No one could locate the original interaction. By the time they had an answer, the article had already run—without their input. The journalist had relied on second-hand information from a faculty source, and the university’s chance to provide context was lost.

This isn’t an isolated case. Across industries, media teams are juggling a high volume of journalist requests, interview responses and ongoing conversations—but half of these interactions go unrecorded.

And that’s a problem.

The Cost of Untracked Media Interactions

Every organization interacts with journalists. Some do it daily, managing a steady flow of inquiries. Others only engage when a crisis emerges, hoping the relationships they’ve built will work in their favor. But no matter the frequency, every media interaction represents a critical touchpoint—one that, if lost, could cost your organization valuable time, influence or credibility.

When media communications aren’t logged in a centralized system, organizations face a number of risks:

• Misquoted or Forgotten Statements – Journalists often circle back to past quotes. If your team can’t verify what was said and in what context, you’re at a disadvantage when correcting misinterpretations.
• Lost Institutional Knowledge – When staff members leave, their media relationships leave with them—unless there’s a structured way to retain key details.
• Missed Media Opportunities – If you don’t track who is covering your industry and their past interactions with your organization, you won’t know which journalists to engage when big stories break.

Despite these risks, most teams still rely on scattered emails, individual memory or informal tracking methods—approaches that fail the moment a key player is out of the office or institutional knowledge isn’t passed down.

Why This Problem Persists

If media teams know untracked communications are a problem, why haven’t they fixed it? The answer is simple: They’re too busy putting out fires.

Journalist inquiries don’t arrive at convenient times. They come in late at night, hours before a deadline or in the middle of another breaking news cycle. PR teams and spokespeople default to survival mode, handling requests as they come and moving on to the next one without documenting key details.

Meanwhile, organizations often assume that tools like shared inboxes or spreadsheets are enough to track media interactions. But these systems fail under real-world conditions:

• A journalist calls instead of emailing, and no one logs the conversation.
• A high-profile request comes through an executive’s personal inbox and isn’t forwarded.
• A press release is referenced in a news article, but no one tracks how many journalists used it as a source.

Without a real system in place, media interactions slip through the cracks.

How Centralized Media Management Changes the Game

Organizations that prioritize structured media tracking don’t just prevent mistakes—they gain a strategic advantage.

• Instant Access to Past Interactions – When a journalist references an old statement, your team can quickly verify what was said, where and when it was published, and in what context.
• Stronger Media Relationships – Knowing a journalist’s previous coverage and past requests helps teams engage proactively, offering insights and updates before the next inquiry comes in.
• Crisis Readiness – During a crisis, media teams need to move fast. Having a complete history of past media interactions prevents costly mistakes, ensuring responses are informed by context and consistency.

This is one of the reasons we created Broadsight—to ensure our teams had the data they needed in one place. Now, every journalist interaction—emails, calls, past quotes and media requests—lives in a single, centralized hub. Instead of chasing old records or relying on memory, our teams stay ahead of the media cycle, shaping coverage instead of reacting to it.

Why Institutional Knowledge Needs to Be Preserved

When a seasoned PR professional leaves an organization, their knowledge doesn’t always get passed down. Journalists they’ve built relationships with, the nuances of past media inquiries and the history of key coverage often leave with them.

Without a central media management system, this cycle repeats itself. Every new team member has to rebuild from scratch—costing organizations time, reputation and valuable media influence.

Broadsight ensures that no media relationship, past request or key conversation is lost. It allows teams to track journalist interactions, preferred contact methods and past requests, keeping institutional knowledge intact long after personnel changes.

It’s Time to Rethink Media Management

In a world where media narratives shift faster than ever, no organization can afford to lose track of half its communications. The solution isn’t more spreadsheets, scattered email chains or shared inboxes—it’s a centralized, purpose-built system designed for modern media management.

That’s why we built Broadsight—to help teams take control of their media interactions, prevent lost opportunities and ensure every request, quote and conversation is documented.

Want to see how Broadsight Tracker can help your team stay ahead? Request a demo today.