*Message Accepted*

Having an audience exposed to and accept a message is a major accomplishment for a PR professional. Public relations practitioners are able to complete such a difficult task with the help of communication theories, two in particular being the Uses and Gratifications Theory and the Agenda- Setting Hypothesis.

USES & GRATIFICATION THEORY

Demonstrates the audiences’ control over what is considered to be discussion worthy news rather than the media. This particular theory places emphasis on the role that the wants and needs of the people play when determining where they get their information. For example, in order appear informed at a social gathering, a person may choose to look into a media outlet for news or information pertaining to the topic relevant to what they will be discussing. In the same respect, the media puts out information that they know will satisfy the peoples’ needs.

AGENDA-SETTING HYPOTHESIS

Suggests that the media gives implications to publics of what may or may not be newsworthy. The media is able to set an agenda by allotting a certain amount of time and space to specific stories, thus audiences are more prone to pay more attention to and create discussions about what they are constantly seeing as front page news.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO

Though the Agenda-Setting and Uses and Gratifications theories are seemingly different, there is a distinct relationship linking these two together. As previously stated, the Agenda-Setting Hypothesis says that the media sets agendas and the Uses and Gratification Theory holds onto the notion that the preferences of audiences are what determine the type stories that the media considers newsworthy. What the two have in common is the audience’s connection with a message. The two are able to play off of one another by continuously presenting publics with messages that they will be inclined to discuss, thus deeming the message as important. If the audience is no longer connecting with a message, the media will either find a different angle of a story that will spark new discussion, or simply pay more attention to another story.

WHERE DOES A PR PROFESSIONAL FIT INTO ALL OF THIS?

The role of a public relations practitioner varies within each communication theory, with no one role being more important than another. In the Uses and Gratifications Theory a PR professional uses an audience as a way to introduce messages into the media. In the Agenda-Setting Hypothesis the PR practitioner plays more of a behind the scenes role by feeding stories to the media in order to get them heard by an audience.