Thread: What changes occured after being written about in the paper?

Tweet

I was just remembering last Halloween and how many people said the local paper should do a story on us and our haunt. My immediate response was 1. , " no that's okay". Those folks didn't understand my concerns of a undesirables finding out about the location and causing damage, or stealing. 2. , would we be able to keep up with the candy demand for the TOT's. We met a woman in a city close to ours who has had such a grand response to her haunt, a local policeman donated 500.00 to keep her candy stocked for the community, otherwise she would have to shut down due to the demand. We have been very fortunate that we haven't had vandals{knock on wood}, and we are really just doing for our neighboorhood. I'm wondering if you have been written up in your local paper, what was the result of that?

My MIL called the local paper a few years ago. The reporter showed up on Halloween night, asked a bunch of questions, and took a bunch of pictures. Next day's paper, one close up picture of my SIL, with no names

I called the paper and asked if I could have copies of the pictures, and they said yes, but for $25 dollars a piece!!!!

Mine was written up in two local papers for 2006 both about a wee before Halloween. (http://rewindshow.com/haunt/press.html)

I have had no negative effects whatsoever. We did get a few more TOTers, but we were prepared for a crowd of over 200 anyway. Did not run out of candy or glow necklaces.

A lot of TOTers didn't even take candy. They just wanted to see the haunt. A bunch came back again later to see it again, and there were quite a few adults that came in for a look. I attribute the larger number of adults (most escourtig children, but some by themselves) to the articles in the paper.

I've had the news station do a live shot from the helicopter during the weather on Halloween for the past to years, but they dont mention the address, which I am fine with. I am more concerned about huge amount of TOTs and making the neighbors mad than I am about vandalism

In 2005, both of the local papers printed pictures the week of Halloween, but it didn't make much difference, since I get so few anyway (total of 6 TOTs that year).
In 2006, the Portland Press Herald did a story on me, along with some others that go all out, and again, it didn't make any difference.
I think it depends on your area, Suzeelilli, how many TOTs you get, and whether or not your decorations/props are safe from vandalism normally.
To me, free publicity is good.
Stories here

Thanks for you input guys, that is some reassurance! I live about 2 blocks from the borderline of the more gang type area, so it's close but we have a great group of neighbors that look out for each other.

I had a news station do a live shoot and interview folks from across the street last year. It was late enough that it wouldn't have done much at that time and I highly doubt anyone will remember it this year. I never saw the tape, so don't know if the address was even attached.

I think that's the thing. If they come over BEFORE halloween, you will probably see increased traffic. If it's ON halloween, no one will remember it come the following year.

If it's a concern, ask them to keep the adress out.

Our interest level in Vancouver peaked in 1992 when my sister called the Vancouver Sun. They contacted me three days before Hallowe'en when we were doing a dress rehearsal. A photog came around and took a bunch of shots. The morning of Hallowe'en, a nice shot of our Vampire rising up from behind a Headstone was on page three, along with a Half Page story. Address included.

During the day I got calls from CBC and CTV to come over and do "Live Feeds" from our place. When I got home that afternoon, BCTV, who hadn't called, was also there. CBC and CTV both came inside with groups of Walk-thru's, and CBC and did the 6:00 Weather from the Frankenstein Lab, and a lot of us got "face time". They also interviewed kids outside the Haunt that had already gone through. That was live, imagine the surprise of their parents at seeing them on TV, the 6:00 News! They used selected "cuts" for the end of each news segment, it came out very professional.

That Christmas we got a lot of cards in which people mentioned seeing us on TV, even as far away as the Northwest Territories, where I have a lot of family.

It WAS a bit much, though, we had people coming in from all over, and, strangely, a lot from Chinatown! All in all, it was a good experience.

I guess I'm a snob when it comes to this. On one hand I wanted to let the paper use my haunt, but on the other hand I didn't want to draw attention to our neighborhood.

We are blessed to live in a nicer neighborhood, and I just don't want people here mad at me for causing a hub-bub.

Maybe if they'd pledge to just use photos and not tell people where to come see it...

I would LOVE to have a full-fledged haunt at some point. I really believe that done correctly, you could gross a half million bucks here with a good haunted house/haunted trail event during October. We are close enough to Atlanta, Montgomery, Macon and in between to draw a lot of people.

When our house was in the Idaho Statesman newspaper they listed our address and called it a "drive by", which we were O.K. with. However, we had a knock on the door and a couple drove about 30 miles across town to see the house. They were from Korea (working at Micron) and so we let them and their entire family in to see the house. We figured they didn't have Halloween in Korea and we wanted them to see our house. They didn't speak very good English and we can't speak Korean, but we could tell they were having fun. Of all the rooms in the house they liked the Alien Autopsy the best! I guess Aliens are global. LOL.

One year, we had a dance troupe of 50 kids aging from 3 to 19 dancing to Thriller in costume in the street with fog machines and music blasting. We had two of the local TV stations shooting that. The whole neighborhood came out!

I work at The Costume Shop and the local news crews come out before Halloween to film the crowd at the store so I invite them out to my house. Suz, if you want your haunt to be in the paper or on the news, you can call or email them. They're usually glad to get the lead. Ask them not to include your address if you're not comfortable with it.