HOW CO-OPS & CONDOS CAN HANDLE PRESS

"It can be nerve-wracking to talk to the press, because who knows where your words will go," admits Tessa Kelley, an account executive at the public relations firm Rubenstein Communications, where the clients include Major League Baseball, the Museum of Modern Art, Pfizer, Paramount Pictures, and virtually every major real estate developer in New York City. "But at the end of the day," Kelley says, "it can be necessary, because you want people to know exactly what you stand for."

A the 1,728-apartment Seward Park cooperative in Manhattan's Lower East Side, former board president Michael Tumminia couldn't agree more. Indeed, he says, his board "created a position called 'public affairs officer' to deal with things external to the co-op: elected officials, the press, and local organizations. That person essentially becomes the board's spokesperson, and is the person management would contact in the event the press reaches out to the co-op for any reason. I think every co-op should have one." Tumminia himself volunteered to be Seward Park's first such officer.

Bread & Butter, and Circuses

There are two general circumstances where the press might want to speak to a co-op or condo board: 1) simple, everyday, "bread & butter" reportorial features, and 2) in response to some problem gone public.

The first type is simple enough. A real estate columnist or a business writer doing an article on co-op refinancing or the pros and cons of laundry-room companies or whatnot will usually speak first with managing agents to get their views, and then often will ask to speak to board members to get your own frontline perspective.

If you don't respond, the public thinks

[the person with a grievance] is right 

— it looks like their story is true.

"This is your opportunity to make the board look as good as possible," says Dianne Collins, an independent publicist whose clients have included major entertainment personalities. "The board president or some other officer … should be able to give honest, knowledgeable answers that show that here's a building where the board really understands these issues."

With more involved stories, she suggests, "If the board is smart, they'll also get a resident they're in good standing with to give a quote about how good and efficient the board is. And also get a staff member, so that the concierge or the superintendent can talk about their working relationship with the board."

Pressing for Good Press

Flipping this around, the board can be proactive with the press, says Seward Park's Tumminia. "Your public affairs officer should establish relationships with local bloggers and as many press contacts as possible," he says. "When we have something good to talk about, I can pick up phone and contact bloggers and press who cover the Lower East Side."

But where you'll really stand or fall is with crisis stories. When co-op and condo boards let themselves be made to look bad, it's not just local news anymore — thanks to the Internet, it's national news. This affects not just property values and appeal to potential buyers, but also your residents' morale. No one wants to live in a place that is vilified  — and boards that let their buildings be vilified aren't doing their job.

"Obviously, you want to try to prevent a crisis, and be mindful what you are susceptible to and what kinds of things get you into trouble," says Kelley of Rubinstein. "But if a crisis happens, the best thing is to take action. Bottling up only makes matters worse. Even if a matter cannot be fixed immediately, it's important to address the audience."

"The danger of not responding is that the person making the complaint looks correct," says Collins. "If you don't respond, the public thinks that person is right — it looks like their story is true."

Hunkering down, says Kelley, gives the public "an opportunity to make assumptions and start deciding the reason behind the problem. You need to speak out. Whether something is untrue or true, you need to address it. You need to keep everyone informed as much as possible. Otherwise, they're going to form their own opinions"— based on partial and possibly erroneous or unfairly one-sided information.

Next page: A guide to just what to say >>