Crowning glory in MoD media deal

From the archive, first published Tuesday 27th Nov 2007.

A New Forest firm that has been in business for only 18 months has been awarded the Ministry of Defence's largest ever contract for providing simulated media for military exercises.

The contract, which is worth £400,000 a year, means Crown Media will now provide print, radio and TV simulation for a wide range of exercises in the UK and abroad, helping the armed forces develop their skills when working with the media.

"Often the media are viewed with some suspicion and even fear by the military - and vice versa. We help them to develop confidence and respect for each other through our work," says Crown Media partner David Bennett, who lives in Brockenhurst where the business is based.

He added: "We provide a highly realistic media team who can simulate the media environment in the outside world, ranging from the initial media enquiries, to providing interview and press conference opportunities, to a range of paid-for and broadcast standard media outputs.

"It's easy to see the military in the context of Iraq and Afghanistan - but they're also key parts of the response to UK emergencies such as the flooding, and foot-and-mouth disease. In order to work and gain public confidence soldiers need to communicate effectively through the media, and we're proud to be playing a major part in developing the appropriate skills."

The contract, which covers some 1,700 man-days of work over the first year, is the first time the Ministry of Defence has sought a central supplier for its simulation.

The locations range from battle exercises on Salisbury Plain, dealing with all the hardships of fighting in war, to the Defence Academy which prepares the next generation of officers for the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

Crown Media employs a team of up to 110 freelance reporters, editors and technical staff.

Crown Media is a partnership set up in 2006 by David Bennett, Southampton City Council's former PR manager, and Andy Reeds, a former Army major who specialised in media operations.

Among other work, Crown Media supplies media simulation to private companies and consultants and large national and international organisations such as the Home Office Emergency Planning College and Nato.