Often, faculty expertise can be used to plug into the headlines. Experts on major issues being discussed in the news would likely be of interest to media who could then localize a major world or national story. And your institution gets recognized for the quality of its faculty. Here is an opportunity for you to put your message out there without any filtering by the media. Sometimes, a speech delivered at an alumni function or a convocation can be converted to an op ed.
Smaller newspapers like to hear from their community leaders.
If you have a good public relations person on your campus, listen to them. If they're good, they've got their ear to the ground, they hear rumblings from the campus and the community. They know what the media is working on. If you don't have a crisis communications plan, delegate your public relations director to draft one. For one thing, they'l1 keep you out of trouble.