At the September Publicity Club of Chicago luncheon, producers from two Chicago public affairs programs discussed the opportunities for PR people to book clients who can weigh in on political and community affairs topics on their shows.
Following are highlights of the discussion, courtesy of the PCC’s Sue Masaracchia-Roberts:
Tracye Campbell, segment producer
WTTW-TV
A television producer for 16 years and the recipient of several journalism awards, Campbell has been at WTTW working on “ArtBeat Chicago” and “Chicago Tonight,” interviewing guests, doing research and developing topics connected to the multicultural arts community. Prior to working at WTTW, she worked as a segment producer/reporter for another television station and as a corporate media producer for McDonald’s Corporation.
Campbell does extensive pre-interviewing, so she needs 15 to 30 minutes to determine if the potential guest is media-ready and can discuss the topics slated for the show. In addition to pre-interviews, Campbell’s day is typically spent scripting shows and setting up the next interviews and segments for that day’s broadcast. “When I’m looking for stories, it helps to have all the facts within the first paragraph,” she said, explaining, “I need you to give me the story, the key players, and the information about where and when right upfront.”
Although the election and financial crisis has recently pushed out community affairs programming, Campbell normally plans shows at least a week in advance. Breaking news, like recent world events and economic chaos, pushes those plans aside.
The areas she covers encompass art, human interest and commentaries. She especially likes “packages” from the field (i.e., a complete segment concept with visuals and good spokespeople). Each day has its own programs and debriefing news analysis segments. “If Reverend Meeks leads a boycott in the suburbs, that story will be part of the debrief,” said Campbell. “He is the newsmaker.”
News analysis segments run 12 to 14 minutes. Needed for these are experts with backgrounds in politics, finance and the environment. Short résumés are required for all guests being considered; these should include their name, availability and specialty. She shares this information with the news producer.
Campbell welcomes pitches about authors with mass appeal; however, she prefers having information at least two weeks in advance. She warns PR people that, when pitching an author, make sure there is a Chicago connection.
“Don’t just tell me an author will be in town. Send me a press release on their book and when it will be out. Give me details. Make your pitch in 20 seconds and you might win me over. If nothing else, I may pitch it to someone else at the station who can use the story,” said Campbell.
Know the station and their programs before pitching Campbell. “Most of the time,” she said, “producers are shooting a show or preparing a show. The producers come in around 9 a.m. Our show is on at 7 p.m. The executive producer is reading all e-mails and watching the program from 9 to 10 a.m. and *then* they think about who to call.”
The topic of the show does not have to be the arts or community affairs if you can be of assistance to this producer or another, but “don’t tie my ears down. Two minutes is too long,” said Campbell. “Time is critical. Pique my interest.”
To get a guest on Campbell’s show, send a brief résumé about the guest being pitched and topics he/she can cover, especially if the person would be good on the news analysis segment. She urged the audience to remember that her segments are issue-driven. She also suggests name dropping if the guest being suggested is newsworthy or in the news.
Initially, she will ask for an e-mail pitch (tcampbell@wttw.com), then she will listen to a phone follow up. “I won’t give out my cell phone number unless we accept the pitch and start working on a story. Make pitches short and to the point, naming the guest being pitched, however, don’t pester us too much,” Campbell added.
Part of that show involves three or four guests at a roundtable. All guests “are instructed not to provide information on their organizations during the interview. That information will be provided so we can link it to our Web site. That way the guest can take time to discuss the topic they were invited to come on for. Some miss that point and even provide the information at the close of a segment.”
In the news analysis segments, Campbell wants guests to take sides. “We need a broad perspective, not just information about the organization they represent,” she explained. “We stream one segment per night on the Web and provide transcripts of our show, including archiving them. Someone tracks the Web hits, which are tremendous.”
She has had guests who have shown up with a list of demands. Not liking surprises before a show, Campbell urges those attending to “be upfront on client constraints before you come to us with those dos and don’ts.”
Since the show is live, decisions are often made on the fly. “The host might get a message in his ear from the producer. If we are bored, the host will wrap up the segment in about four minutes. Again, our show is live.” Therefore, she added, “the talk portions of the show are spread out so we don’t run out of time or have too much time at the end of the show.”
Jaime Elich, political and public affairs producer
Fox Chicago and MY 50 Chicago
In addition to contributing to Fox Chicago’s daily political coverage, Elich also produces a weekly, hour-long political program called “Fox Chicago Sunday” and produces a community affairs program called “Perspective at Fox.” She joined the station after spending seven years at CLTV News as an editor and producer.
The Sunday morning program is very guest-driven, featuring four or five guests per show. This one-hour, unedited political show offers each guest six to nine minutes to discuss the issues. The questions are often tough, which makes for a better show.
On “Good Day, Chicago,” Elich has five hours to fill. “Perspectives” is a new show that was created with the African-American community in mind. “It is a grassroots show,” said Elich. “This is where PR people help me. Our license extends to Gary, Ind., which allows us to widen the range of interest and put more on television that might not otherwise be covered.”
Elich said, “There is nothing worse than not understanding deadlines.” She explained that two shows are taped twice a month on Tuesdays after 3 p.m. As soon as she is done with those shows, she is booking a show for the next taping. “I like them to be as topical as possible. I spend Thursdays scripting and finalizing our guests and then tape at 3 p.m. on Friday.”
“Good Day, Chicago” is being worked on from 4 a.m. until 1 p.m. “If you call the producers or those on the show at 2 p.m., they are at home sleeping,” she said. If a show being pitched is topical, it could be considered for a future segment. She advised calling with ideas for “Good Day” between 10 and 10:30 a.m., adding, “We love people who have guests who will appear on the 6 a.m. segment!” Conversely, she dislikes those who “want to be on only at 9 a.m.; by then we have been on for four hours. And the audience at 6 a.m. is much larger. It’s a great placement!”
When it comes to pitching stories, Elich said there is a hierarchy at television stations. “Start at the bottom of the pyramid. You don’t have to start with the news director,” she said. “Writers have a lot authority and have more time to listen to you. With the economy, we are working with a skeleton staff. I am the only political producer anywhere in Fox. We are all cross-trained. You can start with me, but I want the respect from you to show me that you know our show, that you can help me find out who to talk to. It is imperative to have a relationship with at least one person at every station. That person usually no longer holds the title of ‘assignment editor.’ E-mail, today, is the number one point of contact.”
She added, “If you pitch a weak guest, we won’t ever call you again. In my world, there is no time for [cutting a guest]. We do not have the luxury of a pre-interview when it comes to booking experts. People get in front of the camera; if they are awful, we can give more time to better speakers and go on to the next topic.”
Not all the topics she covers are serious. However, she is amazed at people who show up disheveled when they come to the station to appear on video. “It helps us when you coach clients on what to wear, like not to wear white, and to talk to the host instead of looking into the camera.” She uses social media all the time. “Television producers are obsessed with the Internet,” said Elich. “In fact, previews of our shows are posted online on Friday nights. We put the extra information online and mention their organization five times to drive viewers during the show to the Web. The numbers are huge!”
To pitch guests for “Perspectives,” Elich will accept online links to demo tapes but not attachments. She prefers guests who can “sell it. Sometimes, that means hosting both the CEO and the program manager,” she said, especially if the PR person can offer an African-American for the show that appeals to a core demographic.
The best pitches she receives are short, addressed to her (Jaime.Elich@FOXTV.com) and to the point. The headline is big and the topic stands out. Elich urged PR professionals to supply contact information for non-business hours, in addition to work numbers. “Don’t be annoyed if we call you to add contact numbers where we can reach you at 3 a.m.,” she said. “You would be amazed at how many people give us great pitches but forget to identify themselves and give us contact information. It wouldn’t hurt to introduce yourself to us. Give me a chance to know if you are a credible resource.”
However, she is turned off by pitches that are blatant ads. “We cannot have you be a blatant commercial. I cannot just have your company on the air unless you can spin what you offer into news.”