Whether it is hospital and healthcare systems mergers and acquisitions, medical advances or the impact of the economy on healthcare delivery, health topics remain in the forefront of the news.

To help provide an idea of where PR can contribute to healthcare coverage, the Publicity Club of Chicago meeting on Dec. 3 featured five representatives from consumer and trade medical/health publications to help PR professionals better understand what they are covering and how to approach them.

Following are highlights of the discussion:

Emily Berry
Staff writer, American Medical News
Emily.Berry@ama-assn.org

Berry covers health plans for the business section of American Medical News, the AMA’s weekly newspaper for physicians, most of whom are in family practice. AMA News is trend-driven, so Berry urged everyone to research the publication to determine the trends.

Berry came to Chicago in 2007, from the Times Free Press of Chattanooga, Tenn., where she covered health care for two years. She has an unusual double-major in English and neuroscience from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, which actually gave her a solid foundation for her current editorial responsibilities.

Berry predicted that 2009 will be a big year for healthcare policy changes, which will greatly shape her coverage.

“There is a groundswell that indicates that something needs to be done in healthcare and policy,” said Berry. “This is a story we see as a must-cover. Physicians and hospitals have parallel concerns, with the economy overshadowing everything. For physicians, it’s about the survival of their practices. Is there a permanent fix to the Medicare payment formula? There is also a question of the role health plans will play under Obama. Will there be new a Medicare plan or private pay policies? For the short-term, are physicians insured enough to stay in practice?” These are among the issues pressing the minds of those at American Medical News.

Companies are selling new technology solutions for physicians; however, this is happening at a time when doctors are wondering if they are going to survive. As a result, they are not about to make large investments. “A magic answer doesn’t exist,” said Berry. “Physicians are being pragmatic.”

Berry is most interested in a story if she has “not seen a lot written about it or isn’t something I’ve gotten to dig into yet.”

She added that if the pitch is disease-specific, she “needs something to hang it on — a new angle.” When talking about healthcare reform, it helps to have specific stories and people with insight into the issue available. She is looking to personalize the story, but notes that she often files these stories away as a resource if she cannot use them immediately. She wants to cultivate and identify experts, rather than receive pitches.

“I love it if I can call you on a Friday at 4:30 p.m. and not get an eye roll,” said Berry. “I expect an earnest effort, not an attitude. Do your best to be helpful, but don’t over-promise. Just let me know if you know someone for a quick quote.”

Berry understands that PR people cannot know all the deadlines of every publication, but she loves it when someone calls and asks, “Is it okay to talk now?” She added, “I don’t want to be rude, but there are good and bad times to call. All I ask if that you understand our deadlines.”

“Some PR people will conduct interviews with new physicians at their organization to determine whether or not they are media-ready,” she added. “This helps us avoid some people who should never speak to the media because they are grumpy or don’t like to be reached on their cell, for example. That is good to know in advance.”

The publication prefers to do its own graphics. Occasionally, because it will receive statistics or numbers that are not attributed, red flags are raised. Berry urges PR people to be sure to cite sources of the information they provide and make sure the source is credible.

Matthew Weinstock
Senior editor, Hospitals and Health Networks
mweinstock@healthforum.com

Hospitals & Health Networks, a 76,000-circulation monthly business magazine, is published by Health Forum, a for-profit subsidiary of the American Hospital Association, and is targeted to the “C-suite” audience. As senior editor, Weinstock is responsible for conceiving, assigning and editing features and news briefs, although he still manages to write a story from time to time, as well. With nearly 20 years of experience as a reporter and editor in the business-to-business press, he joined Hospitals & Health Networks as senior editor in 2003. Prior to that, he spent 12 years as a reporter in Washington, D.C., covering Congress and a number of federal agencies for business publications, most recently Government Executive.

Since Hospitals & Health Networks is a national publication, Weinstock finds it difficult to get to meet and know a lot of people; however, he is not adverse to meeting people who are local or visiting the area — or meeting them over the phone, just to connect. Like most editors, he values reliable sources.

Weinstock monitors the entire healthcare field; as senior editor, he does not have a specific “beat.” His interests at Hospitals & Health Networks encompasses everything about how to run hospitals, including patient safety and quality of care, as well as healthcare reform and the economic implications of the federal budget.

“Some of the stories that interest me are that Medicare is running out of money three years earlier than anyone predicted access to capital by hospitals, and the uninsured,” he said.

Hospitals & Health Networks is a monthly publication with a long lead-time. “We work at least two months ahead, so January’s issue is in production and we are working on February stories now,” said Weinstock. “These are due in by Jan. 1. We can do things on the fly, but we are not a breaking-news organization.”

Six times a year, they run specific features, such as topics on clinical management, a service line or the latest industry findings. In the back of the book are shorter pieces, such as a piece on a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) health report, with a link back to the report. Be sure not only to check the editorial calendar, but also “know the publication and its audience. This audience includes CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, CIOs and other executives.”

Weinstock added, “We do not cover products or do reviews or company profiles. Look at the magazine’s Web site before pitching a story.”

He also encouraged the audience to make sure their Web sites are updated and clearly include the PR person’s name and contact number(s). “This information should be easily available. If I have to do more than two or three clicks to find them, I’ll stop looking.”

Although he prefers to interview executives so the discussion is virtually peer-to- peer, he explained, “a senior vice president or above should be the one telling the story. If you tell us a story and it’s something we are working on, but you only have a manager who is tuned into this and that person is a better source, we are willing to talk to them. We won’t just talk to someone with a title,” especially if someone else is more knowledgeable.

Weinstock especially likes calls where someone tells him, “This story just broke. Here is an expert and what he can talk about.”

“I love stories that no one has done,” he said, adding, “If you can supply graphics and data, that’s even better. We love that stuff!”

As for the future look of the magazine, “We are evolving,” said Weinstock. “Check back for more updates in six months.”

Jean DerGurahian
Reporter, Modern Healthcare
jdergurahian@crain.com

Having joined Modern Healthcare in 2007, DerGurahian reports on quality of care and patient safety, which she calls “the heart of health care,” as well as covering regional healthcare business news in the Southeast. Before joining Modern Healthcare, she was a business reporter for the Albany, N.Y., Times Union and served as technology reporter at the Capital District Business Review in Albany.

What DerGurahian looks for most in her stories is a business angle. For example, in 2008, hospitals showed record profits; that may not happen again. With more hospital consolidation taking place, it is likely that the use of electronic health records will increase and accessibility issues will become much more prominent.

“With more than 5,000 hospitals,” said DerGurahian, “I cannot call all of them to check on what’s new.”

She does not cover technology product stories, since physicians most likely will not be investing in them. She would love to “see more numbers, more data that will gauge the improvement against Medicare issues.”

Her special frustration is to receive a pitch asking, “What do you cover?” To avoid feeling the need to ask that of her, DerGurahian urges people to visit the Web site and go to the “About Us” tab. “All the contacts and their beats are there, along with our Code of Ethics,” she said.

As Modern Healthcare, a weekly, is actually part of a family of publications including the Daily Dose and IT Strategist, Modern Physician and six online e-mail publications, deadline pressures are felt daily. DerGurahian asks people to keep that in mind when they contact the publication.

“We don’t cover products or companies,” she said. “What we want to hear about is the experts that are around, especially those in the C-suite and physicians.”

The publication has just begun to explore using videos but has done a fair number of podcasts. DerGurahian is reluctant to take videos from outside sources. However, she does read blogs. She also gathers and files possible resources.

As the publication covers “the whole country, if you are local and have someone who is an expert and want to have coffee with me for about five minutes in the city, I’d love to hear what they’d like to talk about,” DerGurahian said, adding, “I read and keep all my e-mails but I don’t always respond.”

Katharin Czink
Medical producer, WGN-TV
kczink@tribune.com

As producer of WGN-TV’s Medical Watch segment since 2002, Czink has focused on innovative technologies, cutting-edge therapies, the latest surgical procedures and promising medicines. Chicago-area experts are frequently spotlighted, including physicians, scientists and other healthcare professionals and patients.

Before joining WGN-TV, Czink previously worked at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and served as a medical writer and editorial team member at the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch. She covers health and medicine at WGN. She fell into the position by accident, but has fallen in love with it.

For the two-minute spot on television, the station calls on local experts and researchers, whether the story is about stem-cell funding or about physician concierge services opening up. According to Czink, they “don’t cover umbrella issues, but the nuances.” She said she receives an abundance of “awareness” story pitches, but particularly likes topics that are tied to new treatments or cutting-edge developments.

“We will do a story, regardless of the awareness month,” said Czink. For example, this means that WGN-TV will not only cover breast cancer in October, when it coincides with its recognition month, but any time when a new treatment or technology becomes available. From a television point of view, I need that something extra.”

“With looming deadlines, I frequently need experts — often at the last minute,” she said. “We regularly need physicians who can comment on breaking health news. We come to them whether they are at the hospital, offices or homes. Often they think we will take up a lot of their time, but, really, that’s not the case at all.”

However, Czink warned PR professionals that experts need to be prepared — provided with the general dos and don’ts of interviewing. “And it helps if a doctor is willing to ask patients to relate their personal experiences as they pertain to the story.”

WGN’s coverage consists of digest segments that cover the health news of the day, or a single topic that can be fleshed out and made into a package for the 9 p.m. news.

Czink invited the audience to “send visuals to help us learn more about the potential story. Give me a taste. That is a nice luxury!”

Diane Dungey
Editor, Daily Herald
ddungey@dailyherald.com

Health and medicine, the Cook County criminal courts and education are among Dungey’s many previous reporting beats at The Daily Herald, a suburban daily with a circulation of more than 150,000. It was a logical extension for Dungey to create and become the editor of the paper’s weekly Health & Fitness section, which this year received the Illinois Associated Press and Chicago Headline Club awards for stories about a family’s dilemma over genetic testing in the face of a Huntington’s disease diagnosis. She now oversees the publication’s features sections. In addition, the newspaper also offers a Spanish-language publication, Reflejos, as well as an online edition.

As far as defining “what is local,” the map of the Herald’s geographic coverage is posted on their Web site, but Dungey noted, “there is a tightening circle of what is considered local. Keep in mind, we now have a 24-hour news cycle, with opportunities compressed by the time frame.”

One thing Dungey has noted is the “shakeout taking place in healthcare, with people falling through the cracks.” In this changing healthcare environment, the Daily Herald is focusing on “getting personal stories,” she said, observing that, “as people are losing their jobs, they are losing their healthcare coverage, as well. The mental healthcare avenues are especially overburdened, while we’ve received a drop in cosmetic surgery pitches.”

A problem with some of the stories is that “many people may not want their names associated with a story,” Dungey said. “If you have someone who will talk to me and put that in the subject line, that’s gold!”

Business is built on relationships, something Dungey values. “If I get a cold call at 6 p.m. and don’t recognize the number, I may not even pick up the phone.” If she’s built a relationship with the PR person, she often even provides her cell number to the person and will know they won’t abuse its use.

She also appreciates knowing which physicians are skilled at talking to the press. “Some speak a sound bite a minute, and others are not as helpful.”

The Daily Herald rarely uses videos provided, as it prefers to shoot its own footage. From her perspective, “I don’t even like [e-mail] attachments,” Dungey said. “I get about 120 e-mails an hour and try to read and get rid of them.” If someone wants to gain her attention, “Grab me with your words and your subject line.”

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.”

Coinciding with ABC-TV’s “190 North” celebrating its 10th anniversary as Chicago’s most watched television entertainment and lifestyle program, a panel — consisting of program host and executive producer Janet Davies, producer Rubye Wilson, and senior program producer Holly Grisham — shared tips on pitching the Chicago Emmy-winning show. The show airs Sundays at 10:35 p.m. on Chicago’s ABC affiliate.

Following are highlights of the panel’s discussion at the September Publicity Club of Chicago meeting:

Holly Grisham

Starting as a news producer at the University of Illinois, Grisham joined ABC-TV Chicago 10 years ago, working her way from producing news to producing specials, before helping to launch “190 North.” Grisham is the recipient of several awards and “can’t think of a show that could be more fun to produce. One day we are taking a ride with Mario Andretti at the racetrack and the next we’re learning how to decorate cakes — all while meeting some amazing people and learning things about Chicago that we never knew.”

As part of the original group, Grisham entertains suggestions revolving around lifestyles and entertainment, dining, shopping, interesting people and fun items — the entire focus of “190 North.”

“We love to cover wacky things like playing hockey with the self-proclaimed ‘Mother Puckers’ and rehearsing with the group that calls itself the ‘Percussion Marching Dads.’”

The show also likes to cover fun destinations, museums and out-of-the way locations. The primary audience is females between 25 and 54, but they are working on attracting more males and a younger audience.

At their monthly meetings, every member of the team pitches ideas to the group and “sells away.” The shoot calendar fills up immediately after these meetings.

“We’ve heard dozens of ideas between the six of us,” said Grisham. “We may determine themes or just determine what we will use. Then we’ll plot each show for a month, make assignments, match the producer with the talent and [tell the source] it’s a go. We’ll normally shoot the segment a week or two later.”

“As a publicist,” she added, “you should ask us what we will need and make sure we have it. You are the go-between for both us and your client or organization. You need to let people know — before we show up — what we will require and what to expect while we are there.”

Grisham explained that, on at least one occasion, they’ve arrived and have been turned away. The locations need to know that cameras will be in people’s faces and crews with bright lights will be on location. PR people need to set realistic expectations so their clients are not surprised and there are no unforeseen incidents. With a high-end dining establishment, for example, the crew will be “in the way” for at least three hours.

“Make sure that diners who don’t want to be filmed are not in the path of the camera lens. We don’t want to be thrown out,” she added.

When sending materials, attachments could shut down their system, as they have a mail system that allows a very limited capacity to each person. Grisham explained that “It is better to wait and ask if we want photos, or confine yourself to one attachment.”

Rubye Wilson

With a career that began by producing the “Jenny Jones Show,” “Judge Mathis” and some reality shows in California, Wilson received an Emmy for her work on the Chicago-based daytime reality drama “Starting Over” (Season 1). Prior to joining ABC-TV in Chicago, Wilson produced a variety of national shows, and has produced community affairs specials for People, Places & Things, profiling the culture of African-Americans, as well as producing an hour-long town hall meeting addressing violence against women. She currently serves as a programming producer for “190 North” and other ABC7 shows.

Wilson suggested that, when pitching an idea, the PR person must be enthusiastic. “It should be something you enjoy, think the audience would like and would be something we’d like to do,” she explained. Ideas can include a store with fabulous designs, great discounts or a place everyone just needs to know about. The visuals, a Web site and details of the event (or particulars of the location — if it’s an establishment) should all be information provided in the pitch.”

She also urges those making pitches to “give us as much information as possible — like that the lighting isn’t great or parking is really hard to find, plus any other instructions that might be helpful.”

“We are on a time limit,” she continued. “With only 4-8 hours in our schedule and four people on our crew, our time is tight.”

The more information you can provide upfront, the better. If the pitch better fits into a news story, Wilson promised that the idea would be passed on to the news department.

Producers have the responsibility for pitching the idea, researching, writing and putting the segment together. “We also coordinate with the contributors,” said Wilson. “If the talent has any ideas, they help them bring those ideas to life. We want them to bring their personalities forth to make the program unique.”

She added, “Every person on the team has ideas and opinions. Our mutual goal is always to offer the best possible ‘190 North.’”

Janet Davies

With nominations for more than 51 regional Emmys, and the recipient of 11 of those, Davies is best known for hosting, producing, writing and reporting. A graduate of Miami University in Ohio, she began her broadcasting career as a noon anchor and general assignment reporter for a Cincinnati TV station. She served as the co-host for “AM Philadelphia” before coming to Chicago 25 years ago to join ABC-TV/Channel 7. As the station’s feature and entertainment reporter, she has hosted a vast array of events, but has hosted and served as executive producer of “190 North” since 1984.

According to Davies, the show actually began 12 years ago in a magazine show format. A producer came up with the idea to use the station’s address, 190 North (State), as the address for the program.

She proudly announced, “We shot our 311th show this week! We normally do 32 to 35 shows a year, getting ideas from various contributors. We have done shows around the world, around the country and around Chicago. However, we realize we have not covered even one hundredth of what is out there,” said Davies. “We like having people say, ‘I’ve lived here all my life and have never been there’ or ‘I never knew that.’ It’s joyful to take them along with us.”

Davies described the number of pitches received daily as “mind-numbing.”

“Pitches,” Davies explained, “should be short and sweet. When pitching, put the key points in the title line. Short is wonderful.”

The show receives three or four story ideas a day. Most, however, are not local. “The show really focuses on the Chicago area. Ideas that focus on the surrounding counties and the Midwest also attract our attention,” said Davies. She explained that, although the station’s area of dominant influence (ADI) covers a four-state area, they like to cover destinations within a tank-full of gas.

The shows that do best are weddings and food, along with shows featuring suburbs and neighborhoods. Travel shows don’t always do well, but a Chicago connection is key to locations being considered.

If stories cannot be used right away, ideas are kept in the “evergreen” file. This file remains active, and Davies has done stories pitched two years prior. Shooting is normally done about a month in advance of the air date.

Aside from Davies, the other show hosts, all freelance talent, include Michelle Alegria and Doug Banks, both of whom have been with the show for seven years, and newcomer Tim Hogo, who promises to bring his youthful background to the mix. Alegria covers shopping, eating and spas, among other unique places. Banks adds versatility and humor to the mix and loves to cover eating establishments. Hogo will cover the “Club Kit” persona and wacky things as he establishes a fit for himself.

“We can do anything,” said Davies, “as long as it fits our format. We don’t have the resources or manpower to do shows every week. We use freelance crews,” making it necessary to optimize their time on location. Also, they do not cover restaurants they have visited before unless there is a major change in the venue.

Nonprofits often approach the show for coverage; however they need to understand that “190 North” does not cover benefits or one-time events. This is especially true since shows are re-aired five or six months later, making time-sensitive events problematic. A caveat is events where celebrities are present, so the show can mention the charity, but keep the primary focus on the celebrity.

Davies urges people to check the “190 North” Web site to see what has been covered. When pitching, “Any of us are fair game and it is okay to blanket all of us,” she added. “However, it is better to establish a relationship with a producer or reporter.”

“We want to save trees, and e-mails are easier to file,” she continued. “Snail mail is okay. If you decide to fax, though, know you have a 50/50 chance that someone will receive it,” adds Davies.

To e-mail the show, address pitches to producers@190North.com. “Some of the best, really cool ideas come through that address,” said Davies, adding that e-mail is the best way to contact anyone, although voice is okay. (To get a specific person’s e-mail address, you need to find out the middle name. PCC members can also check for it in the club’s directory.)

Susan Anderson, award-winning former CBS general assignment reporter and current adjunct Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism professor, moderated a trio of local Chicago beat reporters in June at the final Publicity Club of Chicago luncheon of the club year. Following are highlights of the discussion:

Susan Anderson, founder and president, S.E.A. Communications
susan@ownthestory.com

Among the first wave of women in television journalism, Anderson has had more than 20 years of experience as an on-air journalist. Starting at WBBM-TV/CBS in 1972, she founded Factfinder, the first local television consumer investigative unit in the county, and headed it for nearly a decade. Becoming a news anchor in 1980, Anderson created and reported for the daily segment “All About Health” until 1997, when she created SEACOM. During her career, she has won seven Emmys, as well as awards for best consumer reporter, investigative reporting, outstanding woman in communications, and broadcast journalism awards from AP, UPI and Scripps-Howard. Anderson noted that “Citizen-journalists are now more prevalent,” providing clips like the Clinton-Obama footage.

The days of three people crews, expense accounts, and having one day off a year as a “research day are long gone,” said Anderson. “Today, everyone must work across platforms.”

The panelists at this program bore this out.

Ed Curran, CBS-TV (WBBM-TV/Channel 2) meteorologist and “gadget guy”
ejcurran@cbs.com

As the CBS morning news meteorologist, Curran can be seen on Channel 2-TV between 5 and 7 a.m. and on the 11 a.m. newscast. He also serves as the technology reporter, unveiling the hottest consumer electronics trends and gadgets on the market. A Chicago native, he began his broadcast career on the radio, working at WGCI-FM, WIND-FM, WLS-AM and with his own show on WGN Radio for eight years. He became a technology correspondent for CNN, and worked at WGN-TV/Channel 9, then WMAQ-TV/Channel 5.

People can contact him regarding new products, such as the switch to digital television. However, when discussing new products and gadgets, Curran does not use PR pitches, but likes to work directly with the company. If e-mailing him, his preferred method of contact, he requests that PR people *briefly* spell out their ideas, preferably in bulleted form. Then, if they choose, a link and/or an attachment can be included.

“I prefer the lead up front,” he said. “Lead with the bullets and get my attention.”

He especially likes to discuss trends — like in global positioning (GPS) units — and stories that are visual. He will use B-roll if no other option for visual footage exists, but will source it if he does use it. He does not use video news releases.

Regarding the station’s ongoing evolution, “We lost 19 people in March and are moving to a new building,” he said. “As are many, we are doing more with fewer people and are replacing rooms full of people with machines.”

Procedurally, before anything airs or goes online, lawyers review everything he produces. As with most media, Curran’s information is expanding to the Web with extra material, beyond the facts covered on the air. “This provides a value-add, a reason for people to go to the Web,” he explained. “And it’s always nice to have an exclusive.”

Steve Dolinsky, WLS-TV (ABC/Channel 7) food reporter
Steve.b.dolinsky@cbs.com

Having reported on the food industry since 1995, Dolinsky has won 12 James Beard Awards for his radio and television work. He has also written about restaurants, chefs, and the Chicago food scene for years in the Chicago Reader, Citysearch.com, Chef and Chicago Social Magazine. He began Culinary Communications, a food industry-focused media training company working with food and beverage professionals, training them how to handle media exposure. Best known for his Hungry Hound radio and television segments on WBEZ-FM (National Public Radio’s Chicago outlet), WCKG-Radio (105.9 FM) and WLS-TV, he is seen frequently reporting on segments around town and, most recently, at the Taste of Chicago reporting on food fare. He has been at ABC7 for five years, having taken over when James Ward retired.

With two young children, Dolinsky loves to cook and, in reality, only dines out about twice a week with them. For his stories, he is most interested in behind the scenes recipes, trends, techniques and the use of unique ingredients. Although he is one of the few reporters who likes to get some of his information by phone, he still prefers receiving e-mails.

However, for e-mail, one of his pet peeves is receiving a note as part of a mass release.

“Craft your release to meet my needs,” he said, adding, that he looks for trends. “For example, if I hear about three places that use peanut butter in different ways, like in risotto, I can compare ingredients. If I get a lead about different peanut butter use — like in stew, in ice cream or grinding their own — from two people, it’s a coincidence, but if I hear about it three times, it’s a trend.”

“It is tough to do roundup stories when you have only two minutes on tape and the stories are one to two hours away. Story sources must be close by — within an hour of downtown Chicago,” he explained, “since we don’t always have a crew to film. It’s tough to get a crew, especially since [my food stories] are not the priority.”

Dolinsky suggests PR people do their legwork before contacting him and warns them not to call asking if he got a release, as that is a major pet peeve.

Typically, he is in the studio on Wednesdays and Friday, while on Mondays and Wednesdays he is researching and shooting stories.

Providing general insight to PR people, Dolinsky said, “It is easy to go to Web sites in the various markets to determine the beats of reporters, assessing what they cover.” PR professionals “should *know* the story and the product they are pitching before they contact me. They should also know the difference between a trend and a limited product. If it is a hyper-seasonal story and you supply what I need, I will mention the company.” Otherwise, he rarely mentions product sources. Stories he does not use on the air, he may use on the Web.

“There is a shift in advertising dollars to the Web,” he explained. “I am creating content in a unique slot. People are interested in it and the shift in advertising money will follow that. I always watch what the competition does, and know there is a whole spectrum of food coverage. Even though it may look like I follow others when their stories appear before ours — like online, we shoot three weeks ahead of when our stories air.”

Three people manage the Web content for the station. Dolinsky explained that if something airs before it goes on the Web, it is not reviewed by legal, but anything that appears on air, it is carefully scrutinized first.

As for B-roll, “we shoot all our own stuff and would rather not use B-roll,” said Dolinsky. However, it has been used on rare occasions, like a shot of pigs in Spain they used in the credit. If B-roll is submitted, they prefer 16 x 9 format.

Answering the burning question of how he can eat so much and yet keep himself slim, he revealed that he uses a personal trainer and drinks only water, no soda or wine, in addition to carefully monitoring his portions.

Lisa Parker, NBC-TV (WMAQ-TV/Channel 5) consumer reporter
Lisa.parker@nbc.com

Reporting on a wide range of topics from real everyday consumer stories to national issues, Parker has worked for NBC5 since 1996 and was responsible for initiating their consumer investigative unit. Also an award-winning broadcast journalist, her awards include Midwest Emmys, Edward R. Murrow Regional RTNDA awards, a Gracie Allen Award, as well as several state and local broadcast awards.

Her stories include children’s product safety, potential defects in automobiles, toxins in mainstream consumer products and other sources of potential consumer danger that have been a catalyst for change. A Northwestern University Medill graduate, prior to joining NBC5, she worked at stations in Virginia, Wisconsin and Iowa.

Always on the lookout for patterns and trends, many of her topics come from viewer feedback through e-mail and the station’s hotline. However, “most pitches don’t meet my needs,” said Parker. “What will get my attention is a current consumer news peg or something that is funny. If there is a naked profit motive in the pitch, it will most likely be pretty transparent.”

She added that most local PR professionals know how to pitch a story, but out-of-town agencies aren’t doing their homework and their pitches are typically off target. You need to know that,” according to Parker. “You don’t want Product 5 to do a story about you.”

Parker also needs visuals that feature real people, especially if the consumers are local. There is a giant push to the Web. The station targets viewers by demographics, age group and news clicks.

“Our reports are ‘evergreen’ and our stuff stays,” she said. “People go to the Web and there it is. Rather than providing other resources on air, we relegate that to our Web site now. On the Web, we provide built-in clicks that will send visitors to sites like www.fda.gov, etc.”

In terms of B-roll, she added, “NBC has a policy against using them or VNRs unless they are our last resort. The reason for that is we don’t know if anything was staged for outside sources.”

There has also been a lot of downsizing at NBC, which is owned by General Electric. “There are challenges across the company, especially as we lose people and resources. Due to eyeballs leaving [television screens] and revenues increasing on the Web site, it’s a lot less expensive to put things on the Web than on the air.”

Different standards exist on the air, when it comes to editing and fact checking. A New York-based legal reviews all stories to ensure they do not contain anything that can be construed as slander, libel or defamation.

The intent of the station is to make the Web more interactive. To that end, they print unedited blogs containing opinions. “Younger people are getting most of their news from blogs,” Parker added. “Currently, there is no additional video content on the Web. We turn all the stories into print-friendly pieces. But that is about to change. Even though what is found there will be parallel, the content will be original.”

When it comes to citizen journalists, Parker acknowledged that there is the potential for “hidden agendas, so we need to treat them like any source and verify their reports.”

She added, “Even though it means little to our viewers, exclusives mean a lot to our management. I’d love to have an exclusive story! That means that no one else has done it. We need to get people to watch!”

The panel included Business Ledger Editor Don Kopriva; Daily Herald Assistant City Editor Anne Halston; Daily Southtown Deputy Managing Editor John O’Brien; and Sun Publications Managing Editor Ted Slowick. Jim Elsener, publisher of The Business Ledger, moderated the discussion.

Following are highlights of the meeting, courtesy of the PCC’s Sue Masaracchia-Roberts.

James Elsener, Moderator

In 1996, Elsener founded The Business Ledger, which today has a full-time staff of 10, a circulation of 11,000 and a readership that exceeds 40,000. The biweekly publication serves business executives in DuPage County, west and northwest Cook County, the Fox Valley and Will County. Elsener began his professional career in the news “trenches” as a reporter and editor at the City News Bureau of Chicago, followed by serving for five years as a business reporter for the Chicago Tribune.

Elsener: jelsener@thebusinessledger.com

Don Kopriva

Before helping create The Business Ledger and becoming its vice president and editor, Kopriva spent a good part of his career working in public relations, so he has an appreciation for what professionals face on a daily basis. His previous positions include stints at the Chicago Sun-Times as assistant managing editor, administration; with the 1984 Olympic Games as director of the main press center; and in public relations posts at state universities in Illinois and Wisconsin. He also has owned and operated his own public relations and marketing firm.

The focus of the biweekly publication is business news, issues and trends. The publication includes BusinessEdge Online, a periodic Book of Lists, Market Facts and a publication called Forward, targeted to high-school students who do not plan to attend college.

Kopriva urges PR people to know the paper and its focus, and said, “Everything emanates from economic development. It’s all about business-to-business — where people do business. Business is the heart and soul of most areas. We are looking for the news behind the news, the stories behind the stories. What do they really do? If you live in Kalamazoo, Mich., but you own a business in Naperville, we could be interested in a story about the business in Naperville. If there is an environmental angle pertaining to the green movement, there are different needs and wants.”

He receives about 250 e-mails a day “after weeding through the spam.” He does look at his e-mails, and especially looks for stories buried underneath the lead. He gets a few faxes. If he gets a phone call, he asks for a pitch “in 25 words or less.” However, he warned professionals not to call to ask if a release has been received. For e-mails, he urges PR people to provide a phone number so he’s able to contact them right away if he needs to.

Kopriva said he has a responsibility to local businesses. “If you are in New York calling, most likely you are ‘willy-nilly’ sending out releases to local media,” he said. “If you are based locally, we will want to know you and make friends with you.”

He encourages trend spotting — looking for opportunities to tweak the Web and use online resources like videos. “We are learning to use these just like you are,” he said. “There is a learning curve.”

If you send photos, make sure they are high resolution, at least 300 dpi. Photos like those from business grand openings are used on the inside back cover for a page called “Photo Finish”; however, they cannot be used as the story. If photos are taken at seminars or events, make sure the photos submitted do not include more than three or four people. “We need good head shots, especially photos of those heading companies.”

What The Business Ledger does not cover is dance concerts, local social events or plays, and does not offer a blog. “These are of no interest to us. Know our readership and coverage area and what our paper covers. We want to have you partner with us; just make sure you offer stories that are informational rather than promotional. Some stories are just better than others.”

Kopriva: dkopriva@thebusinessledger.com

John O’Brien

O’Brien has been in the newspaper business for 15 years, 10 of those with the Southtown. He’s responsible for the metro desk and the features and sports sections.

The Southtown Star, which covers a portion of the south side of Chicago and the city, offers hyper-local coverage and includes reader-submitted news and photos. It is the product of a merger of two previously independent papers, and comes out twice a week, “offering the best of both worlds. It fills an editorial niche.” The publishers also offer a publication called Leap, targeting a higher-end income level.

“A person from Orland Park donating a kidney is a good story for us,” said O’Brien, “relevant to our readers and localized.”

When sending O’Brien an e-mail, make sure to paste information and photos into the body of the document rather than just attaching them. As someone who receives hundreds of e-mails a day, he “triages” his e-mails quickly. To help sell him an article idea, “Use a good headline. A lot of time we will take releases word for word,” he said. “However, if it is submitted in Word, we don’t need to reformat it.”

He warns PR people to be judicious regarding making follow-up calls. “Calling us after sending every release will guarantee that you will get on our bad side. Instead, work to develop a relationship with us.”

All the online and breaking news appearing in print is controlled by “the mother ship.” For their online publication, they are beginning to use special video and a photo gallery. “Every story will soon be accompanied by a video story, too, as they are teaching new tricks to old dogs,” he said. “If you are pitching, mention video opportunities, especially since our Web sites have RSS feeds as well.”

He offers a sheet he sends to groups, detailing how to submit photos. He prefers high-resolution jpeg formats of at least 300 dpi.

Stories suggested must involve his coverage area; however, he encourages people to contact him if they are unsure about the fit. “Send releases to me and I’ll make sure they get to the right person. I also welcome questions.”

O’Brien: JObrien@Dailysouthtown.com

Ted Slowik

Slowik has been with the Sun-Times Media Group for 10 years. He currently serves as managing editor of The Naperville Sun and seven weekly Sun publications with a daily circulation of about 17,000, serving such towns as Downers Grove, Lisle, Wheaton, Bolingbrook and Plainfield.

As resources are limited and his publications are very geographically specific, Slowik prefers e-mailed press releases that are straightforward, with just words and text in the body. “Tell me if photos are available, but don’t include them, as our files have size limits,” he said. “I want the opportunity to respond so I can ask for photos.”

Slowik encourages stories that involve new businesses in town, advancements, promotions and other people news. A story might have broader appeal but needs to involve local content, like a Lisle resident who went to Antarctica. “If I can copy and paste a press release and just add a photo, it’s a no-brainer,” he said.

However, Slowik does not feel obliged to respond to every pitch. “I am happy to talk to people, being professional and courteous; however, if a story does not apply to a coverage area, I am not going to use it.”

Slowik began a blog a year ago involving the Naperville schools. “Readers like to participate in the process and dialog, but we still want professionals to report the news,” he added.

As the Sun-Times Media Group has a partnership with CBS-TV, they are always looking for video content, as well. “This is the direction of the future,” said Slowik.

The situation with the group is unique, as “we are partners, but also competitors. We are losing advertising revenues [from businesses] but are getting pitches for stories [about them].” As a result, he urges PR professionals to be discreet about pitches. The papers compete for the same revenue.

Slowik: tslowik@scn1.com

Anne Halston

As an assistant city editor at the Daily Herald’s DuPage County Bureau, Halston works with a staff of 10 (seven reporters and three community news coordinators) and focuses primarily on local, west suburban news and events, including schools, charities and festivals. Halston has worked at the Daily Herald since 1992, and started her newspaper career as a reporter at the Elgin Courier News and the now-defunct Daily Journal in Wheaton. The Daily Herald covers the north, west and northwest suburbs, including DuPage, Cook, Lake, Kane and McHenry counties. The newspaper has bureaus in Arlington Heights (headquarters), Lisle, Elgin and Libertyville.

The Daily Herald also publishes the Spanish-language paper Reflejos (”Reflections”), a special publication called Beat for the 18- to 34-year-old demographic, as well a niche advertising publication and Web postings. According to Halston, 90 percent of their stories come from PR people, and about half to three quarters of the stories in the print edition also reside online.

“I receive 200 e-mails a day and cannot possibly respond to each of them,” said Halston. “Most of the stuff we use is hyper-local and involves things we have not heard about before. We love to receive press releases we can easily create our stories from. Those releases are as complete as possible.”

The Herald includes several sections over the course of a week, including trends, health and fitness and business. “Where are people from? Where do they work? It’s all about location, location, location,” said Halston. “With staff and freelance budget cutbacks, we look for free content.”

As a result, the editors have approached charities to provide them with information about what they do. The reception the Herald has received has been tremendous.

The paper is revamping their online publication system and is working to put even more stories online. “Now it is very cumbersome to pull up stories that ran [recently],” said Halston. “The new system will go live in June. There is a separate editor ushering the online stories through, but I’m posting stories and breaking news.”

Halston prefers e-mail contact, but still enjoys getting phone calls — something she finds she gets fewer of lately. She said, “I still like to hear the excitement in someone’s voice, but I like e-mail also. However, I do not like having e-mails that include blind-copies that go to others all over the company. You can send copies to 10 people but don’t blind-copy us.”

Since Halston is equipped only with an older version of Word, she cautions PR people that she may have difficulty opening attachments. It is best to paste the text into the body of the e-mail. She also prefers receiving text that includes home towns of those involved and captions for the photos.

Blogging is a new addition. She began to blog on their youth product and suspects they will do more.

Although “newspaper people are unhappy and on shrinking staffs, it is an exciting time,” Halston said. “The job has been changing since television began. The way we do our jobs is changing. We are always looking to PR people for new ideas for how we present stories. We can work together!”

Halston: ahalston@dailyherald.com

Following is a recap of the luncheon, courtesy of Sue Masaracchia-Roberts:

John Vita
Grant Thorton, LLP

With more than 25 years of experience, including work for Fortune 500 firms and a presidential campaign, Vita is the national director of communications at Grant Thornton LLP, one of the six global accounting organizations. Prior to assuming his current position, Vita worked at Arthur Andersen and as an investigative news producer for WBBM-TV in Chicago. Vita asked the panel whether the changes in the business press will promote even greater competition.

Joe Barrett, The Wall Street Journal
Deputy Bureau Chief
Joseph.barrett@wsj.com

Deputy Chicago bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, Barrett helps oversee a staff of reporters who cover agriculture, restaurants, packaged foods, brewers, airlines, medicine, heavy machinery, and the Midwest economy and politics. Prior to joining the WSJ, Barrett spent 20 years at Dow Jones, was a Page One editor in New York and Brussels, a copy editor and the writer of the Page One “What’s News” column.

With the news world becoming quicker and quicker, the Web has become a commodity. The Wall Street Journal has an agreement through 2011 with CNBC and is actually hiring rather than laying off staff, while targeting mid-level managers who aspire to join the boardroom as CEOs and CFOs.

Barrett advises PR people to become familiar with the WSJ sections and what they cover. “Pitch the right story to the right person,” he advised, adding that he likes conventions and events in Chicago, even though he may not have the staff to send someone to cover what is happening. “Know what is going on.”

He is also interested in studies. “If you can offer me an exclusive on an academic study of homeless people with HIV/AIDS, we would probably cover that. Any studies or news that we are offered exclusively” is a good bet for WSJ coverage. He further advises PR people to “shop the story around, but wait for an answer. The next time I see an e-mail from you, I may be more likely to respond.”

With about 1 million online subscribers, Barrett predicts that, in the next five to 10 years, “the Internet will be the story. Currently, there are about 2 million regular readers, and we are the only publication that currently charges for access to its Web site. Everyone is wrestling with the business model, knowing we have two masters. Journalists are also morphing, becoming multipurpose.”

In the past, the WSJ had given priority to the print edition and even embargoed news until it could appear in print. But after getting beaten by the New York Times online, their current goal is to put the most current news on the Web first before putting it in their print edition.

Also, the WSJ was once more focused on Chicago stories. It wanted industry stories about beer, packaged food, restaurants, technology, etc. In the past 18 months, this has changed and a story’s “Chicago-ness” does not matter as much. A new dimension to reporting is the use of video, which is being shot by reporters with handheld cameras.

Joseph Weber, BusinessWeek
Chief of Correspondents
Joe_weber@businessweek.com

Weber serves both as the domestic chief of correspondents and as bureau manager for BusinessWeek. In addition to managing the Chicago reporting staff, which covers business, economic and political news across the Midwest, Weber also oversees the editorial operations of BusinessWeek Chicago, a monthly edition of the magazine focused on the Chicago metropolitan area. His focus is on finance, healthcare, media, and assorted corporate, regional and national issues. Prior to becoming bureau manager in Chicago, he served BusinessWeek in Dallas, Philadelphia and Toronto.

According to Weber, the business press must provide not only substance and depth, but an explanation, “the why.” BusinessWeek and other publications have been “redefining themselves over the past two years. Forbes and Fortune are bi-weeklies while BusinessWeek is a weekly,” he said.

His publication brings people stories that explain information more substantially than the Web typically supplies with its speed. It also includes three or more major in-depth thought pieces that have not appeared elsewhere. BusinessWeek Chicago was created and now exists to relate only to Chicago businesses.

“The journalism is incredibly fervent,” Weber explained. “All of these have to differentiate themselves as products cogently as mainstream media shrinks. We now have BusinessWeek TV, which has no formal alliance and on which appears breaking news on the market with one of our folks getting electing to be a talking head.”

He added that most stories of any significance that come to fruition in BusinessWeek have involved PR people.

“What works best for me is access to top executives,” he said. “This is essential, along with having an executive who takes hard questions and provides answers. Also helpful is fact checking.”

It is not helpful when PR people do not understand the publication and send inappropriate pitches or call. “If the story has legs, e-mail is the best way to contact me,” Weber added.

He predicts the Internet will continue to grow, especially as print costs increase. The big test, he said, is whether people want to read or just see images. Promisingly, there has been a growth on the local level for publications like his and Crain’s. A need appears to exist for business news in the market; however, a big debate exists regarding whether or not to charge for access to the publication’s Web site.

Stressing the immediacy of the Web, he said, “If you are a trader, two minutes can be an eternity. That small amount of time can make or break [you].”

The question publications must ask is, “Will the reader keep reading a story? At that point, the brand name of a product becomes ever more important,” said Weber.

Can you rely on the publication to let you know “if the company is part of a division of a company in Dubai? The scorecard is murky. The appeal of the Internet is to look rough and unpolished and put it in front of a New York market guy and let him look more genuine.”

In that way, all the pieces — print and Internet editions must work together.

Jeff Flock - FOX Business Network
Reporter
Jeff.flock@foxbusiness.com

Flock began his career helping to launch CNN, and served as Chicago bureau chief and correspondent, managing Midwest coverage and reporting on and winning Peabody and Emmy awards for his coverage of some of this nation’s most compelling stories, like the Gulf War and Oklahoma City bombing. He left CNN in 2004, becoming the managing editor and anchor for Hurricane Now, LLC, a Web site specializing in hurricane coverage in the United States. He joined FOX Business Network (FBN) in 2007.

The Web now offers a wealth of information to anyone who looks for it. In the past, “the stuff we had as business journalists, everyone has now. Hard charts, which are valuable tools, are now just a click away on the Internet. Reporters need to be smarter now than ever. We need to identify the most important thing and know what to do with it,” said Flock, who spent 25 years working with the Ted Turner-owned CNN.

“I wish someone had turned me on to business reporting earlier in my career,” he said, jokingly adding, “Business news does not happen in the middle of the night, on Christmas or on weekends.”

With 106 stations on Comcast in Chicago and 40 million cable-viewing homes, the FOX vision in broadcast these days is to target the audience.

“We conducted focus groups with Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 CEOs and noted how much blows by them. We need to explain this information so people can understand it and make it more accessible, educating the public rather than dumbing it down,” he said.

Typically, when people watch television, everyone watches the same thing at the same time; however, the Internet tends to fragment people. he goal in business news is to bring more people in to watch.

Rupert Murdoch “looked at aggressively breaking business news,” he said. “If the Fox Business Network takes off, CNBC may die a natural death. There is a lot of good news out there and the pace has ramped up.”

He noted that, rather than receiving mail, he gets around 600 e-mails a day, including a lot of material and story pitches via BlackBerry. Those that interest him get forwarded to his home account and he looks at them when he has the time, unless he responds immediately to those that are either particularly interesting or time-sensitive. When he is interested, responses may include, “Can you send me more? Tell me more?” and “Can I send a crew tomorrow?”

His Chicago team shoots all its video and shows it live 10 times a day. He particularly wants to see two- to three-minute “pops with texture” that make good television and includes people in them.

“I am live most of the day from 9 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m.,” he explained. “The best way to contact me is e-mail. Even my producers e-mail me to tell me I’m on the air in 5 seconds.”

“I am in charge of seeing real people and making stories come alive, showing how things work,” he added. “Not everyone understands bond markets and butterfly spreads. I hope and want to offer real, solid valuable information.”

There is no longer a need to put stock and financial information in the print newspaper, due to the availability of the Internet and other resources. Despite the competitive pressures to focus on “breaking” stories, this trend is beginning to wane, due to an erosion in mainstream media in being able to vet out when something is erroneous.

Increasingly, “news teams” now consist of only one person reporting and showing a story. As a result, Flock generally is not taken in by stunts and does not take B-roll from outside sources. However, he does enjoy being able to show serious news in an entertaining way. “The grittiness of the real stuff has an allure and genuineness that is hard to match,” he said.

Following are highlights of the discussion, courtesy of the PCC’s Sue Masaracchia-Roberts:

Sue Margraf

Margraf, a partner in GreenMark Public Relations, is herself an award-winning print reporter, editor and media relations practitioner with more than 26 years in the communications field. Before creating her own firm, she served as the manager of public relations at the Chicago Botanic Garden, building an award-winning team, and founded the Chicago Parks and Gardens, a network of PR professionals dedicated to increasing national awareness of Chicago as a “green tourism” destination.

Margraf began the conversation by asking the panelists for advice on how PR practitioners can successfully navigate the changes taking place in media, including questions regarding the impact of the Internet, the research behind stories found online and the changing tastes of the media audience. Both writers concurred it would be a tragedy for Chicago news if the financial troubles plaguing both papers resulted in only one major daily paper in town.

Julie Deardorff

Currently the health and fitness reporter, Deardorff began at the Chicago Tribune as a sports writer in 1991 and began covering local and national issues starting in 1996. A marathon runner and vegetarian, she moved to writing about environmental issues before becoming the health and fitness writer in 2003. In March 2007, she began a health and fitness blog she calls Julie’s Health Club. The blog joins alternative with mainstream health and allows her to create her own deadlines and use material that otherwise would not find a home. Her blog reacts to breaking news and covers issues overlooked by the Tribune and other mainstream papers.

Deardorff acknowledged that the Tribune got into the Internet late in the game, and its new owner, Sam Zell, has made a revamped Tribune news site a priority. Compared to other major dailies, the paper has a very modest Web staff, although all the breaking stories first go online before they go into the paper.

Her blog is a great vehicle to pitch, as it allows her to write about anything health- and fitness-related in a much faster, less edited manner. Deardorff loves receiving information from physicians doing studies, where she can create a link to the doctor or hospital and include jpeg photos and post them right away. She finds she can receive a great deal of “hits” when a celebrity disease is discussed elsewhere in the media, with people wanting to find out more about it.

However, she perceives the blog a black hole that demands attention, which, with current deadlines, provides little time to engage in what she terms “deep thinking.” She also finds video becoming even more important than photos for use on her blog.

“Print is still the backbone of the Tribune,” she said, but, in terms of time, “we are torn between print and the Internet. Reporters are stressed for time in this climate of needing to do more than one job.” Instead of beefing up staff, media are cutting staff. “Newspapers today are working to figure out their identity, especially since the Internet allows the paper to be posted online before it appears in print.”

Deardorff also finds that “PR people are doing a lot of reporting these days, going beyond the call of duty,” she added.

Although, like many reporters, she receives numerous pitches that are inappropriate for her needs, the majority of these come from PR people on the East Coast and not from the Chicago market. She beseeches PR professionals to read her columns and blog, becoming familiar with them before pitching her. Send her a personalized, brief story suggestion. If she is interested, she will get in contact with the sender. She urges practitioners not to call. Typically, she will respond quickly to e-mails but tends not to answer her phone. She also tends to respond more quickly to those with local connections and people that she knows.

“I don’t shy away from things that seem ridiculous,” she said, adding that “silly stories get the most coverage.” Quotes that are germane and stand out are great. “The person pitching can always add, if you want to talk further, experts to comment on [XYZ topic] can be contacted by calling… That’s great and helps a lot!”

As for deadlines, the Sunday Q section of the Tribune deadline is at least nine days before. Deardorff is very receptive to receiving information well in advance for that. For her blog, she reports it “as it happens”; however, she maintains it on the understanding that “if a blog doesn’t get a lot of traffic, it gets cut. It takes a lot away from print, and the Internet news site does not generate adequate ad revenues,” the source of much of the newspaper’s income.

With the creation of the Red Eye and Red Streak editions of the Tribune and Sun-Times (which resulted from research and feedback provided by focus groups), the papers “used these as a stepping stone to the main papers, hoping that people who just aren’t reading the news will read these. They are more celebrity-focused.”

The style of writing in the Tribune also has also changed. Whereas “we never used second person — like using you and we, now, instead of writing objectively in the third person — we use second person all the time.”

Although Deardorff never writes about products, she welcomes tips that are appropriate for her beat. She can be reached at jdeardorff@tribune.com

Lewis Lazare

A former staff writer for the Chicago Reader and associate editor for Crain’s Chicago Business, Lazar has written the “Media Mix” column for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than five years. With degrees from Dartmouth College and Northwestern University, his career focus has largely been on writing business and advertising stories.

Lazare writes between four and five days a week, with deadlines arriving between 3 and 3:30 p.m., allowing little time to blog. Except for one done for the Super Bowl, he does not blog.

“I decide what to write about, then collect all possible data and the artwork, making most days very energy-draining,” said Lazare. “Time is a major concern, so there is not a lot of time to tell anyone else what does and does not work.”

Lazare writes about the business of marketing and advertising, about campaigns and how advertising works, rather than a trade column. His hope is to receive phone calls or e-mails that concern information of interest to the general readership. He is most annoyed by pitches that are inappropriate for his needs and that he says come mainly from New York. Out of the “scores that stream into” his mailbox, only five or six out of every 100 grab his attention.

Among the “little things that can make a good story are being offbeat, colorful and catchy with a marketing hook,” he said. “Make it fascinating and, if you can, provide artwork — that is even better.”

He also bemoaned that a good number of pitches lack a show of passion. “Don’t read from a script,” he advised,” but indicate you have a passion about what you are pitching. Calling me, especially without having any passion for the idea, is an idiotic waste of time. If you don’t have any passion, how can you expect us to passionately write about it? Make an effort!”

For breaking stories, 24-48 hours is an adequate amount of time for him to get a story written, “but I need at least a few hours once I get an idea presented in a coherent, passionate fashion,” he added.

The Internet is a priority for the Sun-Times, so they are getting information and building a collection of work relevant to readers around the clock. The managing editors did a lot of research and were so impressed by the online presence of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, they have been using that as their model for the Sun-Times. Internet content needs have no length requirements and can range anywhere from a few sentences or a paragraph to a longer piece. However, they are also dedicated to the print publication.

There has been a lot of rearranging of departments at the Sun-Times; however, Lazare said newspapers are a resilient industry that expects waves of reductions. Even though the rumor of the publication being sold is a big question mark, everyone is adjusting and the paper is still getting produced.

His greatest concern is that “young people today do not understand or appreciate the concept of newspapers you can hold in your hand. I question the insights they get, especially since what they consider to be news is based on what they can receive from ‘Access Hollywood’ or from their iPods and BlackBerrys,” he said, adding, Today’s youth is very self-absorbed.” He does believe that video belongs in a news venue.

From his perspective, newspapers are not just about what is breaking but provide a larger picture, a greater view of the city as a whole.

Lazare can be reached at llazare@suntimes.com

A panel of top editorial board editors told a packed PCC luncheon that editorial boards are taking a different look at their responsibilities and approach to the needs of their respective media outlets.

Jeffrey Bierig, former Chicago Tribune media relations manager and now the director of media relations for the Illinois Institute of Technology, served as moderator of the December panel discussion. The panelists, representing editorial boards of major outlets, included Chicago Tribune Editorial Page Editor Bruce Dold, Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Page Editor Cheryl Reed and Chicago Public Radio Managing Editor Sally Eisele.

Bruce Dold

As editor of the Chicago Tribune editorial page, Dold supervises the production of the paper’s editorials, the Voice of the People and the Op-Ed/Commentary page. A reporter since 1978, Dold has won a number of awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. As part of his current duties, he frequently serves as a commentator on various television and radio shows, including “The Newshour with Jim Lehrer” and “Chicago Tonight.”

Dold noted that today’s instant news mentality changes the way editorial boards approach their jobs. He recalled how letters used to take seven days to arrive; now it takes seven minutes. “What is news in the paper today is online tomorrow and garners almost instant responses,” he explained. “Newspapers are catching up with the speed of radio.”

Eleven people sit on the Tribune editorial board, many with backgrounds in journalism and news reporting. “It’s like an orchestra — people on the left and on the right so we can have a good argument. Everyone can put what they think we should be writing about on the table. We also meet with people who will lobby us on different issues, like the secretary general of the UN or Sen. McCain. We need to be able to switch gears at any time.”

Like the Sun-Times, the Tribune strives to write about what people will actually read, compelling stories rather than letters by committee. While they receive approximately 1,500 letters and editorial comments a week, only about 60 or 70 actually appear in print. However, a lot more content will appear online as time goes on, according to Dold. Op-eds can be no longer than 800 words and letters cannot exceed 400 words.

The final decision as to what appears belongs to Dold. “I’ll hear the arguments presented by the board and usually go with the majority,” he explained.

Dold prefers being approached by e-mail, not phone. Contact him at bdold@tribune.com.

Cheryl Reed

Currently the director of the commentary pages at the Sun-Times, Reed began her Sun-Times career in 2003 as a general assignment reporter, also serving as the book editor and covering investigations. She is most proud of her “State of Shame” and “Wounded Warriors” stories focusing on the treatment of returning Illinois veterans and disability payments.

Editorially, the Sun-Times tries to offer a dialogue. “It used to tell you what to think,” said Reed. “Now we want to have a two way conversation.” To that end, the Sun-Times has added more letters, a blog and video, eliciting comments from readers. “Every day at 10:30 a.m., six people — our board — argue around the table about what [a story] means to Chicago. We might look at what the New York Times or the Tribune is writing and then give it a different take or spin. We reflect what the working class in Chicago thinks.”

The Sun-Times also differentiates itself through its staff of artists who illustrate the opinions expressed and help them communicate to people in regular language.

Using blogs and video, they try to engage people who are funny but have an attitude, such as Michael Moore. “We are more about opening lines of communication,” said Reed. “We don’t want to be labeled as progressive or liberal. The paper had been conservative; the publisher feels we should go back to our roots, which is why we have people of color, Hispanics and more minorities on the board.” In addition, Reed reports that, shortly, the Sun-Times will begin to do audio. “We can give you online what you don’t get in the paper itself.”

The paper considers itself Chicago-centric, so it is about to launch a community panel, featuring people with their pictures in the paper. The Sun-Times prefers well-rounded stories but avoids assigning “beats.” Their focus is on areas where they will have the greatest impact. “With more than 1 million readers, we like to use them for input,” added Reed.

Reed personally filters the op-eds and commentaries and finds the major problem to be that there is not enough space for all of them. Op-eds must be no longer than 450 words, should relate to what is in the news and must touch peoples’ lives.

“We want our readers to care about the stories and read them,” Reed said. “We try to explore what the working class reader sees as relevant issues — like drivers’ licenses for illegal aliens or [foreign citizens] not learning English.” The final editorial decision as to what runs rests with her. “I can disagree with the news pages since I have my own soapbox.”

Reed can be reached via e-mail at creed@suntimes.com.

Sally Eisele

In charge of local news and public affairs programming for WBEZ, Eisele oversees the content of a number of programs, including “Morning Edition,” “Eight Forty-Eight,” “Worldview,” “All Things Considered,” “Hello Beautiful” and “Radio M.” A recipient of both the Casey Medal and Lisagor awards, Eisele created San Francisco’s “The California Report” for KQED.

Chicago Public Radio focuses on covering issues that concern the Chicago region and resonate with the community. Its goal is to establish a connection with community leaders and policy makers and invite public opinion. Although it has no formal editorial board, it provides a forum for the exchange of ideas while providing balanced, provocative discussions on issues of importance to its listeners. Many of their commentaries come from letters they receive. They do not do political endorsements, although political coverage will become more prevalent as the 2008 elections begin to take shape.

“Once a week we discuss our long-term plans and discuss how to move our long-term topics forward over time,” said Eisele. “We have not done as much commentary as we would like to do.”

Anyone interested in pitching commentary should “be approachable, be succinct and make us care! There are so many avenues through which to find stories,” said Eisele. “Why should we care about yours?” She also cautions those interested to make sure their commentaries are no more than two pages, written in 12-point font and have 1-1/2-line spacing.

In the spring, the station will feature interactive call-in with a Web component, increasing their use of the Web. “The front of the Web is my call,” said Eisele. “As the Web is taking on more importance, so it is becoming as important as it is part of the content delivery system. Everything on the radio goes on the Web, as we are always looking for good content to share. While there is not enough room for all the good stories on the radio, the Web is unlimited.”

“It is good to push the envelope in this ongoing commentary,” she added. “We also enjoy receiving feedback.”

To reach Eisele, e-mail her at seisele@chicagopublicradio.org.

As a reporter receiving dozens of e-mail pitches daily, here are some things that would make my life easier, set your pitch apart from the rest and improve your chances of getting ink for your client. Let’s start from the top.

1. Focus Your Subject

I can’t tell you how many pitches I get with vague e-mail subjects, and I tend to open them last, often after my story deadline, because they simply do not get my attention. The best way to reply to a ProfNet query is to copy and paste the query headline into your e-mail subject after your client’s name and company name. That immediately tells me what query you are addressing, and I can find your client’s name easily while skimming my inbox.

2. Directly Address The Query

When pressed for time, I’m not looking for chitchat or other e-mail pleasantries. I need to get straight to the business at hand. Use your first 2-3 sentences in your e-mail to address the query, not to launch into a lengthy introduction of yourself and your client. Most queries have several specific things they are looking for, so respond in kind. Even use a “bulleted check list” to show that your client is a perfect fit for the story. If the reporter asks for a women in her 30s who is juggling a baby and her business and has revenues of over $500,000, your query should start with “Jane Doe of ABC Company, a gift-basket company, is 33 and recently had twins. She is learning to juggle babies and a business that has over $1 million in revenues.”

3. Give a Short Bio

Every client has life, career and/or business highlights. Zero in on the ones most relevant to the pitch — don’t just copy and paste a lengthy boilerplate bio. A short bio is one paragraph with 5-6 sentences.

4. Avoid Clichés

Don’t use age-old clichés — such as “She’s a woman succeeding in a man’s world” or “He overcame enormous odds to find success” — to try to sell your client. Their story should speak for itself without the clichés or hyperbole. Try to distill what makes them interesting or different or newsworthy into one concise statement.

5. Save the Press Release for Last

Reporters get press releases in so many ways but sending them as a response to a query is not helping your client get noticed. What it tells me is the publicist is too lazy to craft a quick, concise pitch and, frankly, I don’t have the time to read the release to figure out if I’m interested in interviewing someone. That said, pasting a recent or relevant release at the end of the pitch can be helpful, and I will glance at it if the pitch has grabbed my attention.

6. Make Follow-ups Clear

Pasting the query at the end of the pitch is helpful to let a reporter know which query you are addressing. Even more helpful is when you paste it in your follow-up e-mails or, better yet, include the previous e-mail exchanges you’ve had with the reporter to refresh their memory. The worst follow-up e-mails are the ones that come all to often with nothing more than, “Just wanted to know if you were interested in interviewing my client for your article.” The second-worst pitches are the ones that have made the rounds between clients and colleagues and are forwarded — perhaps accidentally — to the reporter. I don’t have time to sift through what everyone else is saying to figure out what is being pitched, and most of that correspondence wasn’t really for my eyes in the first place!

7. Do Not Attach Files to Reporters

Unless you have been given specific instructions to send a reporter attached files, make it a rule never to attach files to reporters. If you can, use links to online resources, particularly in a well-organized Web-based pressroom. If you must send an attachment, never do it with your pitch but instead offer to send other documents and specify the file type and size or at least ask permission. If the core of your pitch is in an attached file, realize that 9 times out of 10, your strongest selling points are going into a trash bin.

The most important thing to remember when pitching by e-mail is that each reporter is different and has their own preferences. It never hurts to e-mail them first and ask what they’d prefer to receive.

The presentation covered how to:

· Receive and respond to daily leads from journalists seeking expert sources
· Proactively engage with media by connecting with journalists you couldn’t access individually
· Create expert profiles that can be searched by journalists
· Gain additional exposure by linking to expert profiles in news releases
· Maximize your ROI by combining reactive and proactive methods

Special guest journalists Catharine Hamm from the Los Angeles Times and James Burnett from the Miami Herald discussed how the media use ProfNet, including tips on writing an effective pitch.

Presented by:
Juliet Herman, director of ProfNet

To listen to an archive of the webinar, please visit http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=44358