Posts Tagged ‘producers’
Monday, April 22nd, 2013
A Los Angeles media relations vice president sent me a pitch that includes 20 paragraphs, one of several pitches I continue to receive one year and 11 months after I left my TV reporting job.
The email begins with two paragraphs addressed to me followed by an 18-paragraph report.
As a reporter, if I were interested in additional information, I would have requested from the media relations VP a report after her initial two-paragraph email seduced me. There is a reason people should not, during a first date, talk about themselves too much or give up too much of themselves after dinner. First, you do not want the person on the other side of the table to feel overwhelmed by your words. Second, if you give it up on a first date, you increase the chances someone might not come back for more. In fact, in this situation, when time permitted, I may have taken some tidbits of this release and tried to develop my own story locally without ever contacting the person who sent the pitch. Media relations often is similar to showing a little leg. Give them just enough to tantalize them and to want to call you back.
But this first date went sour for many more reasons. The 18-paragraph report is under the words “for immediate release.” I reported on television for 17 years and do not recall any times the words “for immediate release” played any practical role in the newsroom. I have raised this point more than once before, sparking a contentious debate among public relations professionals. If someone sent me a news release, I assumed it was for immediate release and continue to not understand why including those words is necessary. I conclude that including the words “for immediate release” is an old-school practice that, in my experience, serves no practical purpose for my former colleagues or me. As always, I am open to other points of view. However none of the previous debates I have sparked has given me reasons to change my opinion.
The first two paragraphs do not explain why this story would specifically romance a Phoenix audience. The paragraphs also do not include the names of a local person or business to court for the story.
The pitch says the author of the included report is available to talk, but the release does not explain why I should interview him instead of someone local. In fact, I actually interviewed local experts on similar topics more than two years ago.
The 20 paragraphs include a slew of statistics and percentages and I find myself willing only to skim all the information. Considering the number of emails some reporters and producers receive each day, most of them probably would not get past the first or second paragraph after seeing the length of the pitch.
Journalists willing to wade through the thicket of information might actually find ideas for interesting stories. This is especially true for trade media. Unfortunately, if the media relations vice president is hoping to attract the attention of a larger audience outside the industry, her pitch will likely often miss its target because how she dressed it. It reads more like a research report than something meant to woo journalists in a timely fashion.
There will not be a second date.
Tags: interview, journalists, media, Media Relations, news release, newsroom, Phoenix, PR, producers, Public Relations, public relations professionals, reporters, television
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Friday, January 25th, 2013
When reporters don’t like a PR pro’s story idea, reporters can simply pretend to pitch the idea and blame the producers for not liking it. This is similar to husbands blaming their wives when telling a salesman “no.”
Producers are not afraid to come to work in jeans and ponytails, a stark contrast to reporters who walk in daily under a mound of make-up and Hollywood sunglasses.
Producers won’t hesitate to tell you which reporters popular with the public are actually quite lazy.
Managers often think producers are their allies, but producers sometimes mock managers even more than reporters.
Producers can actually move up in their industry for hard work, while reporters often must rely on whether they’re hot enough to turn on some middle-aged executive reviewing resumes in a corner office.
Producers are the first to know about free food and will save you some if you’re not a lazy reporter.
Producers aren’t afraid to laugh at their old anchors who constantly flirt with them.
Because they sit in the newsroom most of the day, they often have the best gossip, especially about managers, who like to pretend everything is amazing.
Producers will go bat s—t crazy on photographers who complain about stories simply because the assignments require them to set up live shots far from the station late in the day.
Producers who find good and reliable reporters aren’t afraid to let them try some off-the-wall story ideas that wouldn’t fly with managers who can’t see past crime and house fires.
Tags: AZ, Hollywood, media, Media Relations, newsroom, photographer, photographers, PR, PR pro, producer, producers, reporter, reporters, tv news
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Wednesday, November 14th, 2012
I have often heard some people argue there’s a media conspiracy to get certain politicians elected or to push certain agendas. Yes, some news organizations have gained reputations for being either liberal or conservative. But I scoff at the idea that multiple news organizations and an invisible underground association of journalists conspire secretly together to get what they want. Why? Because most media are just not that organized. Here are some examples:
Evening producers sometimes assigned me stories they didn’t know the morning show already aired. If the media can’t communicate within the same room, how can they conspire nationally?
When management devises a new plan for delivering the news, they often quietly scrap that strategy weeks later. They couldn’t commit to a lengthy conspiracy.
Many journalists aren’t devoted to a particular political party. They are loyal to anyone offering them free food.
How bad was the communication in some newsrooms? I often emailed people two desks over to ensure I had a record of my words.
For every liberal writer behind the scenes in journalism, there is a well-paid anchor or manager not interested in paying one extra dime in taxes.
Many in media consider themselves an expert in all topics, so a conspiracy would almost certainly implode from within.
Managing a conspiracy would take too much time away from fantasy football and discussing shoes.
Many members would drop out of the conspiracy after learning the schedule didn’t allow a full hour for lunch.
The paperwork alone for filling out time sheets, delivering silly memos and taking care of reimbursements would make a conspiracy financially impossible and too slow to be effective.
Conspiracies don’t work by putting a bunch of people up front and in the public eye just because they have pretty faces.
Tags: Communications, fantasy football, journalism, journalist, journalists, media, morning show, news, PR, producer, producers
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Sunday, September 16th, 2012
For a while, my mom would not loosen her grip on reading the newspaper or watching the evening news. She laments how people prefer to read headlines than stories and how subjectivity is replacing objectivity on air.
Then she bought an iPad. As if she hadn’t believed the technology headlines, the ability to read numerous newspapers online and in the palms of her hands fascinated her. She began considering what was once the unthinkable: canceling her newspaper subscription.
I already knew how often her eyes looked upon her iPad. She began replying to my emails within hours instead of the following day. And her responses mostly ended with the preprogrammed “Sent from my iPad.”
She recently reminded me something I told her about working in a TV newsroom. Near my desk, the anchors read on live TV afternoon teases to persuade viewers to tune into the 5pm news. I sometimes laughed at the teases, whispering to co-workers how I could learn the rest of the story immediately by Googling the topic. Some producers surprised me by not realizing people no longer needed to sit on the edges of their seats and wait hours to hear the latest details. The way the public consumed the news had changed and some in the business were, in a sense, still pecking away at typewriters.
I guess my point never fully resonated with my mom until she said how she feels addicted to her iPad. She feels addicted to knowing every minute might bring a new detail to a developing story and today’s technology puts those constantly changing headlines at her fingertips.
The frequent scenes of people in restaurants or just about anywhere always staring down at their tablets or smartphones bring their own troubles. People appear to make less conversation and miss the little things occurring around them. But on The Flip Side, the evolution of journalism is unmistakable, although my mom has not abandoned the evening news. She might not watch ABC, CBS or NBC live anymore. But she never misses it due to her DVR.
Tags: CBS, ipad, journalism, live tv, media, Media Relations, mom, nbc, news, newsroom, PR, producer, producers, smartphone, technology, tv news, tv newsroom
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Wednesday, August 29th, 2012
People often discuss with me what they do not like about local TV news. I listed below some of the most common requests I hear from viewers. Some journalists might argue managers and producers tie their hands. But most reporters can probably take at least small steps on their own to improve these issues. I also realize some in the media will read this, once again roll their eyes and dismiss this list. At least I tried.
- Cover more human interest stories and fewer ones about crime and controversy.
- Show a willingness to change a story’s focus if the process of gathering facts shows the original idea is not what it seems.
- Don’t leave out important facts because they don’t support a journalist’s preconceived idea of the story.
- Be willing to tell their editors or producers that after gathering the available facts, there is no legitimate story.
- Don’t allow editors, producers or managers to pressure reporters to rush stories to the public or move forward with stories that are questionable.
- Don’t automatically assume a business or government agency is to blame or should be portrayed as a villain after someone calls the media with a complaint.
- Don’t slap in print or on the air every reported study, silly or not, without independently verifying the quality of the study.
Tags: Communications, editors, journalist, journalists, local tv, local tv news, media, Media Relations, PR, press, producer, producers, reporter, reporters, tv news
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Tuesday, August 28th, 2012
When people pitched me stories, I sometimes needed to hear simply a few words to know I had a winner. So when I learned three sisters are all rabbis, I needed no further details. However, not everyone immediately sees the light. How often did I sit in editorial meetings, pitch ideas I considered small treasures and listened as producers and managers responded in silence, later assigning me to something less worthy? Several reporters passed on this story idea I like to call “Sister Act.” Several producers did not respond to my emails. Light feature stories struggle to find their place among controversy and breaking news. I get it. But persistence pays off. In this business, you must have a lot of chutzpah. A CBS5 executive producer believed in the story and sent a reporter to cover two of the sisters who live in the Phoenix area. The station will interview via Skype the third rabbi, who lives out of town. Here are some pictures I took of the interview. Click on them.
Tags: breaking news, CBS, cbs5, chutzpah, interview, media, Phoenix, PR, producer, producers, rabbi, rabbis, reporter, reporters, skype, story idea
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Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
Someone in public relations pitched me a story idea and I shared it with an assignment editor. The assignment editor told me to tell the person we would file away the idea. To me, the concept of a media outlet filing away an idea is often equivalent to an employer’s letter stating it will keep your resume on file. I asked the assignment editor if she actually planned to cover the story one day. She said no. I responded that I would simply tell the PR pro the station is not interested. The assignment editor seemed uncomfortable with that option.
I told the PR pro the truth and she thanked me as if few in the media delivered her such honesty. If I told her otherwise, we would both knowingly be engaging in an unspoken contract of B.S. I’m tired of B.S. It stains too much of our world’s communications. I personally don’t want to contribute any more B.S. to our planet.
Why are much of the media afraid to tell you they don’t like your idea? Why do many journalists prefer to conveniently forget about your email and claim they will pitch it, knowing it will go “splat!” against an invisible brick wall in the editorial meeting?
The answer is no different than why many communicators in business prefer to engage in spin than straight up, keeping-it-real honesty. At some point growing up, most of us are taught being brutally honest in business is too risky. Instead, we B.S. each other and no one is fooled. We grumbled behind closed doors and each other’s backs.
I pitched the media several story ideas the week I wrote this blog. Some people never responded. Some asked follow-up questions but never responded to my answers. Did my email not get through? Did they love my idea and just forget? Should I remind them and save the day? In most cases, I advise don’t fool yourself. This is the game we humans play. Your idea didn’t make the cut. You can’t expect all of them to hit the air or show up in print. The reporters, producers and editors who didn’t get back to you, in most cases, are not jerks or bitches. They are human. Maybe they’re too busy to respond, but that’s an excuse. Not responding is much easier than writing “Thank you for your idea, but I’m not interested” or “With all due respect, your idea sucks.”
Another reason I told PR pros and businesses the truth was because it inspired new conversations. We talked about what the idea lacked. We talked about other ideas. But many in the media don’t invest in this approach. Don’t take it personally.
There’s nothing wrong with one follow-up email or phone call asking if there’s any interest in your magnificent idea that will thrill your client. But don’t dive deep into an arsenal of arguments and try to persuade producers to change their minds considering they left the conversation long ago. Don’t be a public relations stalker. At that point, the journalist is more interested in the free food someone just brought in.
Tags: assignment editor, communication, Communications, communicators, editors, journalist, journalists, media, PR, PR pro, PR pros, producer, producers, Public Relations, reporter, reporters, story idea, story ideas
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Tuesday, May 29th, 2012
Some of the most influential people in my life are what younger people would describe as old. My 70-year-old Dad is the closest thing I have to a hero.
So I felt somewhat embarrassed last year when a PR Pro pitched me a story about a service assisting senior citizens. I complicated matters by asking her for interviews with the children of the senior citizens. I wanted the children to explain how the service benefitted their parents. Why did I want these interviews?
Local TV stations don’t miss opportunities to report crime committed against seniors. And I’ve covered cool stories about seniors, such as one who went sky diving to celebrate her birthday. But producers and managers also dismissed many stories about seniors because they were not “demo rich,” in the younger age range advertisers crave.
I tried to maneuver around this group thinking by arguing even younger viewers appreciate well told stories about older people. But some producers and managers eventually dismissed me with a sarcastic “everyone has a grandma” followed by a maniacal smirk.
The “demo rich” philosophy doesn’t make sense to me anyway. Baby Boomers seem to be the demographic buying a strong percentage of HD TVs, Blueray players and iPads. During a staff meeting, I once asked a general manager if we need to rethink the traditional demo-rich audience. He didn’t know and a co-worker afterward told me I asked a really dumb question. People sometimes are not willing to challenge conventional wisdom unless someone sends them a memo.
Not all media are the same. But some outlets will approach with closed minds pitches about senior citizens. Unless you wish to write off these outlets, you need to trick them into covering what are often important stories, especially about healthcare. I don’t simply recommend explaining how the story impacts younger audiences. I suggest coming to the table after already securing “younger” interviews ahead of time. Focus your pitch on the younger audience angle. If taking such steps seems silly, then simply pitch journalists who appreciate stories about seniors. But remember producers and managers sometimes don’t care what reporters think.
Meanwhile, remember this is not your great grandfather’s generation of seniors. Some, including my Mom, complain young people, especially in customer service, talk to older people as if they are “stupid.” Remember we can learn a lot from people with decades more of life experience. And based on my Dad’s ability at working his new iPad and downloading apps, the generation gap might be shrinking … at least in the demo-rich category.
Tags: advertisers, AZ, baby boomers, blueray, communication, Communications, customer service, grandfather, grandma, healthcare, interview, ipads, journalist, journalists, local tv, local tv stations, media, pitch, pitches, PR, PR pro, producer, producers, reporter, reporters, senior citizens, seniors, TV station
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Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
I routinely annoyed one of my former TV managers by saying we worked in a producer-run shop. I was arguing producers normally made the final call on which stories to cover. She didn’t enjoy it when I made this point. But I seldom recalled situations when reporters covered stories producers didn’t like. However I remember countless times producers assigned stories reporters didn’t like.
Here are some replies I’ve received from reporters who liked my story pitch:
“Uh u know as well as I do, what I think doesn’t matter.”
“I like it, but these producers don’t listen to me.”
“They didn’t bite, sorry!”
“My producers passed on this idea.”
Journalists sometimes don’t actually like your story idea. They fault editors and producers to avoid the awkward moment of saying they don’t like the pitch you spent so much time crafting. But I attended many editorial meetings when reporters passionately pitched someone’s idea. Co-workers nodded their heads in approval. But a producer sat in silence planning to justify why something you didn’t care about was more significant. Yes, the argument may have contradicted the rational he or she gave only a week earlier, but you could see out of the corner of your eye the cane preparing to pull you off stage.
Reporters may get some of the glory. But editors and producers often wield the wand of power. Getting a journalist to pitch your story is only half the battle. Getting the producer you can’t see to say yes is how you achieve victory. Learn what producers want and what they think makes a good story. Just don’t be exasperated if what they want changes from week to week. Because producers will tell you it doesn’t matter what they think. The managers don’t listen to them.
Tags: editors, journalist, journalists, media, Media Relations, pitch, PR, producer, producers, reporter, reporters, story idea
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