March 2002
MAINE MEDIA & MARKETING
Keeping you in your car
Copyright © 2001 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
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Have you ever heard, read or seen a particularly interesting feature story, and wondered how it got its start? With my hybrid business writer/public relations pedigree, I'm usually as intrigued by how something becomes news as the news itself. The track a story takes on its way to public consumption offers fascinating insight to the business of media and media placement. Knowing how many gatekeepers an item touches can prove instructive for small business people and public relations professionals seeking coverage.
The process of news can be quite mysterious for many PR reps. There are myriad rules about contacting reporters, and every reporter has her own set of pet peeves (for the love of all that is holy, don't send me releases with jargon wrapped around jargon. It hurts my brain). Reporters often make a decision about a news release in a matter of seconds, making seven-page releases wasteful. Press conferences have become anachronistic, unless the news is fast-breaking and reporters can't get the information elsewhere. And any time you think you've got the game figured out, it changes - a media merger, staff turnover or new programming can all affect how your story fares.
To get a glimpse of what life is like on the receiving end of all the faxes, e-mails, phone calls and wire reports, I posed a few questions to Keith Shortall, news director for Maine Public Radio (www.mpbc.org). With coverage spanning York County to Fort Kent, Maine Public Broadcasting (television and radio) reaches 99% of Maine households. Maine Public Radio occupies six radio dial positions and airs programming that includes local content such as Maine Things Considered and nationally syndicated programs such as The Writer's Almanac.
Kimberly McCall: What's an average Tuesday like for the news director of a statewide radio station?
Keith Shortall: I usually arrive at our Portland studios between 8:30 and 9:00. Our Morning Edition host, Irwin Gratz, has completed his shift, and has a good sense of any immediate developments. I check the Associated Press daily events schedule, and our own internal assignment database for scheduled news conferences, public hearings, etc. On Tuesdays and Fridays we have a 9:30 meeting of all radio news staff, where I hear from our reporter in Bangor, and two staffers in Augusta, as well as the six reporters in Portland. We discuss coverage for the day, including elements for our noon magazine Midday, and the half-hour show at 5:30 p.m., Maine Things Considered. We also look forward in the week for elements that we might include in these shows, as well as in Morning Edition. By late morning we usually have a good idea of what we might have for the 20 minute news hole in Maine Things Considered, and who will cover each segment. Some reporters may be in the field, working on stories for another day. Coverage decisions are made by me and by Deputy News Director Susan Chisholm, who also does a lot of reporting as well. We get calls throughout the day from PR people, and others who are seeking coverage of events. I do a lot a fair share of the copy editing (nothing gets on the air without an edit), and that usually takes place in the late afternoon. We try to have most the show produced by 5:00, but stories often don't get into the system until minutes before airtime. I stay through 6:00, and make sure elements have been produced for the next morning. I also update our website with a new story each day. There are, of course, administrative tasks required as well.
McCall: How do stories end up featured on Maine Things Considered? Do you consider pitches from local business owners or publicity agents? Or do you depend on your own reporters for most story ideas?
Shortall: We consider pitches from all kinds of people, and many times we'll find something interesting. These come via e-mail, regular mail, fax and phone. I much prefer e-mail and fax, since I don't really have a lot of time to talk on the phone, and the electronic pitches can be more easily stored in our newsroom computer system. Although we don't use a "beat" system, our reporters do have specialties, and stories are sometimes born from continuing coverage of a certain issue. Some stories warrant only a brief news "spot," while others may deserve four or five minutes.
McCall: What are the elements of a good Maine Public Radio story?
Shortall: It depends on what kind of story it is. If it's a hard news or public policy issue story, it should be of statewide interest. We also try as much as possible to include "regular people" in our stories, such as those who would be directly affected by an issue, in addition to talking heads, legislators, etc. For softer pieces, we try to use sound and voices to make the story more compelling. It's more difficult to do a story about a dance performance or photo exhibition on the radio than it is to do music, or theater.
McCall: How do Maine segments get national play on programs such as All Things Considered? Does it happen very often?
Shortall: We have a good relationship with National Public Radio, and we do get stories onto Morning Edition, and All Things Considered on a fairly regular basis. We also submit stories to other public radio programs, such as Living On Earth and Marketplace. Most of the time we pitch stories we think are of national interest, but sometimes NPR's northeast regional editor, former Maine Public Radio news director Andrea DeLeon, comes to us with a request.
McCall: Any other thoughts on the process of creating high-quality content for MPR?
Shortall: I think what we aim for is balance between harder news about issues affecting life in Maine, and stories that tap into the arts and culture of the community. The real test is this: if you're listening to a story in your car, and you pull into the driveway before it's over, will you stay in the car to hear the end?
Kimberly McCall is a writer and the president of McCall Media & Marketing, Inc., a business communications company in Freeport, Maine. The monthly "Sales Force" columnist and frequent contributor for Entrepreneur magazine, McCall also contributes to inc.com and The Wall Street Journal’s StartupJournal.com. Sign up for her free marketing bulletin at www.MarketingAngel.com or contact McCall at 207-865-0055.