MODERATOR
Moderated by Barry Kaufman, DMD News Radio 780 (CBS) JAMA Video Report
PANELISTS
Wendy Goldman Health Reporter Metro Radio Networks	Bruce Japsen Healthcare Business Reporter Chicago Tribune
Bob Condor Health and Fitness Reporter Chicago Tribune	Lauren Cohn Health Reporter WFLD-TV (FOX)

Nearly 150 public relations professionals attended the final meeting of the 2001-2202 PCC Club year and were treated to a wide ranging, in-depth discussion about the media health care scene in Chicago.

Dr. Barry Kaufman

Dr. Barry Kaufman, DMD, has spent 25 years in broadcasting and has won two Emmy Awards. He is the host and producer of “Healthy Minute,” an award winning health promotion and wellness feature broadcast on Newsradio 780 WBBM (CBS) and “Healthier Passages.” He has also been a producer/reporter for the “JAMA Report,” AMA’s weekly video news release. He is also president of HealthAir, Inc., specializing in health communications, and is on staff of Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center department of preventive medicine in Chicago.

Talking about how a PR person can get into his “hall of fame,” he suggests that PR people need to be able to “Stand in my shoes. Figure out my deadline pressures, find out what I do and how I do it. Give me what I need preferably before I ask for it.”

For those in his “hall of shame,” “They just don’t get it,” he said. “Each person has his own wants and needs and the [PR person and media] person needs to meet those needs without sacrificing his principals, morals or values. The PR person needs to think, feel and need like the reporter. He has to stand in my shoes.”

When pitching a story to television, Kaufman stresses, “Don’t forget the human angle. Don’t put together this wonderful story without working with physicians and talking to patients. You have to find a patient who fits the description of the condition to make the story come alive or there’s no story. Keep an ear out as to what’s happening. Be out there. Be assertive!"

However, Kaufman warns PR professionals not to badger him. Call him at WBBM; if he has an interest in your story, he will give you his cell phone and pager number. Don’t hesitate to follow up; if you get a go ahead, get back to him immediately. Of course, the first question always to ask is, “Are you on deadline?” Let the reporter off the phone if the answer is yes.

Most important to Kaufman is that he takes personal responsibility for solid health care reporting. “There is a lot of health information out there, but a lot is garbage, so it is very important to use common sense. Packaging is also very important re-framing a story for the audience. There really isn’t much that’s new . . . just the packaging.”

Wendy Goldman

Wendy Goldman’s group, part of Westwood One, where she does news and traffic and serves as a wire service for radio. They do a “salad bowl” of brief stories that DJs can pick up and read cold, with no background. With a staff of 25, her primary contact mode is faxes, but also accepts e-mail and phone calls. Her goal is to obtain stories starting with “politics, sprinkled with Ryan, Daley, ‘kickers’ and healthcare.”

What Goldman looks for are “stories with a definite beginning, middle and end told in 40 seconds. These need to impact the largest amount of people -- and a sexy angle doesn’t hurt. Incremental stories are not needed.” Nor are trend stories. “That format doesn’t fit into a 40 second slot.”

In pitching radio, bureau chiefs and news editors, Goldman stresses that PR people know theirs is an immediate need. “If you pitch anyone in radio,” she said, “make sure you have people lined up who can speak succinctly and can get the message out quickly and eloquently. And,” she stresses, “NEVER call about yesterday’s story.”

Bob Condor

The Tribune’s Bob Condor has a deadline that can be 10 days out from publication. As the Chicago Tribune’s health and fitness columnist and writer, he prefers to be contacted by mail. In fact, he frequently gets story ideas from his mail. He looks for releases in which the story jumps out at him, as well as that contains contact information for those he can speak to, shows what makes the story unique and clearly has a hook. “I’ll call to follow up if I’m interested. That may be six months after I get the release,” he said. “A letter can keep, while I often lose e-mails. If it is hot story, you can call.”

Condor’s beat focuses on wellness rather than disease. He writes about what interests him, including organic and fast food, changing landscapes, environmental toxins, products and the environment as a cause for disease, heart disease and Omega 3 fats. The hard part is finding a context in which to put the story. “There is an art to reporting,” said Condor. “It is a matter of context and timing. It’s rare to have a consensus on a story.”

Lauren Cohn

Lauren Cohn notes that as Fox/WFLD-TV’s family health and news reporter, (Monday through Friday mornings during the 8:00 hour): “We are personality-driven and include hard news, features and funky stories,” she said. “The key to success is knowing the audience. We deal with cutting edge materials, pulling from the Sun Times, Tribune and wire services and telling our stories in 20 to 30 seconds.”

Cohn admits that she loves getting complete news packages like a recent pet therapy piece done recently. “And send gifts. We love gifts,” she said. “Mail releases and packages a couple of weeks in advance. I prefer mail and faxes. Make sure that stories are video-friendly! This information should be reflected in the release. There is a big difference between television and print.”

According to Cohn, the health beat is booming -- including topics such as cosmetic surgery, healthy foods, diet and fitness, fats in foods leading to obesity, cancer trials and more. “Think about what you and those younger than you are looking at that interests you. There is a HUGE market!” she said. However, she warns, “we don’t care if it’s been covered on Oprah or Today, however we don’t want to see a story you’ve pitched us appearing on local stations or all over the news. We are also very cautious about false reporting. There is a lot out there and our information needs to be accurate and up-to-date. Our job is to be up on the medical field. To do this, we visit the CDC website and read journals,” but also rely on good, responsible public relations professionals working with them to gain good stories.

Bruce Japsen

Bruce Japsen takes a different slant on his healthcare beat, focusing on the business of healthcare for the Chicago Tribune. He pointed out that health care as n industry accounts for one-seventh of the economy. It is a complex industry and includes physicians, hospitals, large corporations like Baxter and Abbott, as well as managed care/capitation concerns. “It’s a busy beat,” he said. “You can pitch and run. Just know I am always focused on healthcare spending, efforts to control health care costs” and the financial impact of and on the healthcare industry in general. He cited as an example, medical co-pay tiering to shift people away from more expensive hospitals.

What he is looking for is stories people cannot find elsewhere. For example, everyone wrote about Viagra; but he likes to receive studies, reports and healthcare cost implications for topics like this. “I need to get an exclusive on big stories.”

He focuses on companies based in the Chicago area and advises professionals to respect the amount of clout they hold, therefore, “Don’t screw your local reporter. He’s a local person who wields more weight than a national writer in terms of your company’s coverage. Don’t tick him off,” he advised.

Japsen also strongly encourages PR people who are thinking about pitching stories to him to read his work first. Know his beat. “Don’t call and ask me what I do. Don’t badger me. I may be polite to you, but I’ll be thinking, get off my phone! Call only if you have a truly big story.”