Morning TV Producers Provide Wake-Up Call for Pitching Their Shows

MODERATOR

Jeff Leshay
Edelman PR

PANELISTS

Kristy Finch, Segment Producer
WFLD-TV, FOX News in the Morning

Allison Hunter, Executive Producer
WGN-TV Morning News

Vicki Zwart, Executive Producer
CBS2/WBBM-TV Morning News

PROGRAM SUMMARY

Jeff Leshay (from left), Vicki Zwart, Allison Hunter and Kristy Finch. Photo by Ted Lacey.

By Sue Masaracchia-Roberts

The June luncheon featured the how to’s and “what not to do’s” of pitching stories to morning television producers. The luminary panel included: Vicki Zwart from the WBBM/CBS-2 Morning News; Allison Hunter, executive producer for WGN-TV’s morning news from 5 to 9 a.m.; and Kristy Finch from WFLD-TV. The panel was moderated by Jeff Leshay from Edelman PR, who is a former producer for FOX-TV news

The consensus of panelists was that they do not like to receive gimmicky pitches such as pizza boxes filled with press items instead of pizza (they do like free food). They do appreciate it when PR people can provide them with technical aspects for remote shoots like how many feet are between the street/parking and the structure where the shoot will happen.

If you are planning to send them a VNR (video news releases) and expect it to be aired as produced—forget about it. However, they sometimes use B-roll footage, but only as teasers. If you are planning a Satellite Tour, the person being interviewed needs to be a well known personality like Pam Anderson or Denise Austin. All those on the panel would prefer to talk to a local expert they can get into the studio, rather than use satellite feeds.

Allison Hunter
Executive Producer, WGN-TV Morning News

During Allison Hunter’s stint as executive producer for this broadcast, WGN ratings have propelled the newscast to the leading morning news show in Chicago for adults 18-54, the highest ratings in the program’s history. Allison began her career in Ohio, but also worked for a WGN affiliate in Boston, produced an independent film and raised a family. Aside from her station duties, Allison is the Student Education Enrichment and Development (SEED) program chairperson for the National Association of Black Journalists.

Familiarity seems to breed contempt with Hunter. She does not look kindly at receiving calls between 8 and 10 a.m.(while the show is airing) – and prefers e-mail as a method of communication. She apologizes for seeming mean and not calling back, but her day is filled with multitasking and her time very limited.

She appreciates at most a one page pitch and automatically deletes longer ones. She also prefers receiving a themed pitch, rather than a well-developed piece.

“Follow the five Ws and how,” Hunter urges those pitching, “and don’t forget about the visuals! Television needs these so tell me what you’ve got! Don’t make me figure out how to make it visual.” And by all means, do not to approach her by saying, “I sent you an e-mail...”

Feature stories used to be very light, but that did not seem to be what people wanted, according to Hunter. They are more news-focused now. “Breaking news kills all other stories. The weather, traffic and other news all go out the window. Our job is to know when to drop them all. Everyone has franchise pieces they have to do. But there are lots of ways to catch our attention.”

She added, “Understand what show you are pitching! This is not Animal House; you need to do your homework! Television compresses a lot of things into a small box.”

She adds that she does not want to talk to “talking heads” – executives, but prefers real people. “Give me the people who it affects and don’t sell too hard. Since we are creating an experience through the TV set, we need to get to the heart of the story.”

Hunter urges PR people to “boil it down.” Books, self-help advice, anything that is not generic that will make viewers feel like they made the right choice in watching a particular station because they could not have gotten the tips provided anywhere else is what she is looking for. However, she warns, do not send “the idea to eight people in one newsroom. We talk.”

Hunter wants stories, aside from showing the weather, traffic and news, that will “make you smile and help you have a good day. We want to make you stop and watch.”

If a PR professional sends her a pitch, Hunter urges them to be extremely brief. However do not make a pitch and then check on it. Although Hunter does not mind follow-up calls, she cautions PR people, “Don’t stalk me. Some of the most effective pitches are e-mailed and reference a specific topic. That is helpful.”

As there are different tiers in the newsroom – including segment, executive and show producers – Hunter urged the audience to go to the segment producers since they do the booking. However, she urged, “Know the shows. Each morning show does different live segments. For example, Around Town features different venues around the Chicago metro area, while we do nonprofits and charities in Time for Talent. Be segment-specific. We are looking to you to give us a 30-second event pitch that is oddball and makes for great television viewers cannot get anywhere else. It’s show business!”

As for stories, she said an old producer once told her, “Give me tits, tots, pets and bets and you cannot lose.”

Vicki Zwart
Executive Producer, CBS2/WBBM-TV Morning News

A native of Chicago’s western suburbs, as executive producer of the CBS Morning News, Vicki has achieved her goal of working in Chicago television news. Over the past year, her duties have included editorial decision-making, booking guests, newscast promotion and personnel management, while producing up to three segments on any given weekday. Her background includes being the executive producer of the FOX morning news in Indianapolis, IN, and as senior supervising producer for WGN’s Morning News. She got her first taste of broadcast journalism while in college in Grand Rapids, MI, winning several awards over the course of her media career.

Stories for Zwart are booking today for tomorrow; so they must be timely. As far as PR people supplying video footage, acceptability depends on whether it was shot in the studio or is a live shot. “You must show all kinds of people and do the legwork,” said Zwart. “If shot in the studio, B-roll is fine, including photos, props like what you are bringing in to demonstrate, and graphics that help explain or tell the story. Give us an outline to show us how to make it work. On my show, you only get between two and one-half and four minutes.”

Nothing annoys producers more, according to Zwart, than turning something down and finding out it has been pitched to someone else in the newsroom. “That’s like pitching mom and dad – going to the other parent when one turns you down.”

As more content is moving to the Web, Zwart also encourages PR people to think about Web components. “You think of [appropriate Web components] and we’ll drive people there.”

Although Zwart gets more than 300 e-mails a week, “only about five or 10 are really good.” Both she and segment producers book stories. “We are looking for stories that are mostly news with the addition of a little fun.”

Kristy Finch
Segment Producer, WFLD-TV, FOX News in the Morning

Starting as an intern at FOX 10 while a senior in college, she served another internship with Siskel and Ebert. Before graduating, she was hired as a full time production assistant, followed by becoming segment producer for “Fox News in the Morning.” At WFLD for 10 years, she was given her first chance at producing segments by Bob Sirott, the show host at that time. Inspired by the movie Broadcast News, Kristy got her start in TV news after leaving a career as a shoe buyer and returning to school to pursue her dream.

“Don’t ever call before 9 a.m.,” Finch warns, “and don’t over promise what you can deliver. Have what you say you have. Learn to sell a product on television without selling it. For example, provide three to five tips that will help you solve your fertility problems. Tell us things that will bring [viewers] back to their televisions.”

Finch has four hours to fill, however, for lead time, stories should be pitched no more than two weeks out to be considered by Finch. “Stories need to be topical, happening in or related to the news.” Like the other panelists, Finch encourages e-mail subject lines to be strong or “I won’t open it.”

Send Finch your pitch, providing only a contact name and phone number and then the pitch. As she receives 25 to 30 voice mails a day, provide her only with the basics and respect the fact that she will follow up if she is interested in the story.

Segment producers at FOX do most of the booking, so it is best to work with them. Finch loves B-roll, but is mostly looking for footage that helps the story. “Why not have video of the restaurant you are trying to pitch? I wonder why you don’t have more of that.”

She urged luncheon audience members to “know what makes live TV and a good package.” Producers like having an understanding of the package being offered. They also know that people are actually listening to morning news, not really watching.

However, she indicated, “You can never go wrong with kids and animals.”

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