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Chicago Entertainment
Industry Strong and Diverse
(March 2001 PCC Monthly
Luncheon)
[An article
about the "Community Corner,"
featuring Michael Waters of the Daily Southtown,
is on a different
page.]
By Carl L. Henderson
Speakers:
Chicago's top entertainment
print editors entertained attendees to the
Publicity Club of Chicago (PCC) monthly luncheon
on March 21 to provide their respective
perspectives on Chicago's art, theater, dance
and film industry. Longtime PCC member Cheryl
Lewin, Cheryl Lewin & Associates, moderated
the panel.
Richard Christiansen, senior
writer and chief entertainment critic for the
Chicago Tribune since 1991, started with the
basics of contacting entertainment editors.
"Spell the [editor's] names correctly, get
the phone numbers right, and try to get the most
important information up at the top," he
offered, followed by the audience's laughter.
Another basic tip Christiansen offered was to
know the media. "Watch the television
shows, read the columnists and the reviewers,
and the reporters whose work impinges upon your
own," he stressed.
Make sure your background
knowledge about the writer and the publication
is strong and current. Christiansen noted that
it wasn't uncommon to have a public relations
representative to call and pitch an idea or
individual, only to be informed by the columnist
that, "It was in the paper today."
Christiansen stated that it embarrasses the
publicist, and irritates the columnist.
"Be courteous, be
affable, be prompt and succinct,"
Christiansen offered with regard to pitching
columnists. A pet peeve Christiansen has with
publicists is when he takes the time to return a
call only to find out there is a maze of phone
message buttons to press before he can reach the
individual. He suggests having a special message
that relays that the caller can "bypass all
of this by pressing the pound (#) key.
Christiansen prefers faxes
and "snail mail" over e-mail, and
prefers publicists who are professionals and
treat others the same way.
Chicago Sun-Times columnist
Bill Zwecker, who is also the entertainment and
celebrity reporter for Fox TV in Chicago, echoed
Christiansen's comments, but added that unlike
Christiansen, Zwecker prefers e-mails (zwecker@suntimes.com).
He urges callers not to leave the whole press
release on the voice mail. "Very quickly,
make your pitch, then leave a phone
number," he stressed. A pet peeve is
receiving a call from a publicist asking whether
the fax was received.
"In this day and age of
technology, assume we've gotten the fax and
gotten the e-mail," he offered. Zwecker
reminded the audience that if the event is a
theatrical opening, to make it clear on the
release when the press date would be. He also
likes to know if what the publicist is offering
is exclusive. Although it may not change whether
he is interested, but Zwecker states that it is
"important to know."
Zwecker stressed the
importance of not making multiple pitches to
people in his department, noting that there are
numerous writers who may use similar material
for their columns or features. "If you've
already called one of these writers, wait till
you hear back from them before you make a second
pitch," he stated.
Next up was Brian McCormick,
Crain's Chicago Business reporter since June
2000, who offered his own list of do's and
don'ts for publicists. The top of his 'do list'
was to become familiar with his publication and
the type of stories they cover. Make sure the
pitch has a business angle. McCormick relayed
that his publication is read by an affluent
reader base, with annual incomes over $200,000
who have seen a live theater performance in the
last 12 months. Publicists should be aware of
this demographic when pitching story ideas or
events. McCormick asked that PR people consider
the value in offering his publication an
exclusive, noting that his management puts a
high premium on such pieces. Another item high
on the 'do list' is the importance of being up
front and honest.
"Do think of Crain's
Chicago Business as a place to break news,"
McCormick offered. "We have a very highly
read late news section… and it is used as a
'tip sheet' for the dailies," he noted.
McCormick prefers e-mails (bmccormick@crain.com)
or phone calls. He is not a fan of faxes, but
noted that if you did send a fax, do not follow
up with a phone call.
Tom Valeo, associate editor
at City Talk, a new weekly devoted to local
arts, entertainment and culture, relayed the
goals of his publication. Valeo takes advantage
of what he calls the, "fine line"
between being a journalist and an entertainment
writer. "At City Talk, we are trying to do
something unique," Valeo offered.
"People are drowning in information;
they've got plenty of that. People never get the
stories." Valeo said that at City Talk,
they are after the story. "We're not trying
to do the traditional news feature," he
noted. "If you don't have a point of view,
if you don't have a strong feeling about the
story, then we probably don't want it," he
stressed. Valeo is interested in the story
behind the traditional story other publications
print.
All panelists agreed that
the biggest single change in entertainment in
Chicago has been the sheer growth and expansion
of offerings. Christiansen noted that in every
category of entertainment from jazz clubs, film
to live theater, "There's just more going
on."
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