Investigative reporters: We hate it when they show up unannounced but love it when they do a “good” story about our client or company. Below, in no particular order, are things discovered by some of the more than 115 attendees at the April 16, 2003 monthly PRSA-St. Louis luncheon at the Junior League. We heard from Jamie Allman (KMOV-TV), Jill Farmer (KTVI-TV) and Michael Sorkin (The St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

• My favorite tip was to not place too much emphasis on the press release since they find their way into the trash more than not. Focusing on relationship building (especially prior to a crisis or controversial issue) really stood out as the bottom line to their presentation. - Bill Barksdale

• Don't delay response hoping an investigative report will go away - this will usually backfire on you. Treat the reporter with respect if you are treated with respect since you will probably have to work together again in the future. Don't try to get investigative reporters to do "advertising" stories for your company. Stories are news-based, not sales-based. Build relationships! - "A Reliable Source"

• I liked the tip about calling the day after sweeps to pitch a story, that the TV reporters are wondering "What next?" Their phones will be busy this year. - Janet L. Powell

• What time you call matters—(TV) reporters are desperate for news in the afternoon, and swamped with news in the morning. So if you want to push something, call in the afternoon—and if you want to bury something, do it in the morning! - Reliable Source

• Get to know the people on the inside. Reporters think PR is a sell-out. Make the effort to ID industry experts in advance: loosen up and media train expert in house. Don't go around a reporter to his boss - Danielle Oser, APR

• The best tips I learned: What time to pitch a story to TV stations - Jamie Allman said around 1 or 1:30 in the afternoon. Good tips from Michael Sorkin in regards to sending a press release by fax to the Post Dispatch. They all get filed in the trash. They best way to pitch a story to a reporter at the P-D is via email. Pick the right reporter for the story, send the reporter a short email, wait for the response, then follow up with an email asking to call the reporter to discuss it in more detail. - "Reliable Source"

• Michael Sorkin said something that struck me regarding reporters and editors and lunch meetings. He intimated that they don't have time to go out to lunch with PR folks too much anymore. He also said that reporters and editors don't go to the newspaper bars of yesteryear; rather, they spend their free time in health clubs instead. A definite shift in paradigm! (Imagine Bill McClellan on a Stairmaster? Sounds like blasphemy!) - Rob Staggenborg, APR

• Allman and Farmer agreed that it is crucial for all organizations to have dedicated spokespeople in place and, more importantly, that those spokespeople be media trained. It was nice to hear this from members of the media. I have repeatedly made this recommendation to my client and have been able to use their comments as positive support for a renewed pitch. Thanks. - Robert Arrol

• One helpful tip that I learned is that contacting a (TV) reporter later in the day can sometimes be helpful - as they may have a more urgent need to find a story at 3 p.m., as opposed to 8 a.m. - Reliable Source

• The key thing I learned was that these reporters prefer e-mail. I hadn't heard that definitively before. (I did hear that, didn't I?) Great session. - Vicki Biggs

• Although we all know it, some of us are lax about media's time lines. Michael Sorkin was perfectly clear about when to call in a request. When they're on deadline, unless the Arch fell over, you're toast. - Judy Taylor

• Should you be contacted by an investigative reporter -Jamie Allman, KMOV-4, suggested you ask the reporter the nature of the story and ask them to give you a sense of the questions you will be asked. They love it when one side of the story is “no comment” that means they can devote all but the two seconds to say “no comment” to the person telling the other side of the story. - Kathi Weilbacher

• Jamie Allman gave great advice about using our in-house resources (a.k.a. stiffs) as "experts". I will be contacting assignment editors right away with information about my experts!- Merri Cross

And finally these nuggets of wisdom...

Jill Farmer (KTVI-TV)
Station is assisted by 35 volunteers who handle approximately 200 calls and e-mails a week. Those that appear appropriate for a story are forwarded to Jill who does three stories each week. Her best product is when both sides for the discussion are represented so she encouraged all attendees to have their clients respond when call or risk being left out of the story.

Jamie Allman (KMOV-TV)
Jaime started his comments with “I always lie about my deadline,” … or almost always, he later conceded. He suggested that those attending do anything they can to make the story easier for the reporter by offering names and phone numbers of individuals ready to talk with the media.

Michael Sorkin, St. Louis Post Dispatch
Michael offered an encouraging reminder: The Post has several new sections including business, health and fitness and a new gossip columnist. All that means more opportunities for stories. Michael encouraged the audience to suggest pitches that were trend based and on an entire class of products, rather than focused on a single product.

The Last Resort
A question about fair treatment in terms of deadlines prompted Jaime to encourage participants to contact the editor if you feel you are not getting a reasonable amount of time to reply. If he calls in the morning and no one responds before mid afternoon, you will likely get a “Did not respond to calls.” But to be fair, a reporter should give a few hours notice, if at all possible. If that’s not the case and it is not an emergency situation, then call the editor to complain.