Tag Archives: Agility Influencer Targeting

June Media Moves

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Kevin Frey | Leave a comment

MEDIAware, PR Newswire’s Audience Research Department newsletter, featuring media news and job changes in the last month, is now available. Here is a sampling of this month’s edition:

Advance Publications and Newhouse Newspapers recently announced four major papers will discontinue daily publication and staff cuts will be made in an effort to cut costs and focus on online content. The Times-Picayune (http://www.nola.com/t-p/) in News Orleans, The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and the Press-Register, all in Alabama, will be published three days a week on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. With this change New Orleans becomes the largest city in the U.S. without a daily published newspaper.

Quartz is coming from the Atlantic Media group. Quartz is a business publication designed for tablets, smart phones and all digital formats. It is tentatively scheduled to begin late this year with former Wall Street Journal-ist Kevin Delaney as Editor-in-Chief and Chris Batty as the Publisher. Former Economist Media Editor Gideon Lichfield is in charge of news content. Zach Seward has also been hired as Senior Editor. The web site is: http://qz.com and they will be tweeting: https://twitter.com/quartznews.

Beth Macy, a Reporter at The Roanoke Times, is taking a year sabbatical from the newspaper to concentrate on a book titled “Factory Man” based on articles she wrote earlier this year on the battle to fight China furniture imports by furniture company leader John D. Bassett III. You can read her series here: http://www.roanoke.com/multimedia/pickingup/still-making-it-in-america/ Beth also tweets here: https://twitter.com/papergirlmacy

Larry Platt has resigned as Editor at the Philadelphia Daily News. He lasted 16 months. Before this brief stint Platt was Editor of Philadelphia Magazine. This has opened the door for Michael Days (mdays@phillynews.com) to return as Editor. Michael had been working as Managing Editor at sister publication The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philly.com includes content from both newspapers: http://www.philly.com

Washington Times (http://www.washingtontimes.com) Columnist Arnaud de Borchgrave has taken leave after being accused of plagiarism. His weekly columns also appear on UPI (http://www.upi.com). Check out the whole story here: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/05/22/washington-times-columnist-arnaud-de-borchgrave-takes-leave-amid-plagiarism-probe/

The sports team recently lost their roster spots at USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com). Horse Racing veteran Reporter Tom Pedulla, Sports Blogger Tom Weir, Basketball Reporter J. Michael Falgoust, Auto Reporter Gary Graves Sports Biz Media Reporter Michael McCarthy were all let go.

Katie Couric is the new Host of “Katie’s Take”, a weekly digital program on Yahoo. (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/katies-take-abc-news/) “Katie’s Take” covers topics including wellness, parenting, nutrition and health. Couric will also be hosting a new syndicated daytime talk show called “Katie”. The show is set to premiere on September 10th and will be distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. Couric and Jeff Zucker are the Executive Producers. You can follow Katie on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/katiecouric or facebook at http://www.facebook.com/katieshow

It’s not over until the Fat Lady Sings: Talk about fast work — less than a day after the Metropolitan Opera Guild announced it would no longer include reviews of Metropolitan Opera productions in its magazine, Opera News (http://www.operanews.com), the readership spoke. And now the reviews will remain. The Opera News was born in May 1936 and remains a healthy monthly with more than 100,000 subscribers. The Metropolitan Opera Guild is an affiliate of the Metropolitan Opera but has different leadership. They also “sing” about opera here: https://twitter.com/operanews

He has been on CBS. He has been on NBC. Now Bryant Gumbel will be on ABC as he guest hosts on “Live! With Kelly” in early June. Gumbel will appear on the program on the 4th and 5th. Since Regis Philbin’s retirement, the show has had a revolving door of guest co-hosts. The network has yet to decide on a permanent replacement for Philbin.

The Boston Globe could be up for sale again. The New York Times Company tried selling the paper three years ago but was unsuccessful in finding a deal. The possibility of selling the paper was revisited again last year, although, CEO Janet Robinson wanted to wait in hopes that the launch of the Globe’s new pay wall would improve its sales.

You can view the whole June Issue here: http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/ And all the latest media changes by region here: http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/June2012AgilityUpdatesbyRegion.html

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Posted in Online Influence

Tagged Agility Influencer Targeting, media database, media relations

Blog Notes: Asian American Edition

Posted on May 25, 2012 by tomhynes | 1 Comment

This week my focus is on Asian American blogs. After all, May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. Asian Americans influence and cultural contributions are as vast and diverse as, well, the continent of Asia. Whether it’s entertainment, medicine, arts, sports, business or food, American culture would look pretty unfamiliar without Asian Americans. Not surprisingly, there are a great many blogs out there, telling the tale of Asian Americans. However, it does feel a little bit strange calling them, “great Asian American blogs.” Because, really these are just great blogs. They just so happen to be written by Asian Americans. So with that in mind, let’s take a brief tour of these great blogs.

The name 8 Asians is a bit misleading. Sure, it’s a blog about the Asian American (and Asian Canadian) experience. But, really, there are more than eight contributors these days. Still, changing domain names each time the masthead grows would be prohibitively expensive. So, we’ll give them a pass on that one. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with Asian American culture, specifically entertainment. Check out the full review here.

Angry Asian Man isn’t always angry. At times, he’s even funny. But, he has very little patience for the misrepresentation of Asians in the media. (We’re looking at you, Ashton Kutcher!) The blog also points out positive examples of Asian American cultural contributions, however. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with Asian Americans and music or film. Anything at all to do with Jeremy Lin might also work. Check out the full review here.

Nikkeiview is written from the perspective of a Japanese American man. He’s a third-generation American, yet he was born in Japan. And that straddling between two cultures informs the tone and perspective of this blog. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with Japanese American culture. I probably wouldn’t pitch this blog stories having only to do with Japan or Japanese culture. There’s a difference. Check out the full review here.

Kimchi Mamas is a blog written by and for Korean mothers living in the United States in Canada. It covers the gamut of everything from pop music to relationship issues and just about everything in between. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything to do with Asian Americans and women. Parenting stories and general entertainment might also work here, too. Check out the full review here.

Absolutely Fobulous isn’t a misspelling. Rather, it’s a blog embracing the cultures that sit between two far away places. These bloggers may identify themselves as “fresh off the boat”, but the blog hardly seems naive or inexperienced. At times, it’s a lighthearted. But, they’re also quick to point out injustices or misrepresentations. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories that deal with Asian American’s contributions to entertainment or food. Check out the full review here.

That’s all for now. In the meantime, if there’s a blog I should be reviewing, drop me a line or a note in the comments, and I’ll take a look. Until next time…

Author Tom Hynes is PR Newswire’s manager of blogger relations. And as you may have guessed, he has a twitter account.

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Posted in Online Influence

Tagged Agility Influencer Targeting, Blog, blogger, media relations

Showcase YOUR Social Media Expertise

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Sarah Skerik | 1 Comment

Have you built some expertise in the area of influencer targeting and engagement? If the answer is yes, consider showcasing your expertise by contributing to “The Definitive Guide to Social Influencer Engagement,” an e-book PR Newswire is crowdsourcing.

The editorial theme of the ebook is targeting influencers in social media. Identifying the members of your audience that can bring the most value to your brand and knowing how to effectively engage and build sustainable relationships with these influencers plays a crucial role in any successful earned media campaign.

This eBook is designed to provide the reader with the successful strategies, helpful tips and best practices for targeting influencers in social media – all from thought leaders and experts in earned media – and this is your opportunity to be counted amongst them.

Why participate? This is a unique opportunity to share your social media prowess with our broad community – and yours! It’s a chance to be published in something that will be widely distributed among communications professionals all over the world. Enhance your social visibility and boost your credibility as a thought-leader.

Table of Contents

We’ve provided the framework for the crowd-sourced eBook. Below you’ll find the table of contents and chapters, as well as additional editorial topics for each chapter.

CHAPTER 1 – What’s an Influencer? Who Are They?

Different Types of Influencers, for example:

Rock Stars vs. Connected Pros on the Rise

Big Time Bloggers vs. Knowledgeable Enthusiastic Self-Publishers

Mass Media vs. Niche Media

CHAPTER 2 – Gauging Influence

Scoring:

The Importance of Scoring Systems (for example “Klout,” or “Kred”) and How to Use the Information

Measuring Influence Among Followers, Fans, Friends

CHAPTER 3 – Finding Your Influencers

Helpful Tools & Platforms

Using Analytics to Identify Influencers Among People You Already Know – Current Customers, Media, Followers

Influencers You Don’t Know (But Want To) –How to Make That Initial Connection

Creating Your Perfect Blend of Influencers

CHAPTER 4 – You Have Influencers – Now What?

Building a Strategy for Influencer Engagement:

Strategic Outreach

Choosing the Channel or Platform to Use (Blogging, Speaking, Etc.)

CHAPTER 5 – Measurement and Future Engagement

Different Types of Influentials:

Analyzing Outcomes

Ongoing Relationship Building

Follow Up On Activity

WILDCARD CHAPTER – Create Your Own Topic

Do you have great advice to offer on our overarching topic, but it deserves another chapter? You may create your own chapter and submit content to a topic of your own choosing. Please suggest a chapter title, too.

Interested? Here’s how to submit your chapter.

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Posted in Agile Engagement

Tagged Agility Influencer Targeting, social influence, social media

Women’s Markets 101

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Maria Perez | Leave a comment

The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) recently hosted its annual Writers Conference, which featured more than 80 sessions covering a wide variety of topics, from how to write a book proposal to how to break into magazines.

While the sessions were targeted to freelance writers, the information is also helpful to PR professionals looking to get their clients in these publications. Not only does it give you an inside look into what the publications look for, but it also gives you an idea of what freelancers pitching these publications need in order to land a successful pitch.

Following is a recap of the panel on “Women’s Markets 101,” which featured Sarah Burns, health editor at All You magazine; Heather Graham, deputy health editor, iVillage; Barbara Brody, health director, Shape; and Celia Shatzman, associate editor, Family Circle.

Celia Shatzman, Family Circle

As an associate editor at Family Circle, Shatzman works on general features covering everything from parenting and family to entertaining and pets. She got her start as an editorial intern at Glamour, and has been a research editor at Lucky and an editorial assistant at Weight Watchers Magazine.

Family Circle is a women’s service publication aimed at mothers of tweens and teens, so any pitch has to have a family angle.

Shatzman offered these tips for freelancers pitching the magazine:

Have a well-crafted pitch with a hook, and include statistics/facts that make it current. Why is the story important now?
Write a lead that would be used as the lead for the article.
Pitch your ideas 4-6 months in advance. Family Circle has a very long lead time.
Don’t send PDFs or attachments on initial contact. When you do send clips, attention to detail is very important – make sure the clips aren’t grainy. “Take the time to make them look good,” said Shatzman.
Don’t pitch simultaneously to several publications.
Don’t pitch to several editors at the same publication.
In your pitch, be very direct in how you would execute the article. Mention any past experience that ties into what you’re pitching. “If you have written for another publication I know, then I know you are aware of the steps that are involved,” said Shatzman.
Include a subject line that makes it clear you are a writer, and not in PR. “I am more likely to open pitches from writers than PR people,” said Shatzman.
If your pitch is not accepted, “be gracious,” said Shatzman. “Don’t argue with us,” or you will risk your chances of being picked for a future article.

Family Circle pays $1-$2 per word, depending on the writer’s experience and how much reporting is required.

Barbara Brody, Shape

Brody is the health director at Shape and was previously the health editor at Woman’s Day, where she worked on the print magazine, blogged for WomansDay.com, and hosted audio podcasts and Web videos.

While more of the magazine’s articles are done in-house than before, there are still places for freelancers to pitch.

“The best place [to pitch] is a feature,” said Brody, who also shared what she looks for in pitches:

Be creative. Health is such a big topic, you can come up with a health slant for many non-health stories. But always keep the audience – active women – in mind.
Think about the big picture. Don’t pitch one study – see if there is a trend.
Be dramatic — dramatic stories are popular with readers.
Don’t say, “I want to do a story about sleep.” Point out what’s different about your story.
It helps if you include a working headline/subhead for the story.
Keep it short, at least on first contact. “You don’t have to have the concept entirely fleshed out, as long as the concept spark is there,” said Brody.
Don’t pitch more than once a month, as the magazine is published monthly.
Give her time to review your pitch. “Don’t be a stalker. I try to get back to everyone, but it could take a few weeks. If you haven’t heard after two follow-ups, it probably won’t work.”

Shape pays “at least $1.50 per word,” depending on the freelancer’s experience and how much reporting will be done.

Heather Graham, iVillage

Graham is the deputy health editor at iVillage. She got her start as an intern for Paper Magazine’s website in 1998, and since then has written for sites such as Papermag.com and Mediabistro, as well as local publications such as New York Moves and Manhattan South.

iVillage is the largest content-driven community on the Web, said Graham. The site has a very classic women’s lifestyle model and caters to women who are married, busy, budget-conscious, young mothers. The tone/voice of the site is as if the writer is your best friend who just happens to be a doctor, sex therapist, etc.

Graham said she depends mostly on freelancers for iVillage content and offered the following tips for pitching successfully:

Be familiar with the content. “I can tell immediately when someone hasn’t read the site,” said Graham.
Be creative. “What works for me is a new, surprising thing – something with a twist,” said Graham. She’s interested in things that aren’t usually covered, or a study that turns something on its head.
Weight loss is a very popular topic on iVillage, but you have to come up with a creative slant, such as, “Seven surprising ways to lose 200 calories.”
If you have a website with clips, don’t just include a link to the website – include links to your three best pieces. This will give her a sense of your writing.
Include the word “Pitch” in the subject line of your email. It helps her identify which emails are pitches from freelancers.
If pitching a service-oriented slideshow, pitch with a hook, but keep it short. What’s the slideshow about? What’s the headline? What are five out of the 20 or so slides? You don’t have to include completed slides themselves, but she does need an idea of what the slideshow will be about.

iVillage rates for freelancers vary, depending on whether the article is for the blog or a slideshow, how much reporting the freelancer will do, and how much experience the freelancer has.

Sarah Burns, All You

Burns, health editor at All You magazine, has worked for a variety of award-winning publications, including Prevention, Self, Fitness, Glamour, Natural Health, Good Housekeeping and Fitness. She was also a deputy health editor at iVillage.

All You is sold exclusively at Walmart and is also subscription-based. Because it is a value-driven publication, much of the content is rooted in value and how people can save money. The magazine does occasionally cover home and travel, but most of the content is focused on health. The average reader is a middle-income woman, 30-55 years old, that has a fit lifestyle and is either very active or aspires to be.

While FOB (front of book) and short items are written in-house, Burns said All You uses a lot of freelancers, mostly for features, which typically consist of several sidebars.

Burns offered the following tips for pitching articles:

Read the magazine so you can package your pitch in a unique way that speakers to All You’s audience. “It’s all about the packaging,” said Burns.
Sourcing is important, so give her an idea of the caliber of experts you plan on using.
If you were referred by a writer that has already worked with Burns, include the writer’s name in your pitch.
Don’t include more than three story ideas per email, and keep each story idea to one paragraph or less.

All You pays $1.50 per word for freelance articles.

Author Maria Perez is director of news operations for ProfNet, a service that helps journalists connect with expert sources. To read more from Maria, visit her blog on ProfNet Connect at http://www.profnetconnect.com/profnetmaria/blog/

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Tagged Agility Influencer Targeting, media relations, pr, public relations

May Media Moves

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Kevin Frey | Leave a comment

MEDIAware is the PR Newswire Audience Research Department newsletter, featuring media news and job changes in the last month, is now available. Here is a sampling of this month’s edition:

CBS Television Network and the entire news community is mourning the loss of CBS Reporter Mike Wallace. The 60 Minutes Correspondent passed away at the age of 93. Wallace has won 21 Emmy Awards throughout his career, his last when he was 89. He was known for his inquisitiveness and his tough, probing questions. He retired from the show as a regular Correspondent in 2006 but occasionally contributed to the show. Wallace started his career in the 1940s as a Radio News Writer for the Chicago Sun. He began working at CBS in 1951. CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves said in a statement “His extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is immeasurable and he has been a force within the television industry throughout its existence. His loss will be felt by all of us at CBS.”

NBC Miami Reporter Jeff Burnside was fired after WTVJ-TV discovered that Burnside deliberately edited a tape of George Zimmerman’s 911 call before he shot Trayvon Martin. Burnside has been with the NBC station for over 13 years.

The Philadelphia Inquirer won their 19th Pulitzer Prize for a series that explored violence in the public schools of Philadelphia. The team of writers included Susan Snyder, Kristen A. Graham, Dylan Purcell, Jeff Gammage and ex-Inquirer Reporter John Sullivan (who is now a Professor at Medill University). They wrote the series entitled “Assault on Learning” and you can read the seven-part series here: www.philly.com/philly/news/special_packa…

The Wall Street Journal has produced a new, online title. CIO Journal is written for chief information officers and any executive interested in technology. While CIO Journal acts as an aggregator, it also contains original articles for subscribers. It also includes a daily email blast. Editing the Journal is Michael Hickins. Senior Editor is Darren McDermott. They can be contacted at michael.hickins@wsj.com and darren.mcdermott@wsj.com, respectively.

Michael J. Berens and Ken Armstrong of The Seattle Times (www.seattletimes.com) won a Pulitzer for Investigative Reporting. Their report is on the state of Washington’s healthcare program which prescribes the questionable drug methadone. You can read the entire piece here: seattletimes.nwsource.com/flatpages/spec…

Associated Press Reporters Eileen Sullivan, Chris Hawley, Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman also won a 2012 Pulitzer for Investigative Reporting. They wrote a series on NYPD’s investigations and profiling of Muslim neighborhoods since 9/11. Check out the series of stories here: www.ap.org/Index/AP-In-The-News/NYPD

Lisa Murphy has left Bloomberg TV. The “Street Smart” Anchor and Bloomberg TV made a mutual decision to part ways. The network is transitioning to a digital newsroom and has recently let go 30 of its staff members, including Morning Anchor Margaret Brennan. However, a spokesperson says the layoffs are not related to Murphy’s exit. Different Anchors from Bloomberg TV will fill-in her spot on “Street Smart.”

So many readers missed Domino Magazine that publisher Conde Nast has decided to create two special issues. One was just produced in April with another planned for September. Subtitled, “Quick Fixes” the website can be found at www.dominomag.com. The do-it-yourself magazine went out of print in 2009.

Reporter Sara Ganim won a Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for her coverage on Penn State University’s football coach Jerry Sandusky’s alleged child sex abuse scandal for The Patriot-News. Sara’s Pulitzer story coverage can be read here: www.pennlive.com/jerry-sandusky/pulitzer…

No, the new magazine launching this month entitled “WAX” is not about surfing in the Pacific. It’s actually about surfing, art and culture in New York City. Yes, the Big Apple. Editors David Yun, Aeriel Brown (aeriel@readwax.com) and Zak Klauck have created this bi-annual to explore the history of surfing, beaches and artists in NYC. The first issue has the theme, “Dialogues in Spring.” More details can be found on www.readwax.com or by emailing info@readwax.com.

The New York Times Business Reporter David Kocieniewski won a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting which covered the intricacies of the Federal Tax Law.(topics.nytimes.com/top/features/timestop…)

Photojournalist Craig F. Walker of The Denver Post won a Pulitzer for his photographic essay of an Iraq war veteran dealing with post-traumatic stress. You can view the slide show of photos here: photos.denverpost.com/mediacenter/2011/1…

The Politico’s Editorial Cartoonist Matt Wuerker won a Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. His winning cartoon collection is here: www.politico.com/wuerker/2012/04/matt-wu…

John Derbyshire, longtime columnist at the National Review, was let go by them after a racially insensitive piece was published on Taki’s Magazine.

The Boston Globe has launched a new online archive called “From The Archives”. The Archives will include photographs throughout the paper’s 140 year history. The Archives will be updated every Thursday with three to five photos from when the paper first started to the present. “From The Archives” is available for print and digital subscribers only.

Check out the entire May issue of MEDIAware here: www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/medi…

And all of the media changes by region here: www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/medi…

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Posted in Online Influence

Tagged Agility Influencer Targeting, media database

The Definitive Guide to Social Influence… Authored by YOU.

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Sarah Skerik | Leave a comment

PR Newswire is launching a crowd-sourced ebook on social influence.

There’s lots of talk around influentials, but in reality, there’s little understanding about all the different spheres of influence out there, how they interact and what the opportunities are for communicators.

So we decided to develop an e-book on the subject, and we’re taking the extra step of crowdsourcing it, in order to curate the best and most diverse perspectives and ideas. It’s not as cool as crowdsourcing a burger, but we’re pretty excited about it nonetheless!

If you have some expertise in this area, this is a good time to show it off. Develop some original content, and send it our way. This is a chance to be published in something that will be widely distributed among communications professionals all over the world. You’ll be contributing to something valuable to our community, and at the same time polishing your own brand.

We’ve outline some chapters to provide direction, but we’re also inviting ‘wildcard’ submissions to ensure no angle is overlooked. Here’s the chapter outline:

CHAPTER 1 – What’s an Influencer? Who Are They?
Different Types of Influencers, for example:

Rock Stars vs. Connected Pros on the Rise
Big Time Bloggers vs. Knowledgeable Enthusiastic Self-Publishers
Mass Media vs. Niche Media

CHAPTER 2 – Gauging Influence
Scoring:

The Importance of Scoring Systems (for example “Klout,” or “Kred”) and How to Use the Information
Measuring Influence Among Followers, Fans, Friends

CHAPTER 3 – Finding Your Influencers

Helpful Tools & Platforms
Using Analytics to Identify Influencers Among People You Already Know – Current Customers, Media, Followers
Influencers You Don’t Know (But Want To) –How to Make That Initial Connection
Creating Your Perfect Blend of Influencers

CHAPTER 4 – You Have Influencers – Now What?
Building a Strategy for Influencer Engagement:

Strategic Outreach
Choosing the Channel or Platform to Use (Blogging, Speaking, Etc.)

CHAPTER 5 – Measurement and Future Engagement
Different Types of Influentials:

Analyzing Outcomes
Ongoing Relationship Building
Follow Up On Activity

WILDCARD CHAPTER – Create Your Own Topic
Do you have great advice to offer on our overarching topic, but it deserves another chapter? You may create your own chapter and submit content to a topic of your own choosing. Please suggest a chapter title, too.

Here are all the details: The Crowd-Sourced eBook: The Definitive Guide to Social Influencer Engagement

We’re looking forward to reading the submissions and seeing what shape the final version takes!

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Posted in Online Influence

Tagged Agility Influencer Targeting, influencer, social influence, social media

February Media Moves and Changes

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Kevin Frey | Leave a comment

PR Newswire’s Audience Research Group continually updates the media database that powers our MEDIAtlas service, and our popular Microlists, which let you target niche audiences on the fly. Here’s a summary of recent media and blogger updates.

A new year means out with the old and in with the new, at least for ABC Network (http://abc.go.com). The network launched a new show in its afternoon lineup called “The Revolution”. The show replaces “One Life to Live” in the network’s 2:00 p.m. ET time slot. ‘The Revolution’ is hosted by Ty Pennington, Tim Gunn, Harley Pasternak, Dr. Jennifer Ashton and Dr. Tiffanie Davis Henry. Broadcasted from ABC Times Square Studios, these six experts will help women transform aspects of their lives including body, health, style, mind and environment. Each week, the show highlights one woman over the course of five months. Executive Producer is J.D. Roth. You can follow The Revolution on Twitter http://twitter.com/therevolution or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/therevolutiononabc.

The Washington, DC region received a late news gift in January with the addition of a second all-news station to the area. WNEW-FM, 99.1 on the dial, is now broadcasting news 24/7. Michelle Dolge is the News Director and you can send news to this CBS station via email: desk@wnew.com. Amy Morris and Bill Rehkpf are the Morning News Anchors. The station is on the web here: http://washington.cbslocal.com/station/wnew-99-1-fm/ and tweets here: https://twitter.com/WNEWNews

Univision (http://www.univision.com) will now be providing English subtitles to their telenovelas in an attempt to attract the non-Spanish speaking audience. Televisa has countered this move by teaming up with Lionsgate to create new English telenovelas with the same Spanish flare.

There is no doubt that the Hispanic population has grown in the US, and that their votes are really important. Univision’s Anchor Maria Elena Salinas was given the first interview with President Barack Obama after his State of the Union Address, beating out ABC’s Diane Sawyer for the interview.

Dylan Byers on Media is a newly created blog produced by The Politico (http://www.politico.com) which will feature a combination of politics and Media. Political Media Reporter Dylan Byers (dbyers@politico.com) is the author of the blog. The blog will serve as a replacement for the Ben Smith blog, which ceased continuation when Ben Smith recently accepted a position as Editor-in-Chief at BuzzFeed. For more information, visit http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/ You also follow Dylan Byers on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/dylanbyers

First on television and now in a magazine, Reality TV stars are getting their own weekly magazine. Reality Weekly (http://www.realityweeklymagazine.com) launched last month but so far has not been as successful as hoped. But it’s still early and publisher American Media is not giving up just yet. The Editor-in-Chief is Richard Spencer. Send him tips at tips@starmagazine.com. Reality Weekly is a sister publication of Star Magazine.

While still only in the testing stage HGTV Magazine (http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-magazine/package/index.html) is a hit! The newest Hearst publication has already produced solid subscription numbers and Hearst will make the decision whether or not to keep the magazine in its line-up shortly. The magazine will parallel the programming on the HGTV Television Network. The Editor-in-Chief is Sara Peterson (speterson@hearst.com) and the Associate Editor is Rachel Jacoby (rjacoby@hearst.com).

The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News (http://www.philly.com) are raising their rates at the newsstand. The increase will be 25 cents. The Inquirer and Daily News will now cost a dollar each during the week.

Colorful Meteorologist John Bolaris has mutually parted ways with Philadelphia’s FOX 29, WTXF-TV. Bolaris recently was interviewed in Playboy about being robbed in Miami last year by two professionals. The station apparently did not like the way he represented the station in the article. You can read about it here: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/entertainment/celebrities_gossip/John-Bolaris-no-longer-employed-by-Fox-29.html . The meteorologist is famous for his missed call when he was at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia and wrongly predicted the snow “Storm of the Century”. His blown call at the time forced him to move on to a new gig.

Condolences to the family of retired CBS Correspondent Richard Threlkeld. He was recently killed in a car crash. He was 74.

Going forward, KNBC-TV will be known as NBC4 Southern California (http://www.nbclosangeles.com). The re-branding is part of the station’s makeover in an effort to boost ratings and standings among local stations.

Los Angeles Daily News Columnist Dennis McCarthy is retiring from the newspaper business after 40 years of service.

Geraldine Baum has bid farewell to the Los Angeles Times. Baum had been with the paper since 1989 and was most recently New York Bureau Chief. Tina Susman will take over as the new Bureau Chief.

OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network (http://www.oprah.com/own) has decided to part ways with long-time Oprah Executive Lisa Erspamer. Erspamer who has worked with Oprah for 18 years will be replaced by Discovery Channel executive, Rita Mullin.

Veteran newsman George Lewis has announced his retirement. Currently the Senior Technology Correspondent at NBC Television Network and MSNBC/Microsoft-NBC, Lewis began working for NBC in 1968. He started his career covering hard news and his resume includes coverage of some of history’s biggest stories. Among them: the Vietnam War, Tiananmen Square, Operation Desert Storm, the Iranian hostage crisis, the Exxon Valdez oil spill as well as two Olympics and the infamous O.J. Simpson trials.

Time.com’s (http://www.time.com) Executive Director Catherine Sharick (catherine_sharick@timeinc.com) has been promoted to Managing Editor. Sharick joined Time.com in 2002 as Web Producer. The timing coincides with Time.com’s launch of Time Business. This vertical will be overseen by Scott Medintz and will cover subjects such as Wall Street, trends, small businesses and more. Other Time.com verticals include Ideas, Entertainment and Newsfeed and Lightbox.

The Conde Nast empire is planning to expand. The company has committed to 1,138 million square feet of office space in the new World Trade Center. They have agreed to a 25-year lease before the project is even finished. The expected completion date of the tower is sometime in 2014.

Meredith, publisher of Better Homes and Gardens reports a loss in revenues from $36 million, compared to last year at, $42 million. Despite the decrease in profits, the circulation revenues increased – online orders for print magazine subscriptions doubled to 500,000, an increase from 2011.

In an effort to cut down on costs, The Boston Herald (http://www.bostonherald.com) has made an agreement with The Boston Globe (http://bostonglobe.com)that would allow the Globe to print and deliver the Herald’s newspaper in the Boston area beginning some time in January. This agreement has allowed the Herald to save on costs by eliminating the jobs of 53 truck drivers and other delivery workers that have been laid off due to budget cuts.The newly launched Jack & Jill blog offers news that is largely geared towards African American political issues and current affairs. The blog also features news and commentary on the impact of African-American politicians and the effects of African-American culture in the United States. The blog is authored by Jack Turner (jackturnerpolitics@gmail.com) and Jill Tubmain. For more information , you can visit http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com

The Chicago Tribune (http://www.chicagotribune.com) will begin offering voluntary buyouts to newsroom staffers in an effort to trim down costs due to financial difficulties. The buyouts will be available to all editorial staff with the exception of top departmental management.

Toledo television stations WTOL-TV (CBS) (http://www.wtol.com) and WUPW-TV (FOX) (http://www.foxtoledo.com) will combine their efforts in sharing news, access to studios, master control, technical facilities, maintenance and promotional efforts.

The Miami Herald (http://www.miamiherald.com) has just announced its soon to be new home located on the grounds of the former U.S. Southern Command Headquarters in Doral, FL. Publisher and President David Landsberg has made the announcement after having signed the lease at its new address located on 3511 NW 91st Avenue, which will soon be renamed One Herald Plaza at Westpointe Business Park. The changes are said to take place some time in May of 2013.

Former Miami Reporter at WSVN-TV, Rene Marsh (Rene.Marsh@turner.com), joins CNN Newsource as a National Correspondent. She will be based in the Washington D.C. bureau.

CNN – Cable News Network announced the promotion of Rick DiBella (rick.dibella@turner.com) who has been promoted to Executive Producer. Prior, he served as a Senior Broadcast Producer and a Senior Producer for “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer”. Also making moves is former Bloomberg Correspondent Lizzie O’Leary (lizzie.oleary@turner.com), who has joined the CNN Network as Aviation and Regulation Correspondent. Charley Keyes steps down from his position as Senior National Security Producer. He retires after 24 years of being with the network. On another note, the network welcomes Flora Zhang (flora.zhang@turner.com) as a New York-based Opinion Editor. She recently served as a Co-Editor for The New York Times blog called “Room for Debate”.

The Seattle Times (http://www.seattletimes.com) announced plans last month that at least 20 employees were going to be laid off throughout the company. This number includes 5 newsroom staff members. Another 10 to 12 layoffs were said to be coming later in the year as well.

Back Porch View (http://www.backporchmagazine.com) is a new quarterly magazine from the Flathead Valley Montana region. The magazine features articles about family life, frugal living, sustainable living and work-at-home enterprise. Chris Friar is the Editor: crisfriar@yahoo.com.

Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, CA) — The McClatchy Co. announced the consolidation of its five California newspaper’s copy desks to the Sacramento Bee (http://www.sacbee.com). The move is expected to create 20-30 jobs at the Bee.

Sacramento’s Capitol Weekly, a magazine focused on California government and politics, is no longer producing its print publication. They will continue online only for now, and can be found at: http://capitolweekly.net . John Howard is the Editor: news@capitolweekly.net

WVUE-TV‘s Jennifer Hale is pulling double duty and adding Sports Reporting to her resume. In addition to Reporting and Anchoring the news for the local New Orleans FOX affiliate, Hale is covering NFL games for FOX Sports. Jennifer is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenHale504

Khloe Kardashian Odom, the newest high-profile resident of Dallas, TX, is now hosting a midday show on KDMX-FM. She and husband Lamar, who plays Forward for the Dallas Marvericks, moved to Big D in December 2011. Khloe is on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/KhloeKardashian.

KHOU-TV (http://www.khou.com) in Houston, TX, has added new social media features to its iPad application. Facebook and Twitter links are now embedded in the news app to create the full social media experience for the user. Also, since adding these features, the average time spent browsing the site has increased.

Javier Garcia has been named General Manager of US Hispanic Business & Operations for Yahoo.

Luis Fernandez-Rocha has been named Senior Vice President of Telefutura after the resignation of German Perez-Nahim.

ImpreMedia and its six publications are still at a crossroads. While the staff has been working without settling a contract since May 2010, there is now word that Argentine newspaper La Nacion is trying to purchase ImpreMedia.

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Posted in Tools & Tactics

Tagged Agility Influencer Targeting, Journalist, Media, media database, media relations

Targeting Audiences – You Have to Find Them First

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Sarah Skerik | Leave a comment

How do you find social audiences interested in topics related to your brand or organization? Listorious is one of the jumping off points.

One question we hear repeatedly is this: “How do you go about finding your audiences in social networks?” Tracking down your centers of influence in social spheres can be a bit daunting at the outset. Depending up on the subject matter, interests may be fleeting, such as when someone is doing pre-purchase research on a product. On the other hand, interests can be very personal, whether the subject matter is somone’s hobby or a health issue. It’s always important to remember that social audiences are made up of individual people, and the approaches that work best foster connections on a human level.

So, keeping that in mind, here are some ideas for sources of information, and getting started.

Search Engines: Search engines do a great job of surfacing social content, and are a good first step when identifying an audience. Plug in keywords relating to the topic or area you’re researching, and see what surfaces. You’ll find blogs, editorial pieces and discussion groups relating to your query.

Media Databases: Databases of media and bloggers, like PR Newswire’s own MEDIAtlas online media database , can be a great place to start – you can use them to identify bloggers who focus on your target segment, and you can access their contact information. Taking the time to find the bloggers who write about topics that are in line with the brand/product/service you’re promoting is a key piece of identifying your audience – because established bloggers already have a foothold with that audience. Find the bloggers who are most closely aligned with the messages you’ll be conveying, and start by reading their blogs and building relationships with them.

Social Networks: Special interest groups abound on Facebook and LinkedIn, and on Twitter, they take the form of chats (timed conversations centered around a #hashtag), ongoing discussions (again, labeled with hashtags) and lists curated by people who are interested in that subject. Listorious, a directory of people and Twitter lists, is a good starting point – ideally, you should take the time to follow lists, listening to what’s said and shared – and then develop your own list, cherry-picking the people whose interests align with yours. Remember, these groups exist to enable people with similar interests to share information and connect. Receiving promotional messages is not their raison d’etre. These are the places where interaction and engagement are required.

It’s important to note that these sources will not provide you with a list you can download into a spreadsheet and begin hammering with email pitches, which isn’t the point of this exercise to begin with. Once you’ve found your people, treat them as though you were interacting with them face to face. Listen, engage and interact. As you get to know them, and they you, if you’re producing good content, they’ll interact with it and share it. At that point, your efforts will start to pay off. As the relationships mature, you’ll be able to invite bloggers to beta test a service, or solicit feedback on ideas from a group. The more you invest in developing relationships with online audiences, the greater the dividends will be.

Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media, and is the author of the free ebook Unlocking Social Media for PR, which we’ve updated for 2012.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged agile engagement, Agility Influencer Targeting, audience targeting, media database, SocialMedia101

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