Tag Archives: Agility Influencer Targeting

Targeting Audiences – You Have to Find Them First

Posted on January 18, 2012 by | 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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January Media Moves & News

Posted on January 9, 2012 by | 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.  Updates by region can be found here: http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/January2012MEDIAtlasUpdatesbyRegion.html

Are you ready for some football?!! Then you’ll want to check out the new NFL Magazine. Launched in mid-December, the magazine is the official magazine of the National Football League. Printed monthly, the new publication will include articles on the games, teams and personalities of pro football. Circulation is approximately 300,000 to 400,000. Regular contributors to the magazine will be well-known analysts and reporters as well as some retired players and coaches. The Editor is Jim Buckley, whose email is jbuckley@shorelinepublishing.com. Check out the website at http://www.thenflmagazine.com.

CBS Television has decided to revamp its morning line-up and is replacing The Early Show (http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/earlyshow/main500202.shtml) with a new show called CBS This Morning. Hosted by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill, the show will debut on January 9th. Rose and Hill will anchor the 7:00 a.m. ET hour, which will focus on hard news. King will anchor the 8:00 a.m. hour which will include news more focused toward women. Chris Licht will serve as Executive Producer of CBS This Morning. Chris Wragge, who Co-Anchored The Early Show, will return to CBS’ New York station. The Early Show News Anchor Jeff Glor will now be the show’s Special Correspondent. He will also Anchor on Sundays.

Geraldo Rivera dons yet another hat as he becomes a morning radio Host on WABC-AM. His show will air 10:00 -11:00 a.m. weekdays. He replaces former Host Joe Crummey. Rivera will also continue at Fox News as Weekend Anchor/Reporter.

It wasn’t a happy holiday season at Reader’s Digest Association. The company has laid off 150 positions. Approximately 75 of those are in the United States while the remaining are international. The company wants to focus on its top brands, such as “Reader’s Digest,” “The Family Handyman” and “Taste of Home” so it eliminated mostly positions that were not directly related to those titles.

Playboy magazine is planning to move its editorial, art and photo departments from their Chicago headquarters to Los Angeles in April 2012.

The Chicago Reporter will join forces with WMAQ-TV, the NBC station in Chicago to provide additional investigative reporting as part of an agreement between non-profit news organizations and NBC-owned stations.

Following on the heels of a number of other broadcast stations, WCBS-AM has moved to lower Manhattan. It’s now located in the same building as its sister stations – WINS-AM, WFAN-AM, WCBS-FM, WXRK-FM and WWFS-FM. The address is: 345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.

YUE is a new, bi-lingual, Chinese-English magazine. It debuted in New York City with a circulation of 35,000. The quarterly magazine is geared toward the upper class with stories on fashion, dining, shopping, travel and entertainment. It is being published and edited in English and Mandarin by Ms. Chiu-Ti Jansen. The website is not yet up and running. But story ideas can be emailed to either editor@yuemagazine.com or publisher@yuemagazine.

George Stephanopoulos is returning to “This Week.” Current Host Christiane Amanpour has returned to her roots as an International Reporter. She will be hosting a new global affairs show on CNN International. However, she will still produce about six primetime, news specials per year on ABC. Stephanopoulos, meanwhile, will stay as Co-host of “Good Morning America” while also hosting “This Week.”

An anthrax scare shut down the newsroom at WPIX-TV last month. An employee received a threatening letter which contained white powder. The scare came shortly before the 5:00 p.m. newscast so Reporter Kristen Cole opened the broadcast outside. Once police and a Hazmat team decontaminated the studio, Anchor Jodi Applegate was able to take over the regular inside anchoring duties.

Former Los Angeles Times Wine Critic Lawrence Robert Balzer passed away of natural causes at the age of 99. Balzer was Wine Critic for the paper from 1965 to 1995, wrote several books and taught wine-tasting classes aboard the Queen Mary until a few years ago.

The entertainment publication Variety will offer a film production tracking service called FlixTracker. The paid service will collect information about films in development and production, information on how to contact Hollywood executives, film budget details and various other industry information. The service will be solicited to Hollywood companies and studios for a $1000 annual subscription fee.

PaidContent.org has established a West Coast presence by hiring Daniel Frankel from TheWrap as its West Coast Senior Editor. Frankel replaces Andrew Wallenstein. Follow Frankel on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dannyfrankel.

Sports Columnist Bill Conlin retired abruptly from The Philadelphia Daily News after a story alleging he abused children broke in sister newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pittsburgh’s WWCS-AM (http://www.birach.com/wwcs.html) has dropped its Spanish-laced programming and is picking up the national Fox Sports Radio feed with this New Year. This is the third format change in three years for this Birach Broadcasting station. They previously aired the Radio Disney feed before the Spanish programming change. Sima Birach (sima@birach.com) is the Station Manager.

Ron Smith, longtime conservative talk show host at WBAL-AM and a Columnist at The Baltimore Sun passed away recently from pancreatic cancer at the age of 70. Ron wrote 146 conservative columns for the Sun (not a conservative paper) and was amazed they gave him the forum starting in 2008. He had retired from the newspaper in November and the radio airwaves in early December.

After much anticipation, CNN has finally announced the names of its new morning shows. Ashleigh Banfield (Ashleigh.Banfield@turner.com), who was a former MSNBC Anchor, will Co-host along with Zoraida.Sambolin (Zoraida.Sambolin@turner.com) the newly created morning show titled “Early Start”. Soledad O’Brien will lead the 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. morning segment entitled “Starting Point”. “Starting Point” is set to take a “conversational ensemble” format with the host at the center. The two new morning shows are set to air this month.

After 27 years of publishing, Florida Underwriter Magazine has made the announcement that its December issue was its last. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, Publisher Summit Business Media has announced it will cease publication due to financial hardship and the uncertainty of digital mediums.

AMERICAN CAR COLLECTOR magazine has launched with a January 2012 issue. The new magazine features collectable American cars, and covers the market, collectors, new products, auctions and events. Sister publication CORVETTE MARKET is being merged into American Car Collector. Jim Pickering is now the Managing Editor. He can be emailed at jim.pickering@sportscarmarket.com while the new website is http://www.americancarcollector.com

GAMEPRO, a gaming magazine and website ceased publication on December 5. It was in print for 22 years. The publication has integrated operations with PCWORLD.COM

KTRV-TV,  an independent station in Boise, Idaho, has closed its news operations. They have announced plans to cut production staff as well.

Marty Davis, publisher of the gay lifestyle-focused Just Out newspaper, has announced that the Portland newspaper will cease publication after its December issue. The paper had been published for 28 years.

Ted Williams known as the man with the golden voice is now working at one of New England’s most popular stations, The New England Cable Network. Williams was discovered along the side of a road in Columbus Ohio peddling for money.

Raul Rodriguez has been named Vice President and General Manager for Univision’s KDTV-14, KSOL and KBRG. Adriana Muro has been promoted. Her new title at Telemundo’s KDEN-25 now reads Creative Services Manager.

Telemundo Station Group has a new President. Manuel Abud will be the leader, replacing Ronald Gordon in 2012.

Univision and other top Latin stations have come to an agreement with Hulu. Hulu will now be offering a Spanish programming to its subscribers. Nineteen employees from The Denver Post have accepted voluntary buyouts to avoid layoffs.

The Gazette, in Colorado Springs, reports a number of employee buyouts as the reorganization and “digital-first” initiative takes place. The San Diego Union-Tribune is now known as U-T San Diego. The name change will unify print and digital products under one brand. The online edition at SignOnSanDiego.com is now: http://www.utsandiego.com

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Pitching Business Editors

Posted on January 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment

There are many things to keep in mind when pitching your news release to a business desk.

As a longtime business journalist, I’ve been on the receiving end of thousands of releases. But to fairly convey what these reporters and editors are looking for, I tapped some old friends for fail-safe words of pitching wisdom.

Many of these can be applied to nearly any news desk. Consider them best practices.

1. Know the news outlet before you pitch. Douglas Fruehling, editor of the Washington Business Journal, says No. 1 on his list is for public relations types to know the organization and the news product before a pitch even is made.

“If you read the business journal, you would know we [might not] cover that,” he said. “You have to know that what you’re pitching is something the organization would think about using.”

Marla Pugh, a longtime business editor-turned-PR maven from California, agrees.

“Think about the audience of the paper you are pitching and include a paragraph about why that publication’s audience should care,” Pugh said. “Is it a conservative daily or a hipster weekly? Adjust your message. Not all releases should be equal for all publications.”

2. Consider the publication’s deadlines and editorial calendar.   Timing can make all the difference in whether or not your story is picked up.

3.  Provide facts.    Pugh also wants to see hard data and numbers – percentage of growth, number of people employed, and customer base – all of that information shows impact.

To follow up, or not?

When it comes to the sensitive subject of follow-up calls, Fruehling admits he’s not adamant like other journalists about not receiving them.

“There have been times when I get would get follow-up calls for press releases, and I went back to reevaluate them,” he said. “I know others would say no follow-up call, but maybe a quick follow up [would be OK]. There have been a couple times when I have deleted a press release – I try to read everything – the subject line or the lede, and then I’ve gotten a call and revisited it.”

Other tips when pitching a business desk:
• Email always. Don’t fax.
• No attachments. (It’s frankly too much work, especially if you’ve got several things going on.)
• Get the journalist’s name right and send the release directly vs. some generic inbox.
• Use plain English and no jargon. Also, use correct grammar and spelling.
• Always include contact info and be accessible if a journalist calls for more information.
• Use a quote from a real person or include perspective (like a customer testimonial).

Need media contacts, editorial calendars and pitching tips?  PR Newswire’s MEDIAtlas is an affordable and robust media database.  It’s updated continually by our global audience research team.

Christine Cube is a media relations manager for PR Newswire and freelance writer. You can follow her @cpcube.

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December Media Moves and News

Posted on December 6, 2011 by | 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.  Updates by region can be found here:  http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/December2011MEDIAtlasUpdatesbyRegion.html

After four years, Philadelphia’s 6ABC Action News Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/6abc.ActionNews?ref=ts) has topped 100,000 likes. That may seem small, but WPVI-TV’s news page had 27 million post views in September and that number speaks volumes. The number one news station in town has become the number one go to news site in the Philadelphia area on Facebook to reach its viewers/readers online with Action News updates and breaking news. If you add up all of their talent pages they reach another 280,000 people as well. This has proved to be a successful model of the marriage between social and broadcast media. Their main website is: http://www.6abc.com and their Twitter page is: https://twitter.com/6abc

Gannett recently passed a new rule onto its readers: If you want to say something on any of their sites for example The Orange County Register and The San Diego Union-Tribune you must join Facebook to do so. This rule is mandatory for anyone to provide any online commentary to its stories for all of its newspaper sites and broadcast entities as well.

The axe has fallen again at the New York Daily News. As part of its down-sizing plan, the Daily News has let go the following personnel: Senior Features Writer Jane Ridley; Front Page Editor John Cochran; City Hall Reporters Frank Lombardi and Kathleen Lucadamo; Deputy Police Bureau Chief Bob Kappstatter; Reporters Jose Martinez, Mike Jaccarino and Barbara DiGiarmo as well as Scott Shifrel, who covered the Federal Courts. Also leaving the paper but not laid-off are Managing Editor Stuart Marques and Photo Editor Gretchen Viehmann, who resigned from their posts.

Alina Falcon makes a big switch leaving her role as President of News at Univision Network (http://www.univision.com) to become Vice President of News & Alternative Programming at Telemundo Network (http://msnlatino.telemundo.com). You can follow Telemundo on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Telemundo and on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Telemundo

Joining the other recently added programs on MSNBC such as “Up With Chris Hayes,” “NOW with Alex Wagner” debuted last month. On the show, Host Ms. Alex Wagner moderates a panel discussion. The panelists vary from show to show. The Executive Producer is Dana Haller. The show airs at noon and replaces “MSNBC Live.” Send story ideas to dana.haller@nbcuni.com.

News 12, Newsday and MSG Varsity are now combined under one umbrella. Cablevision, the owner of the three outlets, is combining both the news and sales staffs. Newly named VP Debby Krenek (debby.krenek@newsday.com) will be in charge of the news department. She has also been given the title of Editorial Director at Newsday while Debbie Henley (debbie.henley@newsday.com) takes over as Editor-in-Chief at the paper. In the sales department Publisher Fred Groser (fred.groser@newsday.com) will now share his head of sales duties with David Kline. Kline is president and COO of Cablevision Media Sales.

After 30 years on-air, Regis Philbin, 80, said goodbye to viewers on Live! With Regis and Kelly. Although this marks the end of his days as Host on Live!, he plans on continuing his television career. Philbin hopes to host a primetime talent show and has formed a production company in hopes of creating a family competition show. Live! has yet to name a replacement for Philbin but potential candidates include Ryan Seacrest, Mario Lopez, Jeff Probst, Chris Harrison, Mark Consuelos, Chris Cuomo, Billy Bush, Neil Patrick Harris and Mike Rowe.

CNN – Cable News Network announces the death of its morning program and the birth of two new morning shows. After over ten years on the air, CNN has called it quits on “American Morning” and it will cease production sometime in January of 2012 . In replacement of the empty morning slot, CNN also makes the announcement that two new morning shows, whose names are yet to be titled, will air during the 5:00-7:00 a.m. time slot. Ashleigh Banfield (Ashleigh.Banfield@turner.com) and Zoraida Sambolin (Zoraida.Sambolin@turner.com) are going to anchor the morning shows. Soledad O’Brien, CNN’s Special Correspondent, will also anchor the 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. morning segment. Shannon High (Shannon.High@turner.com), who has worked with NBC Television Network, is set to serve as Executive Producer for both morning programs. CNN has also launched a new program called “The Next List” hosted by CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta (Sanjay.Gupta@turner.com). The half-hour show, which is set to broadcast weekly on Sundays at 2:00 p.m., will feature guests from various industries. Jim McGinnis (Jim.McGinnis@turner.com) is set to serve as the show’s Executive Producer.

The Pittsburgh Press is back! The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has revived its deceased rival, The Pittsburgh Press, as an afternoon online edition available as a subscription to online readers. Breaking News Editor Tim McDonough (PittsburghPress@post-gazette.com) will also be the Editor of this E-Edition. You can view a sample of it here: http://presssample.post-gazette.com/

The man who ran Engadget, Editor Joshua Topolsky (joshua@theverge.com), returns to the technology field with an online site titled The Verge (http://www.theverge.com/). It covers the latest gadgets and high tech toys. Joshua has brought a lot of the Engadget staff on board for this venture including Managing Editor Nilay Patel (nilay@theverge.com). The site provides breaking news coverage on all things tech, new products, reviews, social media and also features tech content from The Washington Post. The Verge tweets are here: https://twitter.com/verge

The launch of a new media company, MLive Media Group and Advanced Central Services Michigan has resulted in about 550 layoffs at Michigan-based Booth Newspapers and MLive.com. Here is the break down of employees let go for each newspaper in the Michigan area: The Grand Rapids Press released 146 employees; The Flint Journal 91; Kalamazoo Gazette 77; The Bay City Times 71; The Jackson Citizen Patriot 71: Booth Michigan 55; Valley Publishing 20; and The Saginaw News 12. There also were layoffs at The Muskegon Chronicle. The number of employees there was not disclosed. MLive Media Group will handle news and advertising, while Advance Central Services Michigan will handle production, distribution, and human resources. All employees that were part of the layoff are eligible to apply for new positions within the new media company.

Nexstar Broadcasting has terminated several people from WEHT-TV, the ABC affiliate in Evansville, Indiana. Nexstar arranged to acquire WEHT-TV from Gilmore Broadcasting in August. General Manager Doug Padgett and News Director Mark Glover are among those who were let go. Reporter and Weekend Sports Anchor Sean Clark-Weiss; Morning Co-Anchor Whitney Ray; Reporter Nick LaGrange; and Sports Director Mark McVicar will also be let go, as well as other producers, directors and editors. As the station merges operations with independent WTVW-TV, the newscasts will get a fresh look and new talent. WTVW-TV Evening Anchors Randy Moore and Julie Dolan will move to mornings on WEHT-TV and Meteorologist Ron Rhodes will join them.

Philadelphia Magazine (http://www.phillymag.com) has re-launched its old gossip page as a newly designed stand-alone website titled The Philly Post (http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/). The site will offer news and opinion from its regular magazine staff along with outside contributors from the Philadelphia region. Janine White is the Editor (jwhite@phillymag.com) and Victor Fiorillo (vfiorillo@phillymag.com) is the main Reporter. The new site is designed to catch on with its younger readers and also keep its core group on top of everything in Philly.

The new Co-Host of NPR’s “All Things Considered” (http://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/) is Audie Cornish, She was previously hosting NPR’s “Weekend Edition” and will take the spot of Michele Norris who has taken temporary leave for a year. Audie joins longtime hosts Michele Block and Robert Siegel. ATC’s Twitter is: https://twitter.com/npratc

Sorry to report Publisher Christopher Ma recently passed away from a heart attack at the age of 61. Christopher was not only a Publisher at the Express (http://www.readexpress.com) newspaper but also a Vice President at The Washington Post Company.

Two Denver Post employees, Religion Reporter Virginia Culver and Pulitzer Prize-winning Editorial Cartoonist Mike Keefe, have accepted the paper’s buyout offer. More staff is expected to take the buyout offer in the coming months.

The American Independent Network has merged all of its sites (The Minnesota Independent, The Iowa Independent, Michigan Messenger, New Mexico Independent) into one online outlet — The American Independent (http://www.americanindependent.com/).

The Los Angeles Times is preparing to merge the design, news and web operations staff into one department after the first of the year. Layoffs are expected.

Real estate developer Douglas Manchester is the new owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune. It’s rumored that Manchester may have future plans to shut down the printing presses and go online only.

It is with great sadness that CNN announces the tragic death of longtime veteran anchor Stanley Wright Case. Fifty-nine year old Case had been hit in a head-on accident during a rainstorm in Birmingham when a truck collided with Case’s car. His wife remains in the hospital in critical condition. Case had served at the network since 1985 and served as the anchor for CNN Radio.

After two years on the air of the HLN network, “The Joy Behar Show” has announced that it will no longer continue production and it set to air its last show in mid- December of 2011. The show deputed on HLN with host Joy Behar back in September 2009. Behar will continue to serve as one of the hosts on “The View”.

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November Media Moves and News

Posted on November 3, 2011 by | 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.  Updates by region can be found here:  http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/November2011MEDIAtlasUpdatesbyRegion.html

The St. Petersburg Times (http://www.tampabay.com) announced it is changing its name to the Tampa Bay Times on January 1st. The idea behind the name change is to be more regionalized. This is on the heels of a recent announcement of a five percent pay cut and possible layoffs that has shaken up the newsroom at the Times. The decision to go forth with reducing costs and cutting job positions in the newsroom was made after CEO Paul Tash stated that further cuts were necessary to keep up with the downturn of the economy while allowing the production of the publication to survive. No names have been confirmed as of yet.

The Baltimore Sun (http://www.baltimoresun.com) has added a paywall. Online readers will get 15 pages free per month, but then will be asked to subscribe to read more content. It’s $2.49 for a week of Sun viewing. And the Sun is also going to begin sharing Sports news from the region with The Washington Post. Both papers will be covering the Maryland sports scene together and sharing their finds with each other.

The Washington Post is beefing up its local education coverage with two new Education blogs Maryland Schools Insider (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/maryland-schools-insider) and Virginia Schools Insider (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-schools-insider/). Emma Brown (browne@washpost.com) and Kevin Sieff (sieffk@washpost.com) cover the Virginia School beat and Robert Samuels (samuelsr@washpost.com) and Michael Alison Chandler (chandlerm@washpost.com) cover the Maryland beat.

Hanley Wood (http://www.hanleywood.com), the building and construction publisher based in Washington, DC, folded two titles Big Builder and Building Products due to the downturn in the construction industry.

Another CNN Anchor has launched her own show. First Anderson Cooper and now Erin Burnett. Called “Erin Burnett OutFront,” the show airs at 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. weekdays. Burnett can be congratulated at Erin.Burnett@turner.com. Producing the show are Andrew Haag (andrew.haag@turner.com) and Mark Joyella. Joyella (mark.joyella@turner.com) is a Digital Producer. Scheduling the program’s guests is Brittany Kaplan. If you want to appear on the show, contact her at brittany.kaplan@turner.com. You can follow “Erin Burnett OutFront” on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/OutFrontCNN.

Normally a publication goes from print to online. Not this time. Style.com (http://www.style.com) has long been a popular website. Now it’s also in print. Launching just after fashion week, the magazine is edited by Dirk Standen. He can be emailed at dirk_standen@style.com. The first issue costs $4.99. Follow the new magazine on Twitter at http://twitter.com/styledotcom.

What started out as one magazine is now two. Luxury publication New York Smash (http://www.newyorksmash.com) was so popular that company now produces Hamptons Smash. The magazines focus on Long Island and Manhattan. They are published eight times per year. Chelsea Kate Isaacs is the Editor for both publications. She can be emailed at chelsea@newyorksmash.com. The Publisher is Roman Khutoryansky. His email is roman@newyorksmash.com.

Meredith Corp. has added Every Day With Rachael Ray (http://www.rachaelraymag.com) to its already impressive array of magazines. Purchased from Reader’s Digest, the magazine is currently searching for an Editor to lead the magazine. For now, Family Circle Editor-in-Chief Linda Fears will be in charge. She can be contacted at linda.fears@meredith.com.

After nearly a quarter of a century it looked like The Scientist (http://www.the-scientist.com) magazine was on the verge of extinction. Then LabX Media saved the day and purchased it. No word yet on whether the existing staff will remain. The Scientist’s focus is on the business and advancement of science.

Editorial Director Michael Wolff is stepping down from his position at Adweek.  Replacing him is Executive Editor Jim Cooper, who will oversee editorial operations at Adweek and Adweek.com.

“The Five” news program has secured a permanent spot on Fox network’s line-up. ‘The Five’ consists of five rotating co-hosts including Dana Perino, Bob Beckel, Eric Bolling, Juan Williams, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Greg Gutfeld and Andrea Tantaros. ‘The Five’ is a replacement for the Glenn Beck Show at 5:00 p.m., which went off air summer 2011.

Chicago Public Media station WTTW-TV (http://www.wttw.com) is set to air programming from Al Jazeera English. News coverage from Al Jazeera English will be on the air for 30 minutes at 6:30 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. daily newscasts on WTTW Prime and from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. Saturdays.

Comedian Bob Newhart, an Oak Park native will be inducted in the Illinois Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. Newhart joins such inductees as Orson Welles, Paul Harvey, Mike Wallace, Siskel & Ebert, and most recently Oprah Winfrey.

Chicago ABC station, WLS-TV (http://abclocal.go.com/wls) will expand its 10:00 p.m. weekend newscast coverage on the weekends. The late newscast anchored by Ravi Baichwal and Karen Jordan will increase to one hour. The remaining late-night weekend lineup will shift by 30 minutes.

WBIN-TV (http://www.wbintv.com), formerly WZMY-TV, launched a weeknight newscast, “News Now at 10.” The nightly half-hour show is hosted by Amanda Decker and Meteorologist Kyle Dennis.

Motorcycle magazine Cycle World (http://www.cycleworld.com) has been sold by Hearst publishing to Bonnier Corporation. There were no staff member lay-offs at the Newport Beach, California based publication.

SPC International Magazine (is a new online publication serving the IT Industry. You can view the first issue here:  http://www.spcmag.com/magazine/. Contact Executive Editor Erick Simpson via email at vp@spcmag.com.

A reporter for the Los Angeles Times has been accused of illegal wiretapping in a recent class action lawsuit that’s being displayed on a series of billboards around the Southland. The paper disputes the billboards accusations.

Online publication The Los Angeles Fashion Magazine launched recently with a print publication due to launch spring 2012: http://www.thelosangelesfashion.com. Contact Publisher/Founder Csaba Fikker via email at csaba@csabastyle.com.

The Orange County Register (http://www.ocregister.com) has succcessfully launched an Ipad tablet app featuring customized short video programs and slideshows called “The Peel.” With the success of the first app, a second app called “News Edition” has been launched featuring breaking news.

There is a new TV station in Hattiesburg, MS. WHPM-TV (http://whpmtv.com) began broadcasting at low frequency in mid-October. According to the Hattiesburg American the new station’s signal will eventually cover a 40-mile radius. The new Meridian-owned station broadcasts mostly FOX primetime shows and NFL football games.

The Bay Area News Group announced that it is altering its plans and will allow the Oakland Tribune, the Contra Costa Times and most of its other East Bay newspapers to retain their own mastheads. The newspaper group, which operates 12 daily newspapers, had previously announced that it was rebranding many of its newspapers under only two mastheads.

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Bloggers Are People, Too.

Posted on September 8, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Lots of people discuss wild mushrooms online. Some are into hunting illegal psychoatives, others hunt edibles. I’m one of the latter, and this tremendous puffball I found is an edible. Distinctions matter when it comes to personal interest.

One of the coolest things about the blogosphere and the social layer is the absolute ease with which one can find like minded people.  Believe me – whatever hobby, interest or passion floats your boat, you are not alone. Others share your interest, and they are out there – blogging, tweeting, or chatting away in a Facebook group or on a discussion forum.

And best of all, niche interests are well served.  Let’s look at gardening, for example. It’s a marketplace worth billions.  People grow all manner of things in their gardens – veggies, native plants, roses, orchids, lilies, fruit, heirlooms and modern cultivars. Some adhere to biodynamic or organic practices.  Others, plagued by platoons of voracious insects or rampaging weeds, have been driven into a Round-Up and Raid wielding rage, and fully subscribe to the “better living through chemistry” adage.

My point is, if you’re doing PR for a brand in the gardening space, it’s not enough to target “garden blogs.”  Organic gardeners aren’t interested in chemical sprays.  The patient souls who sprout native roses from seeds (a process that takes three years in some cases just to see a single leaf) are not interested in the latest pest-resistant re-blooming landscape rose.

To be effective, communicators must respect the personal interest of their audiences. To do otherwise risks committing deep offense – and triggering a wave of negative publicity that could very easily bleed over into relevant groups.  Unfortunately, despite well-documented missteps over the last few years, some PR pros still haven’t learned these lessons.  This week, another big brand – and its PR agency – are in hot water over some spurious tactics.

Distinctions in interest really matter.

I spend a decent portion of each weekend tramping around in the woods, braving mosquitoes, poison ivy and evil thorny undergrowth in my pursuit of edible wild mushrooms.  When I get home (every now and then with a delectable find) I often spend time discussing identification characteristics of wild mushrooms with a small band of fellow foragers.  Several are professional mycologists, and the wealth of information the group shares are astounding, along with the occasional recipe. (Puffball Parmesan, anyone?)  The group is interested in finding edibles, for sure, but a lot of time is also spent identifying and discussing non-edibles, just for learning and interests’ sake.

However, in addition to people who are interested in edibles, there’s another type of wild mushroom forager out there.  They’re not after innocent morels, boletes and puffballs.  Oh, no.   They’re not.  Instead, they hunt psychoactive mushrooms.  You know.  “Shrooms.”   Or, “medicinal mushrooms” as some fans euphemistically refer to them.  When picked and prepared, the law calls them illegal substances.  Occasionally one of these, um, enthusiasts, will happen upon the discussion group to which I belong, and will attempt to start a discussion about his or her area of interest.   Chances are good they’ll be driven off by hostile and angry response before the moderators can kick them off.

Point is, there’s a place for every conversation, but not every place is appropriate for every conversation.  Broad generalizations by communicators can lead to at the worst, disaster, and at the least an ineffective campaign that wastes dollars and resources.

Respectful tactics

In my mind, it all boils down to respect – specifically, respecting audiences as individuals and as people – not as “targets.”   Identifying different areas of interest within audiences takes time, but pays off in the long run.  Instead of communicating with a mass group of “mommy bloggers” or “garden bloggers” it’s a good idea to narrow the field to those whose interests are in line with your brand’s objectives.

The approach to communicating with social groups (including bloggers) needs to change, too.  These folks aren’t journalists – many are passionate hobbyists who aren’t part of the professional news media. The shotgun approach – hosing down an audience with content and expecting those who are interested to glom onto the information — won’t work.  And don’t expect those who are disinterested to simply ignore it.  They may instead take offense.

Personally, I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to try to dupe a blogger (or anyone else for that matter) into changing their mind about something.  Think about it this way – how would you feel if someone did it to you?  If a brand called your closely held personal convictions into question, in public? Or, worse, if a brand didn’t respect your convictions/practices/beliefs and tried to trick you into trying something you were fundamentally against?

One good way to keep perspective is to spend some time thinking through the worst-case scenario.  How could the message or campaign be misinterpreted?  What happens if the audience reacts negatively?  What steps would you take to protect the brand in these types of scenarios, which would play out in public?

Cultivating relationships with key people who are very likely to appreciate what the brand you’re promoting represents can be a fantastic way to build buzz and conversation around a product or service. Strategic engagement designed to identify and encourage brand advocates – who will then share their enthusiasm with their respective audiences – can also be tremendously effective.   However, these type of tactics are high-touch and personal, which is precisely why they work.

Author Sarah Skerik is PR Newswire’s vice president of social media.  She also hunts edible wild mushrooms and charts her experiences on The FUNGIrl blog.

Looking for more specificity as you start to identify key journalists, bloggers and influencers for a project or a pitch?  PR Newswire offers a host of ways to learn more about and connect with your audiences, so you can reach the right people.

Targeting journalists, bloggers & influencers for public relations campaigns

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Media Moves and News for August

Posted on August 10, 2011 by | Leave a comment

PR Newswire’s media research team 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.  Updates by region can be found here:  http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/August2011MEDIAtlasUpdatesbyRegion.html

The Associated Press’s new “TwitBook” of employee guidelines for Social Media has been posted. It includes rules on what personnel can opine on and what they cannot on their personal Facebook and Twitter pages. Sports and Entertainment Reporters seem to have more leeway for expressing themselves on subjects, but cannot trash-talk according to the document. Here are the AP Rules of Social Engagement: (http://www.ap.org/pages/about/pressreleases/documents/socialmediaguidelinesforapstaff2011.pdf)

Chicago’s largest daily newspaper, the Chicago Tribune will cut about 20 employees, mainly in its newsroom. Also, some executives will also be relieved of their duties at the Tribune Company. On the opposite side of the pendulum, Publisher of Chicago Tribune Media Group Tony Hunter has been promoted to Tribune Publishing CEO. His duties will include overseeing six more newspapers and the print and digital operations of the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, FL.; Orlando Sentinel; Baltimore Sun; Hartford (Conn.) Courant; the Morning Call of Allentown, PA., and Daily Press of Newport News, Va.

The Los Angeles Times has won the prestigious Associated Press Managing Editors Public Service Award. This is the second major award for the papers investigative report on the small city of Bell, California’s scandal where city employees were paying themselves salaries as high as $800,000 a year.  The entire Bell scandal has its own section here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/bell/

What’s in a name? A rose by any other name… The financial publication U.S. Banker has changed its name to American Banker Magazine (http://www.americanbanker.com). This may cause a little confusion at first as its sister publication is already named American Banker. The former is a monthly magazine while the latter is a daily newspaper. Both are owned by SourceMedia. The name change will not affect current subscribers.

The Philadelphia Media Network (The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News) are in the Android business. They are going to start selling Android tablet computers at cut-rate prices to its digital subscribers. They are going to sell 2000 in August and if all goes well expand this plan for a Black Friday/Holiday rush. Check it out here: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20110712_PMN_unveils_digital-tablet_plan__technology_initiative.html?ref=more-like-this

Entertainment Site, TheWrap (http://www.thewrap.com) is partnering with Thomson Reuters as its primary entertainment news source, replacing The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard. Joining TheWrap are Movie Critic Alonso Duralde, Music Reviewer Chris Willman and Senior Writer Fred Schruers.

The San Diego Union-Tribune has hired an investment banking firm to explore various future alternatives for the paper. Staffers at the paper are speculating major layoffs or maybe even the possibility of the paper being sold.

New York’s WRXP-FM (101.9) is changing formats but so far it’s a secret as to what that format will be. The rumor is News/Talk. What’s not a secret is the new call letters: WEMP-FM. The original Rock format has been temporarily changed to Adult Contemporary. The changes came about when the station was sold by Emmis Communications to Merlin Media. DJs Leslie Fram, Matt Pinfield and Steve Craig were all let go as was Operations Manager Brian D’Aurelio. Host Paul Cavalconte has remained while Traffic Reporter Jeff McKay and Producer Jennifer Keeney Sendrow have been hired.

New York Post fired top Police Reporter John Doyle after news was leaked to Adweek that the paper would be increasing its newsstand price. After Adweek published the exclusive story that the newspaper would be increasing its price from 50 cents to 75 cents, New York Post went on an investigation to find out who was leaking inside information.

United Sports Publications Ltd. (USP) has launched the inaugural issue of a new tennis magazine called New York Tennis Magazine (http://newyorktennismagazine.com).  New York Tennis Magazine is the official publication of the United States Tennis Association/Eastern-Metro Region.  The magazine can be picked up in locations such as tennis facilities, camps, country clubs and parks throughout the New York City boroughs.

The Dallas Morning News has pulled the plug on it’s free, weekly entertainment tabloid Quick. Publisher Jim Moroney said the publication had been a “break-even business” for years now. Seven full-time and two part-time employees will lose their jobs.

Better Homes and Gardens, owned by Meredith Corporation, has upgraded to new tools; improving consumer navigation. The website content includes cooking, decorating, entertaining, gardening and health subjects.

Veteran Chicago broadcaster Steve Dahl is trading the restraints of traditional broadcasting for a new independent podcast. Check him out at http://www.dahl.com/

Legendary Milwaukee Anchor John McCullough, who anchored for the WTMJ-TV NBC-affiliate for over 20 years, has passed away.

Fox affiliate WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana is now an independent station. The station will offer more local news content, new feature entertainment, prime-time programming and blockbuster movies. The station will also expand its weekday 10:00 p.m. newscast to an hour.

Fox affiliate WXIX-TV in Cincinnati, OH is expanding its morning news coverage to begin at 4:00 a.m., the earliest live broadcast in the Cincinnati area. The station will produce a half-hour weekday show devoted to weather, “Fox 19 First Weather at 4 a.m.” Meteorologists Frank Marzullo (fmarzullo@fox19.com) and Katy Morgan (kmorgan@fox19.com) will host the morning show. Anchor Rob Williams (rwilliams@fox19.com) will contribute with headlines.

As of June 30th WNJN-TV went off the air. On July 1st programming began for NJTV which is comprised of WNJN, WNJS, WNJB, and WNJT. NJTV is run by New York’s WNET-TV.

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Media Moves and News for July

Posted on July 5, 2011 by | 2 Comments

PR Newswire’s media research team 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.

Hearst Corporation acquired six titles from Hachette Filipacchi Media including Woman’s Day, Elle, Elle Decor, Road & Track, Car and Driver and Cycle World. The latter title is already up for sale by Hearst. One of the first moves Hearst executives made after the purchase was to lay off 25 people. Meanwhile, they promoted James Meigs (jmeigs@hearst.com) who now holds the dual roles of Editor-in-Chief of Popular Mechanics as well as his new title of Editorial Director of the men’s enthusiast group of magazines.

Gannett Co., Inc. plans on laying off 700 employees in an effort to cut costs due to the weakened economy and loss of advertising revenue. The cuts are expected to affect the daily newspapers that fall under Gannett’s U.S. Community Publishing division. Gannett says layoff decisions are being determined by individual publishers. Gannett also owns USA Today, which will not be affected.

ABC has announced that Katie Couric will be hosting a new syndicated daytime talk show. Couric has signed a multiyear contact to host and produce the show, which is expected to air in fall 2012. Former NBC Chief Executive Jeff Zucker will be the show’s Executive Producer. ABC continues to look for a replacement for Regis Philbin. The Live with Regis and Kelly Host has announced his plans to leave the show in November. Although no official replacement has been named, a source says that the network is considering candidates such as Ryan Seacrest, TV Host Andy Cohen and Actor Mark Consuelos.

Meredith Corporation’s Advertising Age (http://adage.com/) is scheduled to lay off 75 employees to trim production and operating costs. On a brighter note, Meredith has acquired Eating Well magazine (http://www.eatingwell.com) and recently debuted its Better Homes & Gardens redesigned website, featuring new tech attributes (http://www.bhg.com).

Tribune Broadcasting Company (WGN-TV/ WGN-AM) (Chicago, IL) — Nils Larsen has been named Chief Executive Officer of the broadcasting division. He will supervise the strategic vision and day-to-day operations of the company’s television stations and national cable network, WGN America and WGN-AM.

“LX New York” on WNBC-TV is now “New York Live” (http://www.nbcnewyork.com/shows/newyorklive/). The two-year-old show has changed its name to better fit its objective of local, live news and entertainment. The hosts remain the same with Sara Gore (sara.gore@nbcuni.com) and Jane Hanson (jane.hanson@nbcuni.com). It now airs two hours earlier at 3:00 p.m.

The Fox Business Network bureau in Chicago has moved. It now resides just above the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. It was previously located on Wacker Drive. So far members of the bureau include: Reporter Jeff Flock and Producer Ellie Heckman. They can be reached at jeff.flock@foxnews.com and Ellie.Heckman@foxnews.com, respectively.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has announced that New Jersey government run station WNJN-TV will be transferred to New York’s WNET-TV management as of July 1st, laying off the stations entire staff.

Public Broadcaster WITF in Harrisburg, PA has layed off 18 employees from their radio (WITF-FM) and television (WITF-TV) divisions including WITF-FM Anchor/Reporter Melanie Hirschorn and Program Director Craig Cohen. These public stations have lost state and federal funding of over a million dollars in the last year and this has led to these layoffs.

Time Out Chicago (Chicago, IL) — The lifestyle outlet (http://timeoutchicago.com) has a new look. Check out the debut of its redesign with bigger features and more extensive content at http://www.timeoutchicago.com.

Atlantic Live (TBA) — Steve Clemons is the Editor-in-Chief of this new events/ideas enterprise of The Atlantic. He can be found on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/SCClemons

The United Kingdom’s “The Guardian” is coming to the U.S. with a new digital expansion plan. They are going to be based in New York and are looking to hire over 20 Editors for their Fall launch.

Hey greasy spoon fans! The Baltimore Sun has a new blog, “Baltimore Diner” (http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/baltimore-diner-blog/) penned by its Restaurant Critic Richard Gorelick (rgorelick@baltsun.com). This new blog goes beyond the famous spoons and explores all the delicacies of fine food in the Charm City. This blog replaces the Dining@Large. It also provides the latest food industry and local festival news too. Richard also tweets food news at: http://twitter.com/#!/gorelickingood

Tom Raponi has been named General Manager at KTVU-TV, an Oakland, California-based Fox affiliate that serves the San Francisco market. He replaces Tim McVay, who departed to become General Manager of WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. Both stations are owned by Cox Communications.

Current TV (http://current.com) has officially launched the nightly news program of Keith Olbermann. The newscaster, who abruptly left MSNBC early this year, was hired by the cable and satellite network to help raise its profile and reach. Olbermann is reportedly taking in $10 million per year at Current, which was founded by Al Gore in 2005. Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithOlbermann and Current TV @current.

Eric Schurenberg, once Editorial Director for CBS Interactive sites BNET and CBSMoneywatch, has left the company. The web properties are being folded into CBSNews.com, which is being led by Dan Farber. Follow Dan on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/dbfarber.

The San Francisco Chronicle has lost its Business and Technology Editor, Marcus Chan, who has become Technology Editor at Bloomberg.com. Follow Chan on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/mchan.

Chicago-based Tribune Company is once again in talks with Freedom Communications to purchase the Orange County Register, after a recent negotiation breakdown with MediaNews Group to purchase the Irvine-based newspaper.

944 Magazine has ceased publishing. The magazine chain filed bankruptcy last year. The online edition will continue and there are plans to revamp the Las Vegas edition at a later date.

Former OC Weekly Publisher Will Swaim has launched a new local news website called Republic of Costa Mesa. Contact Swaim at will@republicofcostamesa.com.

July MEDIAware updates by region: http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/July2011MEDIAtlasUpdatesbyRegion.html

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Media Moves & News for June

Posted on June 7, 2011 by | 1 Comment

PR Newswire’s media research team 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.

Conde Nast is moving its offices downtown. It was announced that the publisher will lease new office space at 1 World Trade Center. Conde Nast which publishes magazines including Vogue, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, expects that approximately 3,000 workers will move in to the new office in late 2014. The 25-year lease with Port Authority will cost about $2 billion. It is anticipated that construction for 1 World Trade Center will be complete by the move in 2014 and will be country’s tallest building at 104 stories.

McClatchy Newspapers announced more layoffs at its newspapers. The cuts include 24 at The Kansas City Star, 20 at the Raleigh News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and 15 at The Miami Herald.

The Casey Anthony trial has created much buzz in Florida as Orlando’s local stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox) are all pushing to provide live streaming video content on the trial on their websites in which viewers can watch, read comments from reporters,  and comment themselves on the trial. This trial compares to the 90’s coverage on the O.J. Simpson trial where viewers turned to Court TV for coverage.

It was announced that the Miami Herald’s parent sold 14 acres of waterfront land ,that surround The Miami Herald’s headquarters, to Asia’s third largest casino company  for a pay of $236 million. McClatchy, the Herald’s parent company, announced that the deal was made upon a decision to bring in a growth in revenue to the company that was not met by advertising revenues and staff cuts at its newspapers across the U.S. What does this mean for the Herald? The daily will now have a new location but the changes won’t take in effect until another two years.

The Boston Globe is negotiating to print and deliver The Boston Herald. The deal would layoff the Herald’s truck drivers allowing the Herald to cut labor cost while the Globe gains a new client for its printing and delivery service. The editorial offices will remain separate.

CNN (Cable News Network) Anchor Erin Burnett (Erin.Burnett@turner.com) who hosts Squawk on the Street and Street Signs for CNBC Cable Network will jump to join CNN as its new Anchor and Chief Business and Economics Correspondent. The change is set to take effect some time in June in which Burnett is set to host a daily show from its New York bureau. Information and name of the show has not yet been revealed.

Patch (http://www.patch.com), America’s local news source produced by AOL, has doubled its size since December to over six million unique visitors. This network now offers local news in 20 states and is continuing to expand. Brian Farnham (brian@patch.com) is the Editor-in-Chief of this amalgamation of local news brought nationally.

Michael Redding, CEO and Publisher of the Daytona Beach News-Journal (Daytona Beach, FL), has denied allegations of ever encouraging the reporters and editors to sell ads and subscriptions in an effort to increase their paychecks or as a form of bonus payments.  Redding’s defended himself by saying that doing so would be against the company policy and his editors were well aware of this. He stated, “If a reporter walked in my door and said he had just sold an ad or a subscription, I wouldn’t fire him, but I would say don’t you do that anymore.” Reporters who were contacted for an interview to confirm the validity of the ad incentive newsroom program rumor confirmed the reports were true but refused to reveal their identity in fear of getting fired.

A new magazine has opened its publishing doors to South Florida’s residence. Plum Miami, a magazine geared towards luxury lifestyle for elite residents in the South Florida area, will feature coverage on Miami’s upscale fashion, restaurants, travel, art, autos, architecture, and interviews with celebrity contributors. The newly released publication is under the management of Managing Editor Eric Newill (enewill@plumtv.com). The publication is set to be published ten times a year with distribution  targeted to wealthy local residents and influential luxury hotels and international locations.

Host of HLN’s evening show Nancy Grace reveals that her decision to walk away from her hit HLN show “Swift Justice” was a decision based on family issues rather then monetary concerns. Upon learning that CBS has decided to move the show to Los Angeles instead of continuing to film in Atlanta, Grace has decided to step down as Host because the show did not allow her to be close to her husband and two children who reside in her hometown in Atlanta. “Swift Justice” has earned 2 million viewers and is considered one of the highest rated new syndicated shows in the market with a nomination for a Daytime Emmy. Replacing her role as Host is Judge Jackie Glass (jackie.glass@turner.com).

A new magazine has launched in Orange County, New York. Entitled simply, “Dirt” the bi-monthly publication explores sustainable living. The magazine will include articles such as how to reduce your carbon footprint and organic gardening. The editor is Becca Taylor, who can be emailed at editor.dirt@strausnews.com.

The Grindstone (http://thegrindstone.com) is a new site that covers the woman’s role in the workplace. Meredith Lepore (meredith@thegrindstone.com) is the Editor. She is also on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/malepore

Collected (http://www.collectedmag.com) brings collectors and interior design together in a new online magazine that creates great interiors. Krista Schrock (krista@collectedmag.com) and Jessica Comingore (jessica@collectedmag.com) are the Co-Editors.

Oprah’s open time slot has allowed for the expansion of WINK-TV (Fort Myers, FL) as they prepare to expand their programming with a new 4:00 p.m. newscast and a new weekend morning newscast. The weekend newscast is set to air from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. They also announced the promotion of Erin Maloney (erin.maloney@winktv.com) as the new Weekend Anchor Desk. She will be joined by new hire Katie Walls (katie.walls@winktv.com) who will serve as Meteorologist for the weekend newscast.

Staff changes have occurred at CBS Interactive, an umbrella that includes CBSNews.com, CNET, and BNET. Executive Editor Neil Katz has left for the Huffington Post. Ysolt Usigan joins CBSNews.com as Lifestyle/Technology Editor for Women. Corbett Daly joins as Deputy Political Editor. He was previously with Thomson Reuters Financial.

With great regret and much deserved respect, South Florida Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) has announced the death of  veteran news reporter Gregory Lewis who has recently passed away. Lewis was responsible for covering News and Minority Affairs for the daily. He has also worked for the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Los Angeles Times publisher, Eddy Hartenstein has been promoted to President and CEO of the Tribune Company. Mr. Hartenstein will remain publisher of the LA Times and will continue to reside in Los Angeles

NBC has launched round-the-clock regional news programming on the digital channels for NBC stations, KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, KNTV-TV in San Francisco and KNSD-TV in San Diego. NBC California Nonstop will be dedicated to capturing the true essence of life in California.

Christina Norman is out as CEO of OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network as the network struggles to attract viewers.

Popular entertainment gossip TV show TMZ will launch a 1 hour program on SiriusXM radio. Founder Harvey Levin will host.

The sudden death of KCBS-TV/KCAL-TV Media Manager James Kang shocked and saddened staffers of this duopoly. Kang left work after complaining of a headache and was later found dead in his car in the stations parking structure. Kang was 42.

WMAQ-TV Sports Anchor Daryl Hawks was found dead in an Atlanta hotel room after missing a wake-up call. Hawks was in town to cover the NBA playoff series between the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks.

Tribune Broadcasting Company and ITV Studios America will produce and syndicate for television The Bill Cunningham Show, which is set to debut fall 2011. The show features veteran radio talk show host Bill Cunningham. Cunningham will continue to host his local radio show on WLW-AM and the Premiere Radio Network syndicated show, Sunday Night Live with Bill Cunningham.

Randy Hano is joining lifestyle magazine Time Out Chicago as Vice President and Group Publisher. Hano has served as Publisher of the Chicago Magazine. He replaces Ivy Lester, who has gone out on her own to start a custom publishing business.

Wisconsin-Michigan partner stations WFRV-TV/WJMN-TV President and General Manager Perry Kidder announced that he will retire as soon as Nexstar Broadcasting‘s acquisition of the stations is finalized. WFRV-TV the CBS-affiliate in Green Bay, WI and WJMN-TV the semi-satellite in Michigan’s Central Upper Peninsula are owned by Liberty Media Corporation.

KCNC-TV in Denver relaunches its website to CBSDenver.com. The station is utilizing the WordPress platform.

Some rebranding activity: Denver’s KDVR-TV is now “Fox31 Denver.” KWGN-TV, also in Denver, will be “Colorado’s Own,” in late July.

June MEDIAware updates by region:

http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/June2011MEDIAtlasUpdatesbyRegion.html

Author Kevin Frey is a senior member of PR Newswire’s Audience Development team.

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Media Moves & News for May

Posted on May 6, 2011 by | 1 Comment

PR Newswire’s media research team continually update 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.

The Wall Street Journal has yet another edition to add to its roster. The Professional Edition now has a sibling, which is geared toward CFOs. It is called CFO Journal and focuses on corporate finance. It includes customized tools, a targeted news feed, technical analyses and topical digests. The subjects covered include regulatory matters, taxation, accounting and the financial markets. Heading up the CFO Journal is Ronald Fink. Fink (ronald.fink@wsj.com) is no stranger to this topic as he was formerly with CFO Magazine. Assisting Fink are Deputy Editor Matthew Quinn (matthew.quinn@wsj.com) and Senior Editor Emily Chasan. Chasan (emily.chasan@wsj.com) was previously with Thomson Reuters.

In a surprise move, Editorial Director Michael Wolff (Michael.wolff@adweek.com) has folded both Mediaweek and Brandweek into Adweek, forming one magazine. Unfortunately with the merger some positions will be cut. Along with the “new” magazine, Adweek has launched a new website. Recent additions to the magazine include Reporter Erin Griffith (erin.griffith@adweek.com) and News Editor Brian Braiker (brian.braiker@adweek.com).

The Fix (http://www.thefix.com) is a new web news site that covers anything involved with substance abuse. It features stories on addiction and recovery and includes profiles of rehabilitation centers. It even features celebrity addictions in the news too. They’re on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/@_thefix) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/thefix.com). Maer Roshan (maer@thefix.com) is the Editor-in-Chief.

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area will begin providing Sports coverage for NBC affiliate KNTV-TV. Comcast recently purchased NBC and this could be the first of many between the two. This move could be something to watch because the other Comcast SportsNets around the country may work out the same arrangements with their local NBC affiliates.

Katie Couric has announced that she will be departing from CBS Evening News upon the completion of her contract in June. Couric exclusively announced her plans in People Magazine. She will likely be replaced by 60 Minutes Correspondent Scott Pelley, who has been with the network for 21 years. Couric has anchored the CBS Evening News for five years.

Another talkshow host is expected to be stepping down from her position. After speculation, it appears that Meredith Vieira will be leaving The Today Show in June. She is most likely to be replaced by Ann Curry.

Conservative Talk Show Host Glenn Beck is leaving his show on the Fox News Channel. Beck, his production company (Mercury Radio Arts) and Fox News will create new projects for the network.  His announcement comes after ratings for the Glenn Beck Show have been on a decline. He is expected to leave his Host position later this year.

Congratulations to Frank Main, Mark Konkol and John J. Kim, winners of the Chicago Sun-Times’ first Pulitzer Prize since 1989. They were honored in the local reporting category. Film Critic Roger Ebert, Reporter for WTTW-TV,  Elizabeth Brackett and former Chicago Tribune Correspondent Richard C. Longworth will be honored as winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Peter Lisagor Awards dinner.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel won its third Pulitzer Prize in the last four years. Congratulations to Mark Johnson, Kathleen Gallagher, Gary Porter, Lou Saldivar and Alison Sherwood, honored in the explanatory reporting category.

Time Out Chicago launched a content partnership with Fox-owned WFLD-TV. The magazine will provide a link to WFLD-TV’s “daily deal” on TimeOutChicago.com sending those who click on it to MyFoxChicago.com for discounts touted by Sondra Solarte on Tuesday and Thursday editions of “Good Day Chicago.” As part of the partnership a Time Out contributor will appear on Friday editions of “Good Day Chicago” for a segment attached to the magazine’s “Things to Do” section, which provides weekend events and activities.

CNN Cable News Network announces they will lose their Entertainment Correspondent Brooke Anderson upon her decision to board The Insider as a co-anchor early in May. Anderson has been with CNN since July 2000 and has served as Entertainment Correspondent and host of Showbiz Tonight.

As Daytona Beach News celebrates its one-year anniversary of the newspaper under the new co-ownership of Publisher Michael Redding, Redding welcomes the celebration with a bit of a questionable and slightly too some, unethical idea: have his 400 remaining employees which includes editors and reporters to sell subscriptions and ads for the paper. The idea was presented by Redding’s as an incentive and not as a requirement. Those that sell a three-month subscription to the paper would get a $25 bonus or $50 for a six month subscription. Anyone that sells over $100 of advertising would get $50. Newsroom staffers have not received raises in four years and no raises were offered this year. “I think the new direction is the same direction as the old direction,” a staffer stated, “except there’s new people in charge. New people think they’re reinventing the wheel, except they’re not.”

The Los Angeles Times won a public service Pulitzer Prize for articles exposing politicians in the small working-class town of Bell, California. Some of Bell’s top officials were paying themselves six-figure salaries by increasing property taxes, amongst other fees. You can read the story here: http://www.latimes.com/la-2011-pulitzer-html,0,795326.htmlstory?track=la-hp-market-awards-pulitzer-winners-20110418-sl

“Winging It! Buffalo Style” is the name of a new show on the CW-affiliate WNLO-TV in….where else? Buffalo! The morning show is hosted by Victoria Hong (victoria.hong@wivb.com), Allie Hartwick (allie.hartwick@wivb.com ) and Joe Arena (joe.arena@wivb.com) with Melissa Holmes (melissa.holmes@wivb.com) reporting news. The show airs at 8:00 a.m. weekdays and covers such subjects as health and fitness, food, parenting, beauty and fashion. The show may air on sister station WIVB-TV in the future.

KABC-TV is one of the first TV stations to begin using the social blogging platform, Tumblr, by launching an official Tumblr page, http://abc7.tumblr.com.

The San Diego Union-Tribune has acquired the lifestyle website DiscoverSD.com. The acquisition is part of the Union-Tribune’s strategy to broaden its online audience.

Check out more media updates by region here:

http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/May2011MEDIAtlasUpdatesbyRegion.html

About MEDIAtlas: Create, edit, save and distribute to media lists 24/7 with this easy-to-use web-based global media database and automated distribution system. Updated continuously, MEDIAtlas™ contains fully searchable contact details of hundreds of thousands of journalists and bloggers worldwide.  Tens of thousands of Pitching Tips from Bulldog Reporter help you learn exactly how and when to send your story for the greatest likelihood of pickup.

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