Radio Journalists Share Their Wisdom

I moderated another Bulldog Reporter PR University Audio Conference today on working with radio journalists. My thanks go out to panelists Lynn Medcalf, Executive Vice President, Co-Founder, News Generation, Kitty Eisele, Supervising Editor, National Public Radio, Judy Hydock, Executive Producer, DayBreak USA, Charles Munroe-Kane, Executive Producer, Public Radio International and Brian Cook, Producer, American Urban Radio Network.

Here are some tips from the conference:

• Know who you're pitching: they're radio producers, they work in the medium of sound. Provide them with interesting sounds in the form of interviewees or "actualities," which is radio jargon for the various sounds of life happening.


• Know who you're pitching, Part 2: Each of these journalists has a distinct coverage area: Kitty is an overnight producer for Morning Edition; Judy produces a much breezier syndicated morning show that's heavy on news-you-can-use, entertainment and celebrities; Charles produces "To the Best of Our Knowledge" which focuses on in-depth stories and Brian is a news, technology and sports producer who's producing news and sportscasts four times an hour.


• Know how to pitch: as we say over and over: short and sweet. Just the facts. Tell the journalist what you've got and let them decide whether to pursue the opportunity. Then you can provide more details.


• Use technology: when you're pitching radio, include a link to an mp3 file with some of the sounds you are pitching.


• Last but not least: when you pitch via a radio producer's voicemail, be aware that your pitch itself may end up on the air. After all, they are dealing with sounds.