by Sally Macy Thelen
On April 1, 2009 I began a new career. You might think given my start date that it was just a joke, but it was not. I have worked my entire life in a newsroom environment up until March 31st when I left to start a new chapter on life.
After 17-years of experience in television news at WLWT NBC Cincinnati, I thought moving into the world of Public Relations would be smooth. Wow, I couldn’t have imagined the vast differences in my office environments. I used to operate in a noisy scanner-filled workplace, where not it’s peaceful, and I could swear you could hear crickets it gets so quiet at my new digs at Duke Energy. I have to admit, I miss the noisier sounds of the churning newsroom, but give it a few days and I’m sure I’ll enjoy the peace.
My first three days seem like a blur. The first day I had typical first-day jitters, with most of my nervousness centered around learning a new computer system. Most professionals don’t realize that newsrooms run on a separate type of computer system, one that is linked only to itself and its news department employees. With the exception of Word and Outlook email uses, most newsies tend to use the newsroom computer much more than other forms of communication. To use the calendar function for more than to keep my own appointment straight has been a learning curve. I am aware that most office environments rely heavily on the scheduling functions in order to interact with peers, whether it be in the same building or in another location within the company, but that was all new to me.
I’m trying to get my blackberry and laptop set up so I can function more independently during my off time. Most people don’t look forward to that connectivity, but I’ve found myself lost without the blackberry on my hip for the past 5 days. I look forward to reading and staying up on my emails, so I’ve felt a little out of sorts so far.
I was happy to get the general buzz of breaking news on my 3rd day of work, when the Duke Energy folks were able to work out a tentative agreement with the IBEW 1347 union workers. I was excited at the level of energy (pardon the pun) that it brought me in getting the word out and working with my co-workers to distribute the message.
Stay tuned.
Three Tips for Success in Pitching a TV Newsroom:
Don’t try and call a news producer or newsroom right before or during a newscast
Don’t expect a basic event such as a ground breaking to get coverage if it is happening just before or during a newscast. In order to get the likeliest coverage, try scheduling between 9-11a before the day gets too busy and crews might not be assigned yet. Reporters frequently need to set up their stories which gives their photographer time to go shoot a quick vo or vosot before they head out for the day.
Remember newsrooms are being negatively affected by the economy as well. Most have had to downsize and adapt to operating with fewer resources. There aren’t many newsrooms in TV that have specialized reporters that only cover a certain subject or content. Most have to be versatile enough to cover anything on any day. Assignment Managers are a good place to start your pitch and if they think it has credence, they will farm it out to someone for follow up or consideration.
Sally Thelen
Communications and Public Affairs
Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky
139 E. 4th Street, ML EA504
PO Box 960
Cincinnati, Ohio 45201-0960
smthelen@duke-energy.com
Office: 513-419-5966
Fax: 513-419-5470
