People to Pitch: Burt Constable, Daily Herald

Burt Contstable offers some great tips on how to pitch the Daily Herald and how to relate to journalists to cover your story. Watch the video to get his contact info!

Scott Davidson, WBPX-AM/1500 radio

If your communications budget is tight, but you need to reach a large audience about your message or event, consider radio.  Scott Davidson, general manager of WPJX-AM/1500, PSA contact and host of “Rebel Radio,” says using public service announcements (PSAs) allows nonprofits to diversify their message and target niche audiences for free.

When pitching to Davidson or other PSA directors, make an initial contact to learn submission requirements, he says. By email, fax or mail is fine for Davidson, however he says other directors may not offer as many options. Some directors only take calls and/or submissions at certain times, he says.  Plan four to six weeks prior to your event if submitting to WPJX, says Davidson. Read the rest of this entry »

“The Gate” fills a gap in Back of the Yards

An ever-evolving media landscape has left some Chicago neighborhoods and nonprofits wondering how to fill the information gap.  As editor of “The Gate,” Adriana Cardona says community newspapers are  vehicles for connecting residents to the vital services nonprofits offer.

After a three-year absence, the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC) launched a bi-weekly, bilingual newspaper as a way to serve the residents of the Back of the Yards community, support community engagement, as well as coordinate and strengthen existing social services and programs.

According to Cardona, the newspaper established a well-rooted presence in the community and has become a key tool in keeping residents connected with service organizations. Read the rest of this entry »

Authoring an op-ed piece (“op-ed” literally means “opposite of the editorial page”) is one way to highlight your organization’s expertise on key community issues, as well as get your name and issue in the ever-shrinking news hole at daily and weekly papers. However, newspapers receive numerous op-ed submissions, and understanding how to write a strong, thoughtful op-ed that editors will want to run is another challenge entirely.

We spoke to Matt Schmitz, managing editor at Pioneer Local, about key points to keep in mind when authoring an op-ed piece. Read the rest of this entry »

Estelle Walgreen,
Founder, Hispanically Speaking News

Ten years ago, Estelle Walgreen had an idea to create an outlet that provided original content for the growing Hispanic demographic in Chicago. Ten weeks ago, Hispancially Speaking News was born.

Walgreen says creating a hyper-local site for Chicago Hispanics means localizing national and international issues for greater community engagement. “The original idea was to write [about issues] but the idea mushroomed to a 102-page online newspaper,” said Walgreen. Read the rest of this entry »

For fun, Sally Duros follows the “future of news”. A former reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, Duros has rebranded herself as a digital strategist “who provides insight and solutions to organizations.” At the height of the media downfall, Chicago industry insiders labeled the Internet as one of the threats to newspapers. Yet, Duros doesn’t think the Internet or social media technology is co-opting how news is produced and distributed but rather creating room for collaboration.

Community Media Workshop talked with Duros about social media and how nonprofits can utilize the technology to continue getting their stories to the public. Read the rest of this entry »

Steve Rhodes, editor and publisher of the Beachwood Reporter, talked with CMW about what benefits nonprofit communicators and agencies could gain from pitching to smaller news outlets.

Pitch Steve by emailing him at srhodes@beachwoodreporter.com or calling him at 773-235-8986.

Find more people to pitch your story by subscribing to our Getting On Air, Online & Into Print Media Guide!

Fernando Diaz, Managing Editor at Hoy
How do nonprofits overcome “cause fatigue” when pitching to the media about older issues? Watch the video on how best to pitch Fernando at Hoy.