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Chicago’s media landscape is constantly changing, and it’s tough to keep up when you’ve got a million other “to dos” on your list. If you subscribe to Chicago’s most comprehensive media guide today, you’ll get the latest information on Chicago’s traditional and online news sector.

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Our 20^th edition media guide includes:

• Thousands of reporters’ emails, direct-dials, and twitter accounts
• Expanded online media section, even larger than last year’s edition
• The most complete listings of community and ethnic media in the Midwest
• Useful tips and worksheets on topics including creating a media plan, pitching reporters and using social media tools to help you communicate more effectively

Learn more about the Media Guide and discounted prices here. See what’s inside our media guide. Download sample pages from last year’s guide!

There’s many ways to contact news outlets about news they can use. One way is through news outlets’ websites. Submit press releases and media alerts to Chicago and other Midwest news outlets using the links below. A word of advice: Be selective when choosing news outlets to send your news too. Consider the geographic area the outlets cover and the readership/viewers they serve. Consider publications’ frequency. Will your news be timely by the time it might be published?

Chicago-area Outlets

• ABC Television
WLS-TV (ABC7-Chicago) does not accept press releases via email. All documents should be faxed to (312) 899-8019. For a directory of links for ABC New’s various national programs click here.

• American Bar Association Journal
All press releases should be emailed to releases@abanet.org.

• CBS Television
WBBM-FM (CBS2-Chicago) accepts press releases on its Web site. This page should be used to contact all national programs. Read the rest of this entry »

By Gordon Mayer, vice president Community Media Workshop

1. Make Your Own List

Personalize this directory to make it work for you. Make sure to write your own notes in the margins and put your most important contacts in a personalized list—unless there are more than 50 of them, a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel should be fine.

Your personalized list is more important than ever in the era of mass layoffs at news organizations and everyday changes in which online news publications cover our organizations and issues. It’s simply not possible to craft a new list of print, broadcast, and online journalists from scratch each time you plan a media outreach campaign. Likewise, a media list allows you to keep track of journalists who have covered you in the past and are familiar with your work—and if more than one person in your organization works with reporters, it can be a good spot to keep track of who contacted which journalist most recently. But make sure one person is responsible for maintaining the list… that way you’ll know who to hold accountable for keeping it up to date! Read the rest of this entry »