Episode #36: Pick Up The Phone with James Crummel
“Never ever be afraid to send something to a newsroom.
The worst that can happen is they don’t cover it. So what?”
-James Crummel, on emailing the general newsroom email address
Local news tips are coming your way from our guest, a local news anchor and segment host. He give us an insider look on how a local news station operates. From it, you’ll come out ahead with a more informed approach of how to reach out to a local news station— even when it’s not clear who you need to send your pitch to!
In this episode you’ll learn…
How a local newsroom operates and produces segments
What’s necessary (& not) to include in a segment pitch
Why you shouldn’t always hesitate to pick-up a phone
Our guest is:
James Crummel, an anchor at ABC 27 News Daybreak weekdays from 4:30-7 a.m. and at noon. He also hosts independent assignments, including a consumer savings segment called Show Me the Money.
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Show Notes:
:00 — Jackie introduces our guest.
1:28 — James shares a consumer segment he hosted that stemmed from a PR pitch.
2:35 — Britt asks what stood out about the pitch.
5:15 — Jackie and Britt asks more questions about the 3rd party expert.
7:22 — James summarizes what types of stories he likes to feature in Show Me The Money.
8:07 — Jackie asks James if he likes additional resources for web (spoiler: he does!).
9:45 — Britt asks if James would have sought out a different resource if Carfax had not shared it with him.
12:57 — Jackie asks James to describe the length and content of the pitch.
14:45 — Britt asked what time the pitch was sent.
17:22 — Jackie asks James to describe a typical day.
19:32 — Jackie asks when James checks his email.
20:30 — Jackie asked James why he got into reporting.
22:45 — Jackie and Britt asks if he ever interacts with his viewers.
26:35 — Britt asks James where else he gets story ideas from.
29:50 — Jackie asks how the general newsroom email address is managed.
31:27 — Britt remarks about the reason why we started the podcast.
32:40 — Jackie asks how to determine who to reach out to at a news station.
39:00 — Jackie asks James to give a shoutout to a publicist who does a good job. He gives a shoutout to Jackie!
Stories We Talked About:
Connect with James Crummel
Connect with Jackie & Britt
