If you're running a PR event that has a sports angle - think
gridiron great Joe Montana talking about his high blood pressure at
a healthcare meeting or Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams
appearing at a seminar on depression, which he has battled - be
sure to check sports schedules before you nail down a date. At a
recent Publicity Club of New York luncheon on pitching the sports
beat, Tim McHugh, executive producer of sports at CBS2NY (WCBS-TV)
said that he invariably is scrambling for news on nights when all
the local sports teams are idle. "Last night, no teams were
playing," he said. "I assure you we would have had a camera there"
for an event that was not necessarily sports in nature but had a
sports hook. So before you play ball with the media, consult those
handy (local) sports schedules that most dailies now include in
their sports sections. Another word to the wise: when calling local
evening news shows, don't even think about contacting sources after
4:00. That's when reporters and producers are severely pressed -
"crashing" in broadcast news parlance - and, even though they're
crazed, won't soon forget a call that couldn't have come at the
worst possible time.
A Slam Dunk for Sports Related Stories
