Paul Colford joined the New York Daily News as "Hot Copy"
columnist and media reporter in 2000 after a long and distinguished
run as a radio columnist and feature writer with Newsday. "Hot
Copy," which runs Tuesday and Friday in the Business section,
mostly covers print media (magazines and newspapers) as well some
advertising and the Web.
Colford also does plenty of stories on book publishing, an area
he's very familiar with, having authored biographies on radio kings
Rush Limbaugh and Howard Stern. After years of operating in the
rough-and-tumble world of New York media Colford, who is pitched
constantly, has a pretty sharp hooey radar.
Colford's Bugaboos
Punting the ball: Colford is frequently called by PR
execs who are clearly unfamiliar with his beat. But the insult to
injury is when they ask Colford if he is the person who still
covers XYZ.
Colford invariably puts the exec in touch with the appropriate
reporter/editor/columnist "and then they'll say who's that?" he
says. "Not only does it betray an unfamiliarity with the people who
work on this beat or that beat but it betrays a fundamental
unfamiliarity with the largest tabloid in the U.S." He adds: "When
you consider that there are billable hours being rung up at the
same time I'm doing a primer on the Daily News, it's unconscionable
that the client is paying for this kind of service."
Path of least resistance: Colford gets his share of cold
calls from PR execs who go into long-winded explanations about a
new media product, service or campaign when all Colford really
wants to see is a release or a copy of the book being pitched.
"Part and parcel of this lunacy of the cold call without show
and tell is the person who won't get you on the phone but will
leave an endless voice mail, which is so long that you have to
listen to almost every word because you can't believe that someone
would be so clueless as to fill up your voice mail," he says. "My
guess is it's usually some sort of checklist and they can say in
all honesty that they have delivered the message even though you're
deleting it."
Passive/Aggressive behavior. Some PR execs call Colford
and put on the hard sell. But after their spiel will go "radio
silent if not completely mum" when Colford wants to know something
that doesn't conform to the timetable or talking points, he
says.
What's worse, after getting a flowery pitch "you find out that
there's going to be personnel upheaval or layoffs or the book isn't
going to come out in time or it's been cancelled altogether," he
says. When he follows-up with more pressing questions "you get, 'I
can't comment on that,' or the phone call that won't be returned
and there is absolutely no give-and-take that goes with the
relationship."
Still, Colford likes to seek a compromise in these cases. "I
would argue till my last breath there is always a way for
spokesperson to find some middle ground, even if it's improvised,
in which they can maintain their loyalty to their client or
employer and at the same time, give you the reporter some
fundamental service in terms of, 'Gee, I can't comment, but you
might want to look at another press release or call so-and-so,'" he
adds.
What works: When the PR exec or corporate spokesman is
"helpful even when there's nothing in it for them personally or
their client," Colford says.
If Colford had to run from a burning building and could only
grab the contacts for 10 PR execs he says would take "not only the
people who were very good at representing their employer or client
but also people who agreeably, cordially, helpfully, every so often
will give me a heads-up on something they have heard or someone who
I can call to say, 'Did you hear about anything about what's going
on?' PR execs often know more than they realize."
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