Chicago Tribune
435 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, Ill. 60611-4003
Phone: 312/222-3232
Editors from this windy city paper make pitching a breeze with their Midwestern good manners. Expect return calls and good media relations advice when targeting these journalists. The key here is to catch them at the right time as deadlines vary among sections.
The Monday business section has a staff of four; Technology Editor John Lux is their front man for fielding media relations calls. Chicago is the fourth largest technology area in the country (after Silicon Valley, Austin and Boston), so the Trib's technology stories always have a local connection.
"We do cover national stories of big importance such as the deal between Bell Atlantic and AOL," he says. Any press releases that come over his desk will get noticed, however, if a reference to Chicago is up front. E-mail is the best way to get a response to queries. Editors prefer no calls and say any contact on Fridays is verboten. Target the following beat reporters: personal technology, James Coats, [email protected], Jon Van, science and telecom, [email protected] and Andrew Zajac, local technologies, [email protected].