International Herald Tribune
181, Avenue Charles de Gaulle, 92521 Neuilly Cedex, France
The Parisian stereotype of snobbery apparently hasn't rubbed off on the U.S. bureaus of this international daily paper. We thought we'd have to add the Tribune to our list of "nail biter" publications, but found the editors at the U.S. bureaus to be extremely helpful. Their comments about PR execs were not only entertaining but enlightening. If you think you'll get away with calling these guys before reading the paper, you're sure to end up talking to a dial tone. Add the Tribune to your pile of must-reads to establish a solid relationship with editors. (Circulation, 500,000; average HHI, $164,000; 86% have taken at least one international business air trip)
SECTIONS: WASHINGTON, D.C. BUREAU
Covering D.C. politics, U.S. and international affairs Editor Brian Knowlton says don't assume if you have an international angle that it's appropriate for the "Trib."
EDITORS/LEAD TIME: Bureau Chief, Brian Knowlton email: [email protected] Phone: 202/334-7418
Lead Time: at least one week
METHODS: Deadline for stories is 2:00 p.m., so the best time to contact Knowlton is very early in the morning or after 3:00 p.m. He prefers email, but calls are appropriate for breaking stories.
COMMENTS: Knowlton writes 3-4 stories a week, gets pitched about 2-3 times a day and uses about 10 stories a year from those pitches.
A better way to form a relationship with him is to provide sources and background information for stories. "It may sound selfish, but [PR] needs to be prepared for what we want," Knowlton says.
SECTIONS: NEW YORK CITY BUREAU
Don't pitch feature stories or fine arts ideas to Bureau Chief Mitchell Martin. He writes a weekly personal finance section, business items and Wall Street stories. He needs to scoop the Washington Post, New York Times and the wires - not an easy task. Don't give him any fluff pieces or local stories.
EDITORS/LEAD TIME: Bureau Chief, Mitchell Martin fax: 212/755-8785 Address: 850 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10022.
Lead Time: at least one week
METHODS: The deadline is the same here, but Martin wants pitches by fax or snail mail. He gets an average of 200 pitches by mail, fax or phone a day and uses about 20 percent of these.
Martin asks, "why are they [PR] trying to kill me with paper cuts?" Be prudent when preparing those pitch letters.
COMMENTS: We caught Martin on the day he returned from an overseas trip. His voice mail was clear: no pitches or messages by PR folks. Needless to say, when he returned, his request was ignored and he was irritated: "You have to wonder what's wrong with these people," Martin says.
In fact, Martin writes a letter to any PR exec who pitches inappropriate material or sends him a letter wrongly addressed. His letter outlines what he wants and doesn't, including no executive changes, product announcements or company news.
Editorial Contacts at the International Herald Tribune
Main Number: +33 1 41/43-93-00
Note: reach all editors at main number
Suzy Menkes Style Editor
Patricia Wells Dining Editor
David Steven Opera Editor
Joan Dupont Film Editor
Souren Melikian Art Editor
Sheridan Morley London Stage
Recent Stories
"Democrats Differ on Clinton Defense." by Brian Knowlton.
"Arafat, Meeting Clinton, Agrees to West Bank Idea,"" by Brian Knowlton.
"Investors Breathe Sigh of Relief As Tokyo Drafts Plan for Banks," by Mitchell Martin.