CBS Broadcasting Inc
825 Battery St.
San Francisco, Ca. 94111
415.616.7201
http://www.cbs.marketwatch.com
The Windup
When it launched at the end of 1997, CBS.MarketWatch.com was facing stiff competition from other financial news Web sites riding the crest of the Internet wave. Six years
later, CBS.MarketWatch has grown into one of the most popular sites for investment/market-related coverage. Still, when the markets went south CBS.MarketWatch was able to veer its
editorial course without hitting any guardrails. As the bulls gave way to the bears the site provided more financial stories with appeal to wary investors, such as personal
finance advice and the safest mutual funds. And while there was a decline in the Web site's traffic in mid-2000, it started to bounce back at the end of 2000 and has been surging
ever since. Through the first half of 2003, there were 11.5 million unique users per month, up 25% from 9.2 million unique users a month during the same period in 2002.
Now, with investors loosening their wallets, CBS.MarketWatch has gotten back to its roots. In February, for example, the site launched "Trading Strategies," a monthly series of
stories from in-house columnists as well as outside traders and fund managers mulling on what's ahead for the markets; in May a Currencies Column was added to the mix. The site
is constantly cross-fertilized with CBS Radio and CBS News broadcast affiliates nationwide, with the potential of reaching up to 40 million people, according to David Calloway,
editor-in-chief (since 1999) of CBS.MarketWatch.
The Pitch
The site's major hook is its ability to change the home page on a dime -- depending on the news of the hour -- which translates into about 300 stories each business day. The
key for communication executives ready to deliver a pitch is to go the Web site and drill down to where all CBS.MarketWatch reporters (and their beats) are listed. For retail-
related stories, contact Jennifer Waters, who is also the Chicago bureau chief, [email protected]; David Weidner covers Wall
Street, [email protected], as does Louisa Beltran, [email protected]. The
Web site carries blanket coverage of the nation's capital, Rex Nutting is the Washington, D.C. bureau chief, [email protected]; the lead technology reporter is Mike Tarsala, [email protected].
The majority of reporters prefer to be initially contacted by e-mail.Best time to contact them is late morning or early afternoon; avoid contact around the market's opening and
closing bells. It behooves PR execs to find ways to connect their clients to the news of the day. "We're not as much interested in new products, outside of the big technology
products, or quirky, little stories about a colorful CEO," Calloway says. "We are interested in clients who can thoughtfully comment on executive compensation or airport security,
which have been recent news stories of the day." He adds: " PR execs who can show us they have a client who is an expert for such stories is a big help to us -- and will get their
client's name out much quicker than pitching the client themselves." Cold calls are frowned upon; so is raising a competitor's flag.
The site is taking pains to expand, so be sure and consult the editorial calendar online. Features, such as the award-winning "Capitalism at the Crossroads," run for a week and
are tied to major economic news. There is a holiday gift-giving guide running toward the end of the year as well as an annual charity review. The site recently launched its first
annual "CEO of the Year Award," which recognizes six CEOs who have brought integrity to the market. Starting in October: a new feature covering the small business market.