Honolulu Star-Bulletin
P.O. Box 3080
Honolulu, Hawaii 96802-3080; ph: 808/525-8635
This Knight-Ridder evening newspaper with an approximate 75,000 circulation is a well-nested regional publication and its editorial operation has a tight-knit nucleus of decision makers and influencers. Its staff of about 20 key editors - who are adept at juggling a multitude of editorial and managerial functions - have even developed a sense of humor about the inappropriateness of some of the pitches they receive (i.e., the latest winter fashions!). Nonetheless, the editors we spoke with were accommodating and forgiving.
SECTIONS | EDITORS | DAYS TO CONTACT/ DAYS TO AVOID | METHODS | COMMENTS |
Business They're looking for news about workplace trends that pose both promise and dichotomies; investment info. such as the buzz about mutual funds; and a strong linkage to the Asia-Pacific pocket, including the economic crisis overseas. However, you'll also stumble across topics that are indigenous to Hawaii, not the mainland. For example, last week's business coverage delved into the nature and future of aquaculture. |
Business Editor Ed Lynch Fax: 808/523-8509 |
Mornings to early afternoon are when deadlines are most pressing because the paper hits the streets in the p.m. Don't forget to factor in the five-hour time difference if you're on the East Coast. | Snail mail is fine, but faxes are best when time is of the essence. |
"Ninety percent of what I get goes into the recycling bin," says Lynch, who adds that most are discarded because they're not massaged for the Hawaiian market. "Why should I get a press release about snow shovels?" Lynch says. "If you're not sure what's appropriate, check out our Web site [http://www. honolulustar.com] and get a sense of what we do." |
Features This is an editorial breeding ground for anything that can take on a featurey face: entertainment, lifestyle, fashion, health, food, women's issues, home and garden. What makes the StarBulletin so refreshingly unique is that it takes on the mainstream with a dash of the avant-garde: last week, its feature staff dished up the latest on Hasbro's new GI Joe: a Japanese-American infantryman. |
Features Editor Cynthia Oi Fax: 808/523-8509 | The best time to reach Oi is Monday through Friday from 2-3 p.m. when she has a lull in her schedule. | Again, faxes or snail mail. (E-mail isn't relied on because there's just one central mailbox and it takes too long to get routed to the right editors.) | "Everyone's churning and burning on a lot of different topics," says Oi. So editors and reporters face a sundry of rotating deadlines. For a pitch to fly, Oi says, PR pros must capitalize on what makes Hawaii unique: its ethnic diversity; the extreme demographic range in its population (a lot of young adults and also a lot of elderly residents); issues surrounding the high cost of living; and the intricacies of an isolated area that is driven by tourism. |
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