Dow Jones & Co.
100 Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10013
212.965.4162
http://www.wsj.com
When WSJ.com extended its Web presence last year to include a separate section on health, Dow Jones executives said it was only the beginning in the publishing company's
efforts to extend The Wall Street Journal brand online. Now, less than a year later, WSJ.com is readying for the mid-May launch of the Media & Marketing Edition of the Online
Journal, which has a total of 675,000 paid subscribers. Similar in tone to the Marketing & Media section that runs Monday-Friday in the Journal's print edition, the content
will be targeted to professionals working in the advertising, entertainment, marketing and PR industries. However, unlike the print edition the information online will be updated
on a 24/7 basis. Still, a system is in place so that the print content doesn't step on the online content and vice versa. The edition will be priced the same as a WSJ.com
subscription: $79 per year or $39 for subscribers to the print Journal or its sister publication, Barron's. Existing online subscribers will have instant access to the section
when it launches. The section should appeal to "people who may feel the Journal is just a financial paper," says Bill Grueskin, managing editor of WSJ.com, "and don't understand
that we have tremendous coverage of all industries."
Content/Contacts/Deadlines
The section will be divided between news and features, with sub-categories covering advertising, marketing and strategy, entertainment and media. In addition to carrying every
single story that runs in the print edition of The Journal the section will also feature an exclusive column on the TV business by Journal veteran Joe Flint. Another organic
feature will be "Stat Snapshots," easy-to-read statistics and analysis on, say, the latest ad figures, movie box office receipts and music sales. "We'll take the broader view in
looking at marketing and media," says Wendy Pollack, managing editor of the section. "It's the same material you might see in Variety or Advertising Age, but we have very unique
ways to package the content in a way that no one else is doing." Grueskin stressed that the section would be an added value to myriad media trade titles.
Pollack is the main contact, at [email protected]. She prefers e-mail or snail mail; you can contact her anytime during the week.
But if you haven't heard back from her within a day or so following the initial pitch, "it's probably best to leave it at that," Pollack says. Deadlines are constant. Considering
all of the editorial cross-fertilizing between the print and Web editions of The Journal, keep in mind that editors at WSJ.com are under intense pressure.
Pitch Tips & In The Pipeline
Since a good portion of the section's content will originate from all of Dow Jones' various news products, Grueskin strongly recommends that PR executives should pitch
reporters who they normally deal with throughout the company. "Even if you send it to Wendy, she'll forward it to the [proper] reporter," he says, "so it saves a lot of time and
frustration" if PR pros go directly to reporters. After the launch in mid-May, PR executives will have to pay careful attention to see how the section evolves -- and the content
grows -- to tailor their pitches. "We try to be very selective in both print and online," Grueskin says. "And although we don't have the same space considerations online as in
print the section will still adhere to Dow Jones' selectivity."