KRON-TV/BayTV
50 West San Fernando St., Suite 110
San Jose, CA 95113
415/561-8724
http://www.nextstep.com
San Francisco's BayTV (a joint venture of the Chronicle Broadcasting Co. and AT&T Broadband) launched the show "New Media News" in 1995. But today the show has been
upgraded to version 2.0 and is sporting a new look, a new name and a new partner. Teaming with magazine editors at Business 2.0, BayTV producers relaunched the weekly
television newsmagazine - and a related Web site - last week under the name "Next Step." The show, which covers life in the Internet Age, airs on local NBC affiliate KRON-4 on
Saturdays at 10 a.m. (PST) and reaches 1.3 million households in the Bay area. KRON anchor Suzanne Shaw and senior reporter Stan Bunger maintain their seats as co-
hosts.
Content & Contacts
"Next Step" covers the human side of life and business in the Internet Age, with heavy emphasis on making technology meaningful, accessible and relevant to viewers. Each show
features one segment that complements an editorial feature in Business 2.0. For example, a recent magazine story on the "cash free economy" led to a TV profile of a small
Oakland dinner theater that used a barter exchange program to grow its business.
The show's content is fairly open, according to senior producer Jan Boyd. But don't cold call. Send crisp, concise pitches by email to:
- Jan Boyd, senior producer, [email protected]
- Stan Bunger, co-host/senior reporter, [email protected]
- Sarah Lane, segment producer, [email protected](for entertainment-oriented material)
Pitch Tips
Each "Next Step" journalist shoots one story a week and receives over 100 emails per day. If you want to get noticed, avoid the mass email approach and cater your pitch to one
reporter.
"Don't assume that people will find your stuff compelling," just because it's riding the wave of technology hype, Boyd warns. Explain how your information will help viewers.
For example, "Why would it help someone to know the difference between a Palm Pilot and a Handspring?"
"Next Step" producers take pride in the fact that they shoot on location instead of relying on graphics and talking heads. Your pitch has a much better chance of pick-up if it
promises an interesting visual angle. Just make sure you can deliver what you promise. "I once got all the way to a shoot, only to find out we couldn't film in the guy's office
because they didn't have clearance for the [music] posters in his office," Boyd says.
If you play your cards right, your pitch could have legs. Boyd and her colleagues co-write the biweekly "Outtakes" column for the San Francisco Chronicle, and develop
content for nextstep.com. (Bunger covers hot news, Lane covers gadgets and Boyd handles round-ups.) "Next Step" content also gets occasional extra mileage on KRON Channel 4 news
broadcasts.
Comments
BayTV entertained a handful of magazine suitors, but ultimately chose Business 2.0 as a partner because the magazine's style was "sharp but not patronizing," says Boyd.
By the same token, pitches should be down-to-earth and jargon-free, with a focus on mainstream consumer audiences."What we're trying to do is make the digital revolution
accessible," Boyd says. "We're trying to chronicle the change in a way that makes it relevant to anyone...whether you're a [Web pioneer] or my mom."
Always tout the human-interest angle. One recent segment illustrated how HP laptops plugged into sensors on racecar engines are helping Indy 500 drivers gauge their
performance.
"I like to establish relationships with people," Boyd says. "If we get a good story or two out of a PR person and they call again, I will always take the call."