633 N. Orange Ave., Orlando, FL 32801-1349
Section editors at the Orlando Sentinel were refreshingly easy to talk with and accessible. If you want to speak with the higher-level editors, however, like Managing Editor Jane Healy, you're going to have a more difficult time. Your best move is to contact the section editors or associate editors of the section appropriate for your pitch. The Sentinel has been covering the wildfires consuming Florida this week, providing readers with hourly updates on where the fires are and how fast they're spreading. The paper has also written features on people coping with the heat, and stories from firefighters.
SECTION: SENTERTAINMENT/ARTS
This section accepts free-lance articles, although most of these writers are well established with the Sentinel. Covers all types of entertainment: operas, ballets, symphonies, movies and television. A recent feature was "American Film Institute's Best Movies."
EDITORS/LEAD TIME: Associate Editor, Entertainment, Linda DiBattista, Fax: 900/288-NEWS, Phone: 407/420-5135, Lead Time: at least one week
METHODS: DiBattista says letters with specific information about your story pitches are preferred and then a phone call. Faxes also are acceptable.
COMMENTS: If you're thinking it would be a good idea to send the Sentinel gift ideas or gift guides for the holiday season, think again. DiBattista says they get a lot of this type of pitching, but don't publish product endorsements. Some recent stories in the entertainment section dealt with trends in movie theaters. One story discussed how today's theaters have "stadium seating" or plusher, wider seats for moviegoers.
SECTION: LIFESTYLE
Stories feature information on health, family life, fitness, entertainment, and popular culture. A recent story covered the benefits of fitness drinks.
EDITORS/LEAD TIME: Editor, Lifestyle, Mick Lochridge, Fax: 900/288-NEWS, Phone: 407/420-5422, Lead Time: two weeks METHODS: Deadlines for Lochridge are every day at 3:00 p.m., therefore he prefers calls in the morning. Call first, and if he likes the idea, he'll want a fax with more information.
COMMENTS: The five-year veteran of the Sentinel has a pet peeve: do not make a follow-up call after you fax a story idea. "I'm never going to call you back. If I want to followup, I'll call you," Lockridge says.
Editorial Contacts at the Orlando Sentinel
Main Number: 407/420-5000
- Jane Healy, Managing Editor, 407/420-5406
- Barry Glenn, Editor, Entertainment, 407/420-5497
- Ned Popkins, Business Editor, 407/420-5051
- Heather McPherson, Food Editor, 407/420-5498
- Michael Bales, Assistant Managing Editor, 407/420-5052
- Dean Johnson, Associate Business Editor, 407/420-5491