P.O. Box 655237
Dallas, TX 75265-5237; Ph.: 214/977-8456
Editor's Note: The paper's circulation (531,039 daily and 801,880 on Sunday) is reason enough to want to get on these journalists' good sides but there's another reason: pitching media outlets that have a strong geographic thrust poses benefits because if your idea is tweaked enough and can be massaged to their needs (remember the competition is fiercer when you're dealing with publications that have volumes of international and national news), you very well may have an "in."
| Sections |
Lifestyle This genre of news hinges on health and medical features, analyses, trends and legislative influences. One of its most compelling pieces was its expose on "Caring for the Black Community," a story which underscores the paper's push to show how national issues affect their local communities. |
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Days To Contact/ Days To Avoid |
Health/Fitness Editor Jennifer Okamoto; Fax: 214/977-8321 |
| Editors | In addition to lifestyle news in its daily editions, there is a weekly inside Health and Fitness section that's planned one month in advance so keep that in mind. Okamoto's bad days are Mondays and Thursdays. |
| Methods | She wants faxes first. Use general mail only if it's something that requires visuals or if there's enough planning on your part that you won't need to rush to get her something. |
| Comments | Your chances of getting Okamoto to consider something you've sent her are pretty good, since about 25 percent of what she gets is something that may spark her interest. (That's worth noting because many editors and producers have told us that only about 5 percent of what you're sending their way is worth their while.) "Maintain your lists and don't send something to five editors five times. And give me a reason why, out of the huge stack of mail I have, that this should be of interest to me and our readers." |
| Sections |
Entertainment/Arts Last week, a potpourri of topics were on the staff's arts/entertainment slate: a story on the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Mick Jagger coming to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in November; a nostalgic and retrospective look at Flip Wilson and - of course - the Elvis thing. |
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Days To Contact/ Days To Avoid |
Arts/Entertainment Editor: Rick Holter; Fax: 214/977-8321 |
| Editors | Monday and Friday are his lightest days. The rest of the week he's "in the grind," with Thursday being especially grueling since that's a deadline day. |
| Methods | In most cases, this is a news operation that's not married to e-mail since not everyone can access it. Holter's also emphatic that what he wants are pitches that come his way in 8 1/2x11 form. He offered up this perspective about jazzy press kits and gadgets: "I want something I can put in a file - not something that's going to spring out of a box at me! |
| Comments | "There's a virtual fountain of news that's coming out of this dept. - the Sunday Arts Section; the 60-page Guide (weekend) section; specialty pages in the Today section and daily stories - so your pitch chances are plentiful. Holter, too, is a font of insight: "We want things one to two weeks out and don't attempt follow-up calls. If your pitch is strong enough, we'll get it to the right person and follow up with you." |
Editorial Contacts at The Dallas Morning News
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Burle Osborne, Publisher - 214/977-8299 Ralph Langer, Editor - Stuart Wilk, Managing Editor - Mark Weinberg, Assistant Managing Editor - Gilbert Bailon, Executive Editor - Keith Campbell, News Editor - Shawna Seed, News Weekend Editor - Pam Maples, National News Editor - Rodger Jones, State News Editor - Walt Stallings, Metro Editor - Lois Reed, Metro Assignment Editor - Leona Allen, Night Metro Editor - Erika Sanchez, Special Sections Manager - |
Bob Compton, Book Review Editor - 214/977-8492 Charles Camp, Business Editor - Laura Jacobus, Assistant Business Editor - Rick Holter, Entertainment/Arts Editor - Tracy Hayes, Fashion/Beauty - Bob Bersano, Features - Cheryl Hall, Financial Editor - Cathy Barber, Food - Jennifer Okamoto, Health/Medical - Sue Smith, Lifestyle/Deputy Managing Editor - Steve Brown, Real Estate Editor - Tom Siegfried, Science Editor - Harriet Blake, Society Editor - Karen Jordan, Travel Editor - |