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1995 Broadway |
Editor's Note: It's worth pitching producers at this global broadcast services outlet because their feeds reach between 1,000 and 1,100 broadcasters worldwide every day. Also, what's riveting about this operation is that they're craving information from PR folks and cover some outlandish events and topics you likely won't get from the mainstream media.
| SECTIONS | PRODUCERS |
DAYS TO CONTACT/ DAYS TO AVOID |
METHODS | COMMENTS |
| Bureau News: Since this broadcast services company opened in 1961 (it used to be called UPITN), it's consistently added unique international spins to the news of the day. When it comes to hard and breaking news, this operation relies on the typical: elections, governmental meetings, medical news and global trends but it also spices up its content by providing more feature-driven content. | N.Y. Bureau Chief David Modrowski Phone: 212/362-4440, ext. 120 Fax: 212/362-5723 | Modrowski says this is a 24-hour news operation so there's always a deadline looming on the horizon. He works an 8 a.m.-8 p.m. shift Monday through Friday and wants news to come his way during that timeframe. | Modrowski wants pitches, releases, backgrounders, story ideas and visuals to come by snail mail. His second preference is faxes. He says: "I want to work from paper." He doesn't want a call unless it's a last-minute update or a hot tip. | About 70 percent of what WTN covers has that hard-news angle, but the remainder is framed in a features format that's meant to have depth - versus just snippets and soundbites. Modrowski wants news about events that lend themselves to interesting visuals - i.e., a hot air balloon ride. "A press release on its own has little value to me because we still have to shoot something," he adds. |
| Entertainment: Coverage includes music, movies and festivals. Pieces can have a strong U.S. pop-culture flair (last week, these journalists were covering the MTV music awards) or an international thrust -- i.e., tribal music in the outlying regions of India or Australia. | N.Y. Entertainment Producer Jenny Serravalli-D'Attoma Phone: 212/362-4440, ext. 177 Fax: 212/496-1269 | Serravalli-D'Attoma doesn't want calls between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. | She prefers that story proposals - what she calls tip sheets - are sent by fax; however, she's also receptive to pitches made over the phone. Also, if it's breaking news, you can reach her by pager but that method should only be used in a pinch. | Serravalli-D'Attoma puts together a 30-minute entertainment feed (with both features and straight news topics) every day so it can be farmed out to broadcasters who have a contract with WTN. She also puts together a weekly entertainment package that's presented in a more in-depth show format. Serravalli-D'Attoma is one of those producers who partly relies on PR people to get her job done so we recommend that you seize the opportunity. |
| Sports: Coverage includes both amateur and professional sports but most of what's highlighted and pursued is news that's on the fringe: for instance, they'd be less likely to put together a mainstream piece on national football than a cutting-edge clip on the surfing scene in California. Staffers follow both content that's geographically tied to North and South America as well as internationally laced pieces and copy with a Carribean overtone. | N.Y. Senior Sports Producer Thomas DiDonato Phone: 212/362-4440, ext. 114 Fax: 212/362-5723 | DiDonato works a 10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. shift Monday through Friday so you want to cater to those hours. But don't expect to reach DiDonato between 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. since that's when the sports pieces are being put to bed. | He wants calls first, then faxes. | We think you should have countless ways to pitch DiDonato since he's not taking the high ground and expecting only serious stuff. "I'm also looking for those bloopers and the weird and wacky in addition to news about international sporting events," he says. If you want a taste of some of the coverage they've explored that pushes the envelope, consider these recent stories: an international kung fu championship competition in Orlando; a U.S. rodeo showdown in Wyoming and an international kayaking event in Canada. |
Editorial Contacts At WTN Worldwide TV News
Main Number in N.Y. - 212/362-4440
N.Y. Bureau Chief - David Modrowski, ext. 120
Senior Sports Producer - Thomas DiDonato, ext. 114
Entertainment Producer - Jenny Serravalli-D'Attoma, ext. 177
London Office: WTN, The Interchange
Oval Road, Camden Lock
London, UK NW1 7EP
News Director - Guy Kerr
(44) 171-413-8303
Frankfurt Office (handles all European placements):
Frankfurt Airport Center B9
Hugo-Eckener-Ring
D-60549 Frankfurt/Main 75
(49) 69 6979070
Hong Kong Office: WTN
1260 Telecom House
3 Gloucester Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong
News Director - Len Richardson
(852) 2802-9180