HealthWeek
2030 M Street N.W. Suite 300
Washington, D.C; 202/261-1600
http://www.pbs.org/healthweek
Week features the week's top news in health, medicine and related environmental issues. The weekly series also explores public policy and the economics of health care. Although the tv show is hosted by CBS News correspondent Sharly Attkisson, all ideas should be directed to Chad Cohen, researcher and main contact for content suggestions for the show. We were able to reach Cohen in just one try (he held off other calls to speak with us) - not too shabby, considering he is the one-man operation who glues the content together each week for the half-hour show. HealthWeek is produced by Newsweek Productions Inc. in association with Maryland Public Television.
SECTIONS: NEWS ITEMS & FEATURES
With a news magazine format, HealthWeek generally runs news items that could have a direct impact on people, not just from a product point of view, but major issues in healthcare that affect consumers, from a new cure for an disease or outbreak of a new illness to a medical trend or controversy.
For feature stories, Cohen is interested primarily in patients who have stories to tell. Offer up someone who can talk about their experience with a particular disease, product or incident, such as a financial hardship brought on by illness or a loved one's experience with death. Cohen generally finds stories told from a patient's point of view more compelling than those told from a doctor's point of view.
EDITORS/LEAD TIME: Production Contact, Chad Cohen, Medical Researcher, Fax: 202/261-1615, Phone: 202/261-1600
Lead Time: one week for news items; anytime for feature stories.
METHODS: Cohen prefers pitches via fax. He really wants to see a hard copy of a story suggestion first, plus he likes to be able to review material at his own pace. Phone calls are acceptable, but if he's interested, he will still request you either e-mail or fax your idea - as long as it's in writing. He says that when mailing materials, B-rolls are very helpful because they make stories more visual.
COMMENTS: Cohen doesn't appreciate it when PR contacts expect him to base stories on products. If anything, products will be worked into the stories but are rarely the main topic. For example, if you pitch a new weight-loss supplement, he would never focus directly on the product, but may include it in a feature segment about weight loss and dieting.
Another example would be a new drug for a disease such as Alzheimer's disease. The story would be focus more on the disease itself, and may look at how this new drug affected a patient who was being treated with it. Cohen says that products won't "make" the story, but will be part of the story and "may be the final element to make the story go."
Recent Stories
Multiple Births: What fertility experts are doing to reduce the risk of multiple births.
Disc Surgery: New high-tech surgeries to treat stubborn disc problems.
An interview with Nancy Brinker, founder of Race for the Cure