1 MSNBC Plaza
Secaucus, N.J. 07094; Phone: 201/583-5000
Editor's Note: On cable, MSNBC is one of the newest innovative concepts going because of the way these entrepreneurs have been able to mix TV and the Internet. What consumers see on TV is meant to entice them to check out MSNBC's Web site: http://www.msnbc.com, and vice versa.
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"The Site" with host Soledad O'Brien This program, which airs three times a day and then is repackaged for the weekend, focuses on today's cyber culture. But "The Site" also keeps its nose on the news. Last week, it was hooked on chasing down the Mike Tyson story and getting a soundbyte about Gil Amelio leaving Apple. |
| Contacts |
Content Manager: Shauna Sampson Fax: 415/437-5878 E-mail: shauna*[email protected] Address: Ziff-Davis, 535 York St., San Francisco, Calif. 94110 |
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Days To Contact/ Days To Avoid |
Sampson wants pitches to arrive in the morning. Because the show covers hard and late-breaking news as well as lighter stories, producers are waiting to hop on controversial happenings and attention-grabbing headlines so there are no light or heavy days. |
| Methods | Because of the amount of e-mail show producers and staffers receive, Ziff-Davis (which produces the program for MSNBC) hired Sampson in May to be the one main person responsible for sifting through the more than 100 pitches coming in every day, and to identify what "The Site" should cover. |
| Comments | It took us three days to get someone from Ziff-Davis on the phone after placing calls to several Site staffers. So a short e-mail pitch with a lot of punch and some "TV friendliness" is the avenue you should take. If you wait to make a pitch over the phone, you're like to be a sitting duck for a critique of your PR tactics. Also, after you send your pitch, don't sit by your phone anticipating a call. If you've enticed them, you'll know soon enough. |
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Internet Coverage: Mary Kathleen Flynn This program is consumer-oriented and relies on the mix of covering news and then counting on the Internet and technology to complement the coverage. What's featured is all over the place: it might be about how to protect your kids online or how technology helps the "home user" in his/her life. |
| Contacts |
Internet Correspondent: Mary Kathleen Flynn E-mail: [email protected] Address: 1 MSNBC Plaza, Secaucus, N.J. 07094 |
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Days To Contact/ Days To Avoid |
Staffers said there are "no good days" since putting together stories for the program is a round-the-clock process. |
| Methods | If its e-mail ever crashed, we're not sure what this show crew would do since that's their lifeline to the world. They want e-mails only and do not welcome phone calls. They're also not too hip on snail mail. |
| Comments | Flynn and her producer Warren Lewis run a tight ship and are among three staffers (the other is Head Researcher Patricia Peart) who handle the dozens of e-mail pitches received each day. Their advice: "Be brief, be concise and wrap it up in the first paragraph." Also, if you call these staffers, you're sure to burn, not build, bridges. Flynn said she reads every e-mail message that comes her way so don't think yours will get lost in the shuffle. |
Editorial Contacts at MSNBC
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Production Contacts for "The Site" with Soledad O'Brien
T.V. Executive Producer - Kathy Moore kathy*[email protected] Senior Broadcast Producer - Stephanie Abrams Senior Broadcast Producer - Donna Wright Sommerville Senior Producer, Intermedia - Ben Bayol Senior Program Producer - Leo Laporte Creative Director - Nancy Juliber Production Director - Katie Walsh Harless Content Manager - Shauna Sampson Studio Producer - Christine Kim Studio Producer - Lynn Margherita Special Correspondent - Craig Miller News Producer - Matt Beer Associate Producer - Jennifer Rogers Associate Producer - Natalia Torres |
Production Contacts for MSNBC Segments with Mary Kathleen Flynn
Internet Correspondent - Mary Kathleen Flynn [email protected] Producer - Warren Lewis Head Researcher - Patricia Peart Researcher - Noreen Figueroa Interactive Producer - Gabrielle Middaugh Interactive Production Assistant - Justin Adams MSNBC Production Staff Executive Director of MSNBC - Mark Harrington Executive Producer - Bob Epstein Senior Broadcast Producer - Steve Copus Producer - Chris Hampson Producer - Cathy Stevens |