3600 New York Ave. NE
Washington, DC 20002
202/636-3000
http://www.washtimes.com
Inside the Beltway, it's a safe bet that everything is tied to
politics. The Washington Times, launched in 1982, quickly became a
powerful vehicle for reaching policymakers and other Washington
power brokers, even with its business coverage.
Circulation is at 110,000, and a high concentration of those are
senior government and military officials as well as thought leaders
at local trade associations and think tanks. The paper is also the
third most quoted daily (after The Washington Post and The New York
Times) on the floors of the House and the Senate.
Peter Brinch, an independent communications consultant, spoke
with Cathy Gainor, editor for The Washington Times business desk,
to find out how to better target your business pitches for this key
Washington paper.
Content/Contacts/Deadlines
Decisions are made in D.C. on a daily basis that affect every
industry. Times business stories grab one of the coveted seven
slots on Page One several times a week, often daily. Political
stories with a business angle frequently appear in the national
section, and neighborhood and local business stories often run in
the Metro section.
The business reporters and their beats:
- Bill Glanz, telecom and technology;
- Tom Ramstack, transportation and labor;
- Donna DeMarco, retail advertising and hospitality;
- Tim Lamke, commercial real estate and defense industry;
- Chris Baker, personal finance and local media;
- Patrice Hill, legislative and legal angles on national business
and economic stories. - Jeff Sparshott, international trade issues.
- Marguerite Higgins, personnel releases.
All editorial staff members can be reached at [email protected],
or by fax at 202/269-3419. Contact Gainor by email at [email protected]
or at 202/636-4892.
Pitch Tips
Reporters for daily newspapers were multi-taskers before the
term was invented because they're always on deadline. If your
announcement is not breaking news, snail mail or fax them.
If you can find a political or policy hook for your business
story, put it up front. The editors are interested in any issue
that has an impact for consumers and investors, but they also want
information on stories that mix business and a political slant.
Daily deadlines are 4 p.m., although editors say they will
consider breaking news on a case-by-case basis before close of
business.
Comments
"Every day we decide which stories are most valuable to our
readers in terms of the issues, people, and institutions that
impact their lives," Gainor says. "Lately, it has been personal
finance stories." Five days a week, the paper has a columnist
writing about "Your Money." There's a "centerpiece" article, a
local publicly-held company profile, and a "Worth your Wallet"
feature and graphic, which reviews a credit card offering.
In The Pipeline
Reluctant to discuss stories under development, Gainor does say,
"Being based in Washington, DC, we have a home court advantage
covering the regulatory side of business. This year, the SEC begins
implementation of the Sarbannes Oxley Act, so Corporate Governance
stories and institutional reform are going to be with us for a
while. We're interested in all aspects of these issues, as well as
others that affect investors and consumers."
Peter Brinch can be reached at [email protected].