HELPING VIEWERS HELP YOU

This is a page WUSA-TV in Washington used to have on its Web site. It's missing from the site now, but it still provides useful guidance on how a station might help its viewers to provide more useful, timely story suggestions.

TOP TEN THINGS TO KNOW WHEN SUBMITTING A STORY IDEA

1. Mail a media alert or press release two weeks prior to your event to:
9Eyewitness News
4100 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Washington, D.C. 20016
E-mail address 9news@wusatv.com

2. Make sure your press materials state the time, date and exact location of your event. If more than one event is taking place, give a time and description for each of them.

3. If you're writing to request that an individual be profiled make sure you include as much as you can about their background, i.e. what makes them newsworthy and when they can be interviewed.

4. Keep in mind that television is a visual medium. Make sure your event is as visually interesting as possible, i.e., "400 children deliver birthday card to Nelson Mandela during his D.C. visit" has a better chance of being covered than "local school writes to Nelson Mandela."

5. If your event is less than a week away, you can fax your press materials to the news desk at (202) 364-6163, but keep in mind that news rooms get hundreds of faxes each day, so mailing press materials is preferable.

6. Follow-up the day before or the day of your event/story by calling the news room at (202) 895-5700. Best times to call are between 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. weekdays.

7. Because more crews are assigned during the week, weekdays between 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. are usually a good time to schedule your event and interview opportunities.

8. Keep in mind that all news event's chances of getting coverage are dependent upon the volume of news stories that day. Since our Assignment Editors finalize their plans each morning, they can't tell you until the day of the event if it will be covered and plans are always subject to change.

9. If you have a celebrity coming to your event, make sure you list a "window" of time they're expected to appear, i.e., Diana Ross is expected to greet senior citizens from the Anthony Bowen YMCA from 2-3 p.m.

10. Try to make your event topical, i.e., if it is around a holiday such as Thanksgiving or Kwanza, take advantage of it by doing something in the event that connects with the holiday or major news event happening the same day.
When you have a story idea or an event you would like our assignment desk to be aware of, please fax a press release to (202) 364-6163. Your fax should include who, what, where, when, why, and a contact person's name and phone number.

After you send your fax feel free to call the assignment desk to see if we received it. The number is (202) 895-5700. It's a good idea to make your follow-up call during "off-peak" times -- 10:00 am - 2:00 pm and 7:00pm - 10:00 pm

When we get your fax, we include it in our planning files. An assignment editor will not able to give you a firm commitment over the phone. News changes all the time but it is important that we know about your event. We welcome your ideas and suggestions.

Here are the names of some of the people you can contact:
[The station provided the names of the planning producer, night side assignment editor, day side assignment editors and weekend assignment editors. The page was formerly found at: http://www.wusatv9.com/aboutus/index.shtml]

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