An Afternoon With NBC-10

As I previously mentioned, I attended PPRA's Careers 101 event a few weeks back. During a raffle, my name was called for a "Networking Session with Adam Dvorin." I expected to grab a cup of coffee and have a chat with Adam, but instead he set up a tour with Denise Nakano of NBC-10 for today and KYW next month!

I have never been in a TV studio, much less met an anchor/reporter. Denise was gracious enough to take us through every aspect of a news production, from the news room to the actual studio (see photo below). Along with Denise's co-anchor Chris Cato, I learned a few tips about broadcast news and pitching reporters.

• When you're working with a reporter or cameraman, don't order them around and tell them what to do. No one likes to be told what to do, but especially reporters. 
• When pitching a story, find some kind of local tie or tie-in with a current event.
• It is invaluable to have connections to reporters, because they will be more inclined to cover your stories in the future, and put a face to the name.
• However, if a reporter covers your story once, don't expect them to cover your client every single time. There is always breaking news or other stories to cover, choose which stories to pitch to your personal contacts wisely.

A special thanks to Denise Nakano and Chris Cato for inviting me to come tour NBC-10!