Describe your job.
The Assignment Desk is the nerve center of the television news room. The editor makes reporter and photographer pairings, assigns equipment, microwave truck, helicopter, or satellite truck for example and assists the producers and reporters with gaining information on their respective stories. The assignment editor also reviews press releases and helps determine which stories will be covered, by presenting them in the morning and afternoon meetings. The assignment editor is also responsible for listening to scanners and making "beat checks" in order to keep the newsroom abreast of breaking news.

What time/day is best to call?
The assignment desk phone is constantly ringing so phone calls are not necessarily a distraction. We assignment editors do sometimes take slight umbrage when someone calls with a non-breaking or not-for-today story during newscasts. Everyone monitors the competition so when the news is on we are usually a little distracted.

How do you like to be contacted? (e-mail, phone, fax, mail)
I personally prefer faxes, because even if the information comes via e-mail we usually need to print out a copy of the release for the reporter and photographer. But e-mails are fine also. The most effective way to arrange coverage is to fax, e-mail, or snail mail the release then call back a day or two prior to the event to see if the information was received.

Which topics are hot right now? Which are not?
Anything related to SARS and the war against terrorism including pro-war and anti-war topics. Things that aren't getting much of a look from the desk these days are anything that promotes, a new product, book, movie etc. There are exceptions of course but it isn't "breaking news" when a giant drug maker receives FDA approval for a new herpes anti-viral, or a major software company unveils a new version of an old standard.

What's your most memorable experience with a PR person?
I have absolutely no problem in talking with public relations people. In many cases several of the contacts have been useful. There are times for example we may want to get video inside a large retailer say for Mother's Day or a similar major shopping day. The store managers usually don't want to get in trouble so they refer everything to the home office where in most cases you can't reach anyone after business hours. However in those cases if I know a firm's PR representative I will try to call that person and they usually can obtain weekend or late night clearance for our crews to shoot.

Anything else you'd like Atlanta's public relations industry to know?
The best press releases are still the ones that have all the basic info - who, what, where, when, and at what time? At least once a month I read a release of something that we are interested in covering that is missing one of those very important elements. Flowery prose is fine - but for the most part we only have time to read just the facts on our fax.

Our thanks to this month's Media Pro Guest Columnist.
John Pillow
Assignment Editor
WXIA-TV, Atlanta NBC
404-873-9114
404-881-0675 fax
JCPillow@WXIA.GANNETT.COM