Frank promotes Apprentice winner

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Frank is handling the personal PR for 2014 Apprentice winner Mark Wright, as well as promoting his new business venture.

The final episode of The Apprentice, in December, saw Lord Sugar choose Mark to receive an investment of £250,000 for his business, Climb Online, a digital marketing agency.

More than six million viewers tuned in to the final episode of the 10th series of the show to see Aussie Mark beat Bianca Miller, whose business plan was for a hosiery range for different skin tones, to become Lord Sugar’s business partner.

Frank handled Mark’s media appearances after his win and has been advising on media strategy ahead of the launch of Climb Online.

David Fraser, Frank deputy MD, told Gorkana: “We understand the pressures that all the Apprentice winners come under which is why we have been brought on board.

“We have looked after the PR of each of the 10 winners, and worked with them on the formulation of their businesses.

“Mark is so excited to get started and build a successful business and we are delighted to be part of his team on what should be a fascinating journey.”

Frank has worked for Lord Sugar and his businesses since 2001 and currently handles all personal and corporate PR for the entrepreneur.

The agency’s founder and group MD, Andrew Bloch, and David are the official spokespeople for Lord Sugar.

Gorkana meets…BuzzFeed

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Tabatha Leggett, senior staff writer at BuzzFeed, on the ever-growing news team, the importance of shareability and why PRs should never send pre-written listicles. 

You joined BuzzFeed a year ago – must be very exciting to be part of the team at a time when it’s growing so quickly?tabatha-leggett

Absolutely. There were only three members of staff at BuzzFeed UK when I joined, and we were working out of a shared office space. Now we have an editorial team of around 30 and are about to outgrow our third office. Stats wise, there are more than 175 million unique visitors worldwide (including the US).

You’ve just taken on regional content at BuzzFeed. Tell us a bit about your role.

Because our team is based in London, we’re especially keen to commission identity posts from freelancers based elsewhere in the country. In the last few months, we’ve published pieces including 53 Reasons Edinburgh Ruins You For Life, 25 Reasons You Should Fall In Love With A Welsh Person, and 19 Signs You Were A Brummie Teenage Goth.

But I also commission posts from freelancers who have something different to bring to the table – pieces that tap into an identity that we couldn’t write about from within our office. For example, we’ve published 18 Things Every Hijabi Is Tired Of Hearing, 22 Secrets Air Hostesses Will Never Tell You, and 21 Things That Only Ever Happen On Yom Kippur.

Freelance journalists who think they can write something sharable that our staff can’t produce themselves ought to email me: [email protected].

What does a typical day look like?

I get in at 9am, check yesterday’s stats and get on with commissioning, editing, and writing posts. I usually leave the office at 5pm.

We understand conference at BuzzFeed is a bit different to traditional outlets…

A small group of us sit down for five minutes at 10am each morning to confirm what everyone will publish that day. Then, once a week, we have a group brainstorm, focussing on a broader topic.

How much content do you produce each day on average?

I tend to write between one and two pieces a day, alongside editing and publishing a piece from a freelancer.

How would you like to work with PRs on content ideas?

We don’t tend to work with PRs much. However, if you are looking to schedule a celebrity interview, you should get in touch with our celebrity editor, Kimberley Dadds.

What should PRs avoid when pitching?

Sending us pre-written lists, asking us to review something, and constructing stories around what they’re trying to promote.

Do you have time to meet PRs or attend events?

If the meeting or event has a specific purpose, absolutely.

Where do you turn for inspiration when pulling together a listicle?

The main thing to consider when putting together a list is that is must be shareable. Regional pieces also ought to appeal to an identity (e.g. Brummies, people who grew up in Wales in the ’90s, Northerners who’ve moved down south, etc). Additionally, they ought to incite a shareable emotion (e.g. “Manchester looks so fun, I ought to visit”), or contain an element of nostalgia (e.g. “Wasn’t growing up in the Scottish Highlands infuriating?!”).

And finally, what has been your most clicked story this year?

61 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Friends, which did more than three million views.

Tabatha was talking to Gorkana’s Richard O’Donnell

Gorkana meets…Love Sunday

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Zoe Cripps, beauty writer at Sunday People supplement Love Sunday, on making life easier for readers, why she loves a launch event, and plans for more YouTube content.

Love Sunday launched in February this year – how would you describe it in five words?

I would say it’s warm, funny, packed, engaging and stimulating.

What does it cover?

It’s all about making life easier for our readers. They pick up a copy and whether they’re following one of our food recipes or looking for a new lipstick, it’ll be easy to do, easy to find and accessible to everyone. The content has fun facts, lovely beauty and shopping pages, recipes, interviews, TV and puzzles. There’s definitely something for everyone.

How would we spot a typical reader?

The wide range of content makes the mag very readable for anyone, but typically they’ll be past their 20s and 30s and are looking to have a bit of ‘me time’. They might not want to shell out £100 on a handbag or spend hours making a fussy cake, but they want simple, engrossing content – which is what we always give.

What sort of beauty products are you most keen to feature?

I’m always interested in any new launches but new products with anti-ageing benefits and expert tips from make-up artists, hair stylists and dermatologists are always welcomed. If products can be a great price, do what they say on the label and look good, then they’ll be perfect for the page.

Do you prefer to receive samples to review or are you happy with a press release and image?

Press releases are really useful, but only if they can be sent to my email. It’s really time saving to be able to type the name into my search and have the press release pop up – but sadly when I get them through in hard copy, they always seem to go walkabout (not surprising considering the state of my desk!). For new products, samples are useful, but high res images and press releases are perfect too.

How would you describe your relationship with PRs and how can they help most with content?

I’d like to think it’s good! I’m always happy to chat through new launches with PRs but it’s a bit tricky on the phone sometimes, especially if it’s deadline day, but if they could send all info on email to me, that’s the best way.

You must get inundated with invites to press launches – how can a PR entice you to come along to an event?

Events are amazing for getting to see first hand what the new launches look like and what else might be coming up. I love them and if I could go to every single one then I would, but it’s really hard to leave the office sometimes (sob!). After work launches and first thing in the morning ones are better suited to me though. But if there’s a glass of wine offered somewhere in the invite too…well all the better!

Any plans for online content?

We have just taken on an online and digital assistant, Danielle Stacey, who will work across both mags. So I’m sure in the near future it’s something we’ll look at doing more.

You also write health and beauty stories for the Sunday Mirror’s Notebook supplement – what content are you looking for?

I do – mainly the tried and tested page and I help my lovely editors Lynne and Octavia with main beauty, beauty notes and the food pages. Again, any new product launches from beauty to food we’re always interested in hearing about.

Finally, you produce top tip beauty videos on YouTube – are there opportunities for brands to get involved?

Ah, we have done a few but it’s one of those ‘work in progress’ projects. As of yet it isn’t a regular thing but watch this space in the future – I’m sure there’s much more to come. We are on Twitter though (both mags) under @Notebooklive and @LoveYourSunday so we post a lot of beauty and food updates there.

Zoe was talking to Gorkana’s Richard O’Donnell

Gorkana meets…Al Jazeera Sport

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Elise Holman, sports producer for Al Jazeera English, on starting her broadcast career aged 14, why PRs need to think global when pitching, and dreams of interviewing Sir Alex Ferguson.

Firstly tell us about your role at Al Jazeera and how you’re enjoying life in Doha…

I’m a senior producer in the sports department at Al Jazeera English. I’m responsibleeliseholman for planning and coordinating a lot of our sports content, in addition to directly producing bulletins that go to air. We have seven bulletins per day that feature within Al Jazeera Newshours, each about six to eight minutes in length.

Doha can be a challenging place to live, at times. You tend to miss greenery and being outdoors when you live in the desert! And it is quite a different way of life from London or Sydney, for example. But I’m very grateful for the experience. Qatar is an incredibly diverse country.

You started your broadcast career on community radio when you were just 14 – when did you realise you wanted a career in broadcast?

Not long before that point – in my early teens. I loved sport, I loved public speaking and the two were a good combination. Deciding on a career early really gave me a head start in the industry. I had four years of broadcasting experience by the time I started university. And I began working as a producer/reporter at Sky News in Australia by the time I was 19.

Tell us about the typical Al Jazeera viewer. What sport appeals to them most?

I think the beauty of Al Jazeera is that we don’t have a typical viewer. We broadcast to more than 100 countries right across the globe so it’s important that our news appeals to a very diverse audience rather than one type of person. Instead of prioritising one particular sport, we are devoted to focusing on important issues affecting sport, and meeting interesting people involved in sport.

The sports content market is a pretty crowded one – how does Al Jazeera stand out?

I think we stand out for, firstly, a couple of the reasons pointed out above. Our focus is not directly on sports results or highlights, but on identifying and explaining interesting issues and stories. But I believe our global network of resources is what really stands us apart. We have more than 65 bureaus across the world. Our content could include a boxing story from Zimbabwe, a surfing story from the Philippines or rugby in Argentina. During this year’s World Cup, I counted that we had stories or live reports from 20 separate countries.

What are the main challenges of being a sport journo?

When working as a part of a news channel, rather than a sports channel, you learn to accept sport’s position in the hierarchy. The Champions League results, for example, don’t really matter compared to the Israel/Palestine conflict. So it’s a matter of understanding the role you play in the balance of the channel, knowing how to keep your content relevant, interesting and in-line with the news style. In my previous job in Australia, I found the repetition of the sports news cycle particularly challenging. The same events would happen at the same time every year and the story would be the same every time. The challenge is finding something new and interesting.

Are there any sports that you wouldn’t cover?

We will cover any sport as long as there’s a good story behind it!

How would you describe your relationship with PRs?

To be honest, I don’t deal with them that often in Doha. We’re the centrepoint for content – while our reporters and producers are out in the field across the world gathering stories. But on the whole, PR plays a very minimal role in our output. We are focused on finding our own stories, rather than having them delivered to us. We say no to a lot of free trips and interviews that are offered to us because it doesn’t fit into our style. And we don’t have the commercial incentive that other networks may have.

How best can PRs help you with content?

Involving us in stories and events that are likely to have a global, rather than just local, appeal is important. We are also a lot more likely to attend an event where the relevant people are made available to speak to us on a one-on-one basis. I know that in Qatar, specifically, events are missed simply because they are not flagged to us.

Who would be the dream sports interview for you?

Sir Alex Ferguson. He just has an aura. My favourite interviews to date were with F1 great Sir Jackie Stewart, and Australian football legend Joe Marston.

What should PRs think about before pitching an idea?

Understand what our channel and news style is about. Most of the time I’m approached by people or companies who clearly don’t understand what we might be interested in.

And finally, we hear you’re a big fan of Blackburn Rovers – how did an Aussie end up supporting them?

It’s very simple. At the time where English Premier League started becoming more available on Australian TV, Blackburn had a couple of Aussies playing with them. First Lucas Neill, then Brett Emerton and later Vince Grella. They were doing well at the time and I liked the ‘battler’ feel of the team. It’s been much harder to watch them play on the TV since they’ve dropped out of the Premier League!

Elise has talking to Gorkana’s Richard O’Donnell

Gorkana meets…Trinity Mirror

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Samantha Cope, creative editorial director at Trinity Mirror, on the rise of content-driven partnerships, immersion sessions with PRs and keeping pace with phenomenal audience growth.

You are creative editorial director for all Trinity Mirror’s portfolio of news brands – what does that actually mean?

I work within a team called Invention. Working alongside the editorial team and with account directors, we create and deliver original and engaging content-driven ideas for clients. The Invention team offers great customer service all the way through from pitch to post-campaign analysis.

Advertisers are constantly looking for more sophisticated ways to communicate their brand messages. Our mission is to offer advertisers a full-service creative solutions agency approach to their marketing needs, whereby we create and develop bespoke, ground-breaking and award-winning, effective advertising and native content solutions by delivering campaigns across multiple platforms.

You’ve been out talking to various PRs about Invention – what have you been telling them?

That our team is part of one of the UK’s largest multimedia companies and the fastest growing in terms of audience growth. Trinity Mirror is innovative and creative, and we’re not afraid to experiment with new ideas like UsVsTh3m, ampp3d and RowZed – it’s an exciting place to be.

The Invention team itself has grown from six to 30 in the last couple of months, from a few account managers and directors to a fully blown creative team. Moving forward, we’ll offer an unrivalled creative development team using dedicated editorial expertise to create ideas and campaigns based on client needs. You could basically call us a bespoke publishing arm, and while we produce content for use across our platforms, we can also produce bespoke content for the brands we work with for use on their platforms.

We now also offer an exceptional project management and creative design team to develop best in class service that the customer (advertiser) has a seamless and expert production of their campaign.

What’s the biggest challenge you face on a day-to-day basis?

Keeping up with our phenomenal audience growth! The group’s portfolio of news brands, which includes Mirror Online, Record.co.uk, Wales Online and Liverpoolecho.co.uk, reached 83+ million monthly unique users in July.

We work at a great pace and generating ideas for the many briefs that come through is certainly challenging but equally rewarding. Looking forward, our aim is to work more strategically with agencies by engaging with their clients in longer-term partnerships.

We work hard to ensure we work closely with editorial, as well as our display department, to make sure we offer a truly holistic approach to clients’ needs. We’re incredibly lucky within Trinity Mirror to have a great relationship with all our editors, who’re commercially aware and keen to work with us to create great content, which benefits both our clients and our readers.

What does a typical day look like?

I start work at 9am with a meeting with the senior project manager to look at which projects are live that week. Then I’ll brief the design team for the day. I’ll work closely with the PMs and designers to make sure we’re choosing the right photographers and writers for the jobs.

Then depending on what briefs we have in I’ll usually head up a brainstorm with the relevant editorial, insight teams and account managers to talk about how we’ll tackle the brief and formulate a central idea.

The work is varied; one day I can be working on a government campaign for modern slavery and then next I can be looking at a brief about breakfast cereals. It’s highly creative and I love the challenge of working on such a variety of campaigns.

Trinity Mirror has a portfolio spanning national, regional and sport across multiple platforms. How do you cover such a broad remit?

For me, it’s fantastic to have access to such a dynamic and extensive portfolio of news brands. For advertisers, it’s priceless. Once a brief comes in I work closely with the account directors and managers and our insight teams to determine which of our platforms, news brands and audiences are best suited for a particular client.

I’ve worked at Trinity Mirror for the last five years and before that I worked at regional titles, various mags and at agencies, so I have an indepth knowledge across our news brands and the industry in general.

What titles do you deal with most regularly?

It really depends on what the agency and client is looking for. Essentially, it’s about coming up with an idea that engages our readers and exceeds our clients’ expectations. That is our aim every time.

Obviously, The Mirror and The Record, across print, online and e-edition, feature significantly in our proposals but we also have huge regional reach and often pitch out our BigCity package to clients which includes The Mirror, The Record, The Liverpool Echo, MEN, Birmingham Mail, Newcastle Chronicle and South Wales Echo.

Why have content-driven partnerships become more popular?

We hear industry executives every day talking about native content solutions. At Invention, we know what our audiences want. By creating unique and well-thought out branded content we deliver richer experiences for our readers which in turn delivers deeper engagement with our clients’ brands.

What we’re building in Invention is an agency that can drop co-created native content across our platforms, as well as working with brands to engage audiences through social media to live events.

What do PRs need to bear in mind when coming to you with partnership ideas?

We find immersion sessions with clients, media agencies and PRs work best, where we can bring along relevant editorial, insight and our marketing teams to look at how we can address their key challenges and create a truly engaging campaign that gets across their key messages.

What are the ingredients for the best partnerships?

Where there are shared brand values between the publisher and the client and we can work closely with the agency and client to deliver what the client wants as well as our audience.

And finally, you’ve been at Trinity Mirror for more than three years, with roles including health columnist for The Sunday People and editor of it supplement, Love Sunday Magazine. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen over the years?

There’s been a huge shift in the way that people consume their news; social media has obviously had a huge impact on that which has led to real investment in digital within Trinity Mirror and it’s digital innovation team. It’s a really exciting time for the industry.

Samantha was talking to Gorkana’s Richard o’Donnell

 

Gorkana meets…Sky News Entertainment Week

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Amy Hitchcock, entertainment producer at Sky News, on launching a new programme, providing those water cooler moments and why you can be intelligent and still have a healthy appetite for showbiz.

You’re the entertainment producer for Sky News’ half hour Friday night show, Entertainment Week, which launched in April – describe it in five words.amy-hitchcock

Celebrity interviews and news with healthy irreverence and banter – sorry that’s nine words, but five ‘key’ words!

Tell us about your role.

I pitched the show in September last year and it took a lot of hard work to actually get it to air. Sky News is a big operation and news events can change priorities overnight, so you have to be flexible and resilient but it’s been an amazing learning curve. Having associate produced Parkinson at ITV and spent seven/eight years at Sky, it was great to learn new things from different areas of the business such as compliance, sponsorship, graphics, promos and music rights, plus creating the look from commissioning the set build to the titles has been really satisfying.

Weekly, I’m not only responsible for all the show’s content (including VTs, scripts and guests), but I often have to go out and film it and edit it myself. It’s hard work, but very rewarding. I have a really small team but we’ve really pulled together and it’s been brilliant fun, (it would never have worked without my presenter Lucy Cotter, editor Chris Scott, reporter Joe Michalczuk, pundit Steve Hargrave, and producer Charlotte Bingham!)

The entertainment show market is pretty crowded – what makes Entertainment Week stand out?

There are lots of chat shows and a few magazine shows, but no real entertainment news shows for intelligent people who love showbiz (you can be intelligent and have a healthy appetite for showbiz!). The choice is usually either very fluffy or uber highbrow, so I wanted to create a show that gets the balance right… it’s still early days.

Who is the typical viewer and what sort of content appeals to them?

This show is attracting a younger more female audience which is great. Whenever I’m deciding which stories to include and how to cover them, I ask myself whether my mum and my best friend would care. They’re both intelligent women with an interest in entertainment and the arts, from Kate Bush to Joey Essex and Grayson Perry – so they give me a good gauge.

Sky has always had a reputation for breaking major news stories – has this philosophy carried to Entertainment Week?

Some of the biggest stories for Sky News in recent years have been about celebrities, such as the untimely deaths of Amy Winehouse and Michael Jackson, so the show has become another great Sky News platform through which to tell these stories (alongside the main TV channel, skynews.com, and digital services).

I’ve managed to get some news-making exclusives this year, involving Sir Paul McCartney, Elton John, Daniel Radcliffe and Kylie, so it’s great to be able to use this programme to increase their prominence further.

Entertainment news also provides some of the best ‘water-cooler’ moments, so amid the hard news coverage, you often really need something like the leaked photo from the new Star Wars film to offer some light relief.

Apart from celebrity news, the show features frank debates. Can PRs help with guests?

So far I’ve been really impressed with the willingness of PRs and celebrity guests to get involved in the rest of the show – the bit where we discuss the week’s top entertainment-related stories, such as Rik Mayall’s death, the sentencing of Rolf Harris or whether Metallica was a good booking for Glastonbury.

Often celebs just want to plug their film/book/record, and having produced Parkinson, I know how tricky it can be to make a celeb interview engaging and relevant, while not expecting the guest to sacrifice their privacy or comment on the situation in Iraq if it’s not appropriate. So we work to encourage them to give something more than a sound bite selling their latest film.

So far, the likes of Hugh Bonneville, Tinie Tempah and Sophie Ellis Bextor have been really up for contributing to the rest of the show and commenting on the week’s stories, as well as talking about their new film or album, so it’s been great.

How else can PRs help with content?

B-roll is always useful, and being able to provide HD quality clips of films and shows, I spend my life chasing clips!

How would you describe your relationship with PRs?

I benefit from the fact I’ve been making entertainment shows for more than 10 years, so working with the guys at Freud on Bafta, film companies including Sony and Warner, and pluggers like Niki Sanderson at Nonstop or Helena McGeough at Universal is always a joy.

The tricky situations are always with people I’ve not worked with before, and to do with editorial control and expectations and honesty – but things always work out ok in the end!

What should PRs be thinking about when pitching ideas?

News-lines and how their client’s project could chime with other newsworthy events – such as asking an actor about arts cuts. I feel it is better, rather than banning certain questions from an interview, for a client to be briefed on how to handle them.

Anything they need to keep in mind for TV?

Pictures are always needed to illustrate an interview.

How far in advance do you plan content and are there any key meetings for PRs to note?

Sometimes the day before, and some names are booked months in advance so it depends on how news-busy the week is.

Who is the best person to contact when PRs want to pitch?

Me. When I’m on maternity leave later this year, my presenter/correspondent Lucy Cotter is amazing, and Michael Blair will be in charge of the entertainment desk in my absence.

And finally, you’ve already featured some impressive guests, including Angelina Jolie, Zac Efron and Johnny Depp – who is on your wish list?

David Bowie.

Amy was talking to Gorkana’s Richard O’Donnell

Gorkana meets…The Sun’s environment editor

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Ben Jackson, environment editor at The Sun, on climate change, covering issues with a lack of fear and why PRs should avoid salami-slicing stories.

You were appointed the paper’s first environment editor in early 2009 – tell us about your role…

I keep our city editor Simon English in coffee and the consumer editor Dan Jones keeps me in cakes.

What sort of environment and energy stories get your readers all fired up?

The one thing that goes up but never comes down – bills. Both government and energy firms have connived together for us to finance massive change in the power sector through our energy bills. Unfortunately at the same time they also omitted to build enough power stations.

What are the most common environmental and energy issues covered in The Sun?

What’s happened to our weather. Have energy companies become the new bankers?

How does The Sun tackle environmental and energy stories compared to other titles?

With humour and plain speaking – like when we revealed that the government’s flagship energy policy, the Green Deal, had just three people signed up to it….and one of those worked for the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Hopefully, also with a lack of fear when it comes to pointing out where things are going wrong – like major international firms responsible for hacking down forests and killing orangutans or chancers running dodgy waste collection firms…along with some of the great strides being made too.

How much information do you have to wade through for most stories?

Variously – either too much or not enough.

On average, how many stories will you file in a week?

Four or five a day during the week, and usually two or three on Sunday.

How far in advance do you work?

From a few minutes to three months, but usually it’s only the publishers who can think that far ahead.

What’s the best ways for PRs to help with content?

Good question:

  • A heads-up a week ahead is good if you think it will move the news agenda.
  • It sounds simple, but tell me who you work for. Many PRs have an irritating habit of saying “I work for Royal Mail” or whoever your client is. Never a good start.
  • Ask the obvious questions yourself first (many PRs are floored by the first few simple queries). Then have an expert prepped in advance to explain in greater detail if it’s needed.
  • Think in pictures. It helps.

How important is exclusivity?

For big stories or quick breaking news it’s very important and we’ll drop everything for you. But don’t delude yourself that it’s worth horse-trading over something when there’s a doubt it will even make the newspaper. Don’t try salami-slicing stories either. The most infuriating words for a journalist to hear is: “but I gave you the print exclusive!”

How do you like to be contacted?

Email is good, but not infallible. If you ring me, do yourself a favour and figure out why it works for us as a paper first.

What should PRs think about before approaching you?

Easy – a great Sun headline. A command of basic English is also a good start. I had a PR tell me this week she would give me “visibility” of a report. Er ,what?

Read the paper and check how your subject has been covered. If you don’t know what we do I haven’t got time to explain it to you. But then again if you can contribute something with an interesting twist, share it.

We have to ask – where do you stand on the issue of climate change?

Last May the world’s atmosphere reached 400 parts of carbon dioxide per million for the first time in recorded history – this month we’ve just had the third straight month above that level. Go figure.

And finally, you also cover non-fiction books, extracts and serialisations for The Sun. How do you decide which will work best for the paper?

If I find myself dying to tell a friend what I’ve read then realise I can’t because of the publisher’s non disclosure agreement, I know it’s got what it takes.

Ben was talking to Gorkana’s Richard O’Donnell

Gorkana meets…Yorkshire Post Newspapers

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Rebecca Whittington, head of news for Yorkshire Post Newspapers, on driving digital content, retaining grassroots news and why PRs need to connect their pitch to the newspaper area.

Firstly tell us about your role.rebecca-whittington

I help co-ordinate the daily delivery of news for the Yorkshire Evening Post (YEP) and The Yorkshire Post (YP) both in paper and online, working closely with colleagues on the multi-media content desk to make the most of news stories and opportunities as they unfold.

I regularly step up to cover for Mark Casci, the multimedia content manager, when required. I also have a long-term role in working with reporters and other team members to plan and deliver campaigns and projects for the YEP and its products. Team working is everything. It’s a fast-paced, pressurised (at times) but fun environment to work in.

The news teams at the YEP and YP work alongside each other. How do both teams work together in terms of content?

The YEP and the YP are led as one by the multi-media content desk. While I focus mainly on the YEP and my counterpart, Paul Jeeves, does the same with the YP we have one manager, Mark Casci, and we both step up to do his role at times. We have one daily morning conference which looks at the news agenda for both titles, and where there is crossover we make sure we do not double up on work but instead have one journalist writing for both. The same can be said for the online offering for both titles.

Given the reporting line is to the head of multimedia content, is that a sign that online now dominates content for the papers?

The newsroom’s focus is ‘digital first’ for both titles, meaning we are often the first to break news despite the daily paper deadlines and content in the paper may often be the most up to date version of the story appearing online at the time of going to press.

Is there ever any crossover of content?

Yes, not only with news, but also sport and features. However, the two titles are extremely different both in their offering, focus and readership, so while there is some crossover there is a huge amount which distinguishes the separate titles.

What does a typical day look like for you?

It’s busy! On arrival in the office at about 9am we put together the starting newslists for the day. At 10.30am we have a conference, followed by paging up. One of the big challenges is keeping on top of the changing news agenda, making sure we are breaking news online and ensuring everything has a place that needs to in the paper There is usually a bit of juggling that goes on before afternoon conference at 2.30pm.

The majority of the paper will be complete by 5.30pm, but we hand over to the night news editor at about 6pm in case of any late or breaking stories which need to be included. The YEP goes to print at 10.30pm.

How many pages does an average issue of the YEP run to and what’s the makeup of the paper?

It changes depending on supplements etc, but often we run between 40 and 52 pages. The first half is made up of news, letters, opinion and features. We also have an exceptionally strong sports section which covers a multitude of activities, with of course a big focus on Leeds United and Rugby League.

Who is the typical YEP reader?

The YEP covers West Yorkshire with a main focus on Leeds. The city is a diverse and buzzing place which has seen exciting developments and investments in recent years. We have a world-class arena, shops, bars and attractions. Alongside this cosmopolitan city we also have traditional Yorkshire families, working class communities and thousands of Leeds United fans to cater for. It’s important that the YEP reflects these things in its content, and so we are working hard at the moment to ensure the grassroots news which is important to many of our loyal readership is not lost, but instead sits alongside stories which reflect how the city is changing.

Regional newspapers face some of the biggest challenges in print media. How are the YP and YEP dealing with those challenges?

Digital is an increased focus for everybody, and so not only are we working with a ‘digital first’ ethos, but we are also driving digital content and response back into the titles. In the YEP we have also introduced a partnership with Leeds Trinity University which sees their journalism students working in the newsroom on community news pages; both helping the paper achieve its grassroots news aim and giving the students experience and mentorship as part of their qualifications.

Is all content from the paper replicated online?

We break news online throughout the day and we publish much of our paper content online on the day it appears in the paper. We create original content throughout the day for online publication, including video and updating news stories as they change. We have apps for both titles which also allow the reader to read that day’s paper in full online.

How best can PRs help with content?

It’s worth looking at the sites and the papers and identifying the kind of stories we run in both. Tailoring news in press releases to make it relevant to the title and readership always helps and making the connection to Leeds or Yorkshire very obvious is also important as we receive hundreds of emails every hour.

What’s the best way for them to approach them team?

Send an email. If it’s well crafted and of interest it should catch our attention. It’s incredibly busy on the desk and taking dozens of calls to see ‘if we have received the email on…’ can become tricky.

Three tops tips for PRs when pitching ideas?

  • Make it obvious the connection to the newspaper area – otherwise it runs the risk of being deleted!
  • The more of a breakdown the better – if you can provide figures for Leeds or a breakdown of Yorkshire figures that means it’s much more likely to be given prominence in the paper.
  • Case studies – we want real people from our patch and we want to be able to talk to them directly.

Rebecca was talking to Gorkana’s Richard o’Donnell

Gorkana meets…BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s Newsbeat

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Louisa Compton, editor of BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s Newsbeat, on her youthful audience, why she doesn’t want quirky story pitches, and launching a radical new website in Autumn.

You were appointed editor of BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s Newsbeat in April – got any big changes planned?louisacompton

The main priority is to launch a radical new website by the Autumn.

The website will hopefully feel completely different to the current Newsbeat site and the rest of the BBC. It will make the most of some of the stuff Newsbeat does best – original journalism and entertainment news – but also capture what everyone is talking about online…..things that have gone viral and caught people’s imagination.

In addition I’d like the radio bulletins at 12.45 and 17.45 to develop more of a programme feel and create some more wow moments. And we’ll be looking to extend our brand further with some exciting possible projects on other platforms.

Newsbeat has two 15-minute slots during the working week – what does it cover and how does the content differ from the main BBC news bulletins?

Our main focus is on strong, targeted journalism for a youth audience. As such our run order is totally different to other outlets. We concentrate on the kind of stories our audience tell us they want to hear.

Roughly how many stories make it into each slot?

We tend to focus primarily on three or four stories.

Tell us a bit about your listeners.

They’re obviously Radio 1 and 1Xtra listeners. The audience we aim for is 16 to 29-year-olds. Within that age group there tends to be three distinctive life stages: 16 to 18-year-olds, who are mainly still in school, college or doing apprenticeships; 18 to 24-year-olds who’re at university or starting a new job, preparing to leave home; and then those who are 24+ and beginning to settle down into adulthood.

That generation has never lived without the internet….they’ve grown up online and they have totally different expectations of news and how it reaches them. They’re mainly interested in stories closer to home, stories that affect them or their families.

What does a typical week look like for you and the team?

There is no such thing as a typical week.

How can PRs help with content?

Remember we’re a news programme so tell us something new and genuinely original that we haven’t heard before. Come to us with stories that you think will work for our audience and shed new light on a subject and issue.

What do they need to think about to make a radio story work?

I guess it’s pretty much as above. Our job is to try and make it sound interesting on the radio and to work out how to cover that story and what treatment to give it.

What’s the best way for PRs to get in contact?

Email [email protected].

Are you happy to meet PRs?

My day is already full of meetings so to be honest I’m keen not to add too many more…..but in principle yes, on merit.

Do you also look after the Newsbeat online site?

Yes, and launching the new Newsbeat site will be one of my main priorities over the coming months. We hope to vastly increase the volume of content it produces.

With summer on the horizon, it will soon be ‘silly season’. Are there more opportunities to pitch quirky ideas?

No, please don’t pitch quirky stories. We’re a news programme all year round.

Louisa was talking to Gorkana’s Richard o’Donnell

Gorkana meets…Adam Hay-Nicholls

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Ahead of the Monaco F1 Grand Prix this weekend, Gorkana catches up with Adam Hay-Nicholls, motoring journalist and Formula One correspondent for Metro, on being the king of blags, dancing on superyachts and why Metro readers are catnip for F1 sponsors.

You’re a freelance motoring, motor racing and travel journo as well as being Formula One correspondent for Metro – tell us more…

This is my tenth season covering Formula One. I started out as a staff writer on a daily F1 magazine produced by Red Bull, called The Red Bulletin. Since 2009, I’ve been freelance, writing for various titles, PRing a few drivers, and creating content for teams and sponsors – magazines, travel guides, that kind of thing. I also test drive fast cars for City AM’s Bespoke magazine and Hong Kong Tatler. When I’m not on the road I live in Paris.

Being an F1 writer sounds like one of the dreamiest jobs in journalism – what’s the reality?

It’s a great way to see the world, but it’s also a very tough environment in which to work, especially if you’re freelance. Travel expenses for a season exceed £25,000, so the pressure is on to get enough gigs to make it worthwhile. I still get a kick out of the jet-setting, but the novelty of race tracks quickly wears off. It’s also rather back-stabby, the F1 media centre, so you need a thick skin and eyes in the back of your head. Most journalists and photographers are doing the exact same thing as each other at every race, which I think is really boring so I try to do things that are a bit different.

There are 19 races on the Formula One schedule each year – do you go along to all of them?

I used to do them all. Now I do about 15, which is more than enough really. Monaco is everyone’s favourite because it’s such a classic, evocative street racing track and the parties are legendary. I set myself my annual ‘canapes challenge’ here, where I attempt to survive an entire week just on finger food. And who doesn’t like dancing on the deck of a superyacht?

I also enjoy Budapest, because the city and its ‘ruin pubs’ are such fun, and Austin is a fantastic town. I lived there once actually for six months. Singapore is cool because it’s a night race, and because of the strange working hours we have to stick to European time. It means we are forced to stay out till 6am, and we don’t have to get up till lunchtime. Kind of like university. Abu Dhabi is worth going to for the concerts they have at the track. In recent years we’ve seen Prince, Paul McCartney, Jay Z and Depeche Mode there.

What does a typical week look like for you?

Monday and Tuesday I’ll work from my apartment in Paris, and then Wednesday fly to wherever the race is. Thursday is usually concentrated around the drivers’ press conference and other interviews, and filing my race preview for Metro. Over the weekend I’ll attend sponsor events and parties for my lifestyle blog, www.f1socialdiary.com. Sunday’s the race, and then I’ll fly back home in the evening unless there’s a party worth going to.

How do you like to work with PRs?

In F1 everything has to go through the teams’ press officers. Some make a real effort to service your requests, while others are basically employed just to say ‘no’, which can be frustrating. Part of the problem with the promotional side of F1 is that there is no centralised PR department at Formula One Management, the company which runs the commercial side of the sport.

Bernie Ecclestone has been a visionary, and part of his success and the success of Formula One has been down to control. However, you need to balance that by acknowledging the shifting media landscape and proactively promoting the sport to a young and increasingly global audience.

It’s also not set-up to deal with bad news effectively. So many of the challenges and scandals to have affected F1 have, in my view, been mishandled and the only reason it has survived these potholes is because the individuals involved have had the money and influence to steamroller them.

How can PRs help with content?

It would be really great if they’d suggest stories or exclusives, but to be honest, among the team PRs, that doesn’t happen very often. I think they tend to overlook Metro, maybe because the teams aren’t based in London and so they never see it. They haven’t wised up to the fact that Metro’s young and upwardly mobile readership is catnip for most of the sponsors.

The PRs of the sponsors themselves are often more proactive and will actually reach out and offer stories, access etc. The main things I’m interested in are one-to-one driver or team boss interviews, behind the scenes access, or accreditation for newsworthy events. For my lifestyle blog I’m interested in things which have a fashion, celebrity or social angle with a motoring or motor racing connection.

What’s the best way for them to get in contact?

Email.

What’s the most common thing you have to tell PRs you don’t cover?

Sometimes I get invited to cover other racing series, not F1. It depends if there’s an angle, but usually the only racing Metro covers is F1, occasionally rallying, and maybe something big like Le Mans or the Indy 500. They’re not going to run a story on touring cars.

You’ve had a few PR roles, including being Motorsport PR manager for Group Lotus. Does that change the way you deal with PRs?

As a journalist you aim to be independent and unbiased but as soon as you’re aligned to something commercial people see you as that company (even when your policy is transparency, not spin), and so it is difficult to balance the two roles.

You’re known as the ‘King of Blags’ because there’s nothing you can’t get gratis – details please…

I’ve had some great experiences, including driving Fernando Alonso’s Renault F1 car and hitching a lift on a record-breaking round-the-world private jet flight. Ferrari, Aston Martin and Rolls Royce are very generous in lending me cars quite often. There have also been some pretty epic hotel suites that I got comp. My favourites would probably be The Point in the Adirondaks, the Aman Sveti Stefan in Montenegro, and Sri Panwa in Thailand. All very different, but luxurious and characterful.

And finally, you’ve written two books on Formula One – any other projects in the pipeline?

I produced a cover shoot for Vogue Spain some time ago, shot in the F1 paddock, and I’m planning to do another shoot with an F1 angle for them this year. I’m also trying to get a TV show off the ground, and I’m helping a pilot friend stage a private jet race – kind of a Cannonball Run in the sky, if you will.

Adam was talking to Gorkana’s Richard O’Donnell