Whether she is broadcasting from a breaking news scene or anchoring from the studio, viewers of NBC10 News are familiar with Denise Nakano.
Nakano joined NBC10 as a weekend morning anchor in 2003. Twelve years later, she is now one of the Philadelphia-markets most established broadcast journalists. She reports during the week and anchors NBC10 News on weekend evenings.
Prior to joining NBC10, Nakano was a general assignment reporter and substitute anchor at KCPQ in Seattle, Washington.
Recently, Nakano spoke to the Philadelphia Public Relations Association’s Adam Dvorin on her likes and dislikes when working with public relations people.
Have an idea? E-mail Nakano at denise.nakano@nbcuni.com or tweet her at @DeniseNakanoTV.
“The best story idea I ever received from a PR person is one that didn’t come to me through a mass email, but one where we worked together to tell a story.”
Question: What is the biggest thing you look at when considering a story idea?
Answer: Viewer impact is critical to any story we cover. I look to how many people the story will affect, why people should care, and how the viewer would benefit.
In many ways, we are the deliverers of a product. The more people can relate to a news story and benefit from it, the better job we’re doing.
Q: When you open your e-mail to look at a story pitch, how much time do you spend looking at it?
A: The first thing I look at is… does this appear to be a mass email or is it directly addressed to me. I don’t give it a second glance if I feel as if I’m on a long list getting the same pitch. Even then, email story pitches rarely catch my eye.
Q: Would you consider a story idea from Twitter? Facebook? Phone only?
A; I find that I’ve considered more story ideas from Twitter than any of the above. Got a good story pitch? DM me!
Q. What would you advise a PR person avoid doing when pitching you?
A: I’d advise a PR person to avoid sending multiple pitches about the same client, over and over. For example, I frequently get emails about education related stories, but it always involves the same school. Those go straight to the delete file.
Q. What are the best and worst times to reach out to you?
A: Best time to reach out is anytime by email. Or if the story is breaking, or involves a scoop, contact anytime! Worst time is during a reporter’s “crunch time”. It differs depending on a reporter’s shift, but you won’t get a favorable response reaching out when a reporter is on deadline.
Q: What is the best story idea you ever received from a PR person?
A: One that didn’t come to me through a mass email, but one where we worked together to tell a story.
Q: What other advice would you offer to PR pros?
A: Establish personal relationships with reporters and know each one will want something unique… an element that sets their story apart from the rest.
This post was written by Adam Dvorin. Adam is Media Director of Winning Strategies, a New Jersey-based communications firm. He is a Membership Co-Chair of Philadelphia Public Relations Association. He can be reached at @adamdvorin on Twitter.
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