Tales From the Beat

Reporters and PR people can't avoid having to say "no" to story pitches, interview requests, etc. but we waste so much time saying "no" because those two little letters can come across as kinda brutal. In this episode I talk about ways to say "no." Some are kind, some blunt and you should hear what ChatGPT came up with.

Wonder why your story pitch goes unanswered or rejected? No better guy to ask then ultimate PR pro Mike DeVilling, president and CEO of Westshore Public Relations.

Oh joy! It's earnings season and that's when PR people and their companies are playing a game of hidden figures in their news releases, especially when the news is bad. This week's episode looks at that, and why that's a losing game. There's also a mention, for some reason, of disc golf.

Story pitching can be a duel between PR person and reporter. A new study from marketing firm PROPEL sheds light on how often reporters open pitches, when they open them, when they respond and what makes a good story pitch.

From communications exec at General Motors to a VP at logistic technology company Geotab, Rob Minton has an expansive career that's taken him from PR to sales and a unique view of news and corporate communications.

Two-parter this week. Finding a local tie-in to a big story is smart, but I found a headline making a valiant attempt that missed the mark. I discuss that and one legendary headline screwup due to one little editing mistake. Second part looks at Gannett's idiotic decision to drop the AP. I worked for both.

What happens when the slightest detail of an embargo bites you in the ass? You feel like one. My true story of what happened this week when I missed one, teeny, weeny, detail that woke up some west coasters three hours early.

It's our 75th episode! Time to take stock of why journalism matters and profiles of three of the many incredible people I've interviewed who make it impossible to quit. It's more than FOMO...it's FOMA...fear of missing amazing.

He's the master of automotive PR, master of his own PR agency and master and creator of the innovative House of Journalists. He's Scott Fosgard. Among auto writers he's no less than a legend because his expertise at pitching, staging events and understanding just what reporters need is legendary. He's also an old friend. We have a fun conversation about it all.

With a little help from Selena Gomez, this week's episode looks at how too much reliance on artificial intelligence can both screw up your writing and piss off people you interview.

Mark Schirmer is an auto writer's best friend. As Director, Corporate Communications for the far-flung auto enterprise that operates such well known brands as Kelley Blue Book, Mannheim and Autotrader, Mark makes sure reporters have all the data, analysis and insight they need to add substance to their stories. But as you'll hear, Mark, and the Cox team go way beyond just pitching experts. They basically own the space. We discuss the Cox concepts plus Mark recaps this year's just completed National Automobile Dealers Association Conference and how the media is playing what's really going on with EVs.

Uh, oh. CNN killed another morning show. I feel their pain. I actually produced CNN's morning show "Daybreak" in its much earlier days and now share the madness, and some secrets, of trying to put together a morning show people actually want to wake up to. After some reflection, and a reminder from my Daybreak director, I decided to add a lot more detail to the original podcast.

Two automakers announced two very different strategies for hybrid vehicles this week...one on offense, the other on defense. As a journalist caught in the middle, it made for a fascinating look at two companies trying to figure out the best road to the same destination.

What do confusion, Kylie Jenner's pink hair and EVs have in common? All key elements in a ball of confusion.

Where do reporters get all those stats and research on the auto industry for their stories? One of the best sources is Kevin Roberts, Director of Industry Insights and Analytics at auto research and sales site, CarGurus.com. Kevin chats with me about how he frames his research so reporters can understand it and report it clearly and accurately, how often reporters don't get it right, what trends he's looking at and what he wishes reporters would do better.

It's time again for the annual tech trade show extravaganza, the CES Show. What's that mean for reporters? It means attempting to stay above water under the deluge of PR pitches to cover reveals, unveilings, news conferences or begging to just give an exec the ego trip of an in-person interview. Some real life tales of trying not to drown in PR tsunami that develops every year in the CES pool.

One automaker said it's sitting out this year's Chicago Auto Show and may skip others. Other companies are abandoning auto shows to save money and move to other modes of introducing new vehicles. This week's episode looks at the auto show's incredible shrinking act, new roles and how I had a hand in the whole thing almost two decades ago.

Some highlights from the first 64 episodes, September 2022-December 2023. Includes clips from interviews with Paul Oakley at Tiny Mighty Communications, Susan Donahue and Megan Kathman at Skyya PR, Natalie Bartels at VSC, Noreen Pratscher at Pratscher Communications, Brent Snavley at Franco PR, Dale Jewett at Stellantis, Elliot Katz at Phantom Auto and Craig Daitch at Telemetry. Also, The Shawn Fain Talking Blues.

Reporters are stuck writing them. PR people are stuck pitching them. The dreaded year-ender. This week's episode looks at everything from how early pitches are being sent to subjects not worth reflecting upon to year-aheads and how to maybe make everything sensible, plus a really bad attempt at a parody of a famous New Year's Eve song.

This week's episode is a lively conversation with Paul Oakley, founder and CEO of Nashville-based PR and marketing agency, Tiny Mighty Communications. We talk about how the "scary" prospect of starting a new business, how he won me over enough to get me to write what, at face value was an esoteric technical story but turned out great, plus we dive into what pisses him off around reporters and how he and the agency are using AI. Lots of stuff in about 31 minutes. It's damned Mighty!

When the coldest isn't, a building never was, a horse shuts down a shoot and a tornado victim's values are, well, surprising. All subjects of stuff that's actually happened to me while covering everything from natural disasters to at least one story that really didn't exist. Yup..just some stories about stories on this week's Tales From the Beat.

Noreen Pratscher's done it all in corporate communications as a top level manager at companies like GM, Serta Simmons, TrueCar, JELD-WEN and Siemens Healthcare. Now she's taking the plunge starting her own consultancy. We talk about that, how the relationship between PR and journalists has changed over the years and how successful the auto industry has been at effectively promoting electric vehicles...and more.

You can contact Noreen at her new consultancy at pratschercommunications@gmail.com

Wanna make an editor or reporter's eyes cloud over? Pitch a story about some company using the "cloud." Doesn't have to be that way, though.

It's finally over. The auto strikes. But UAW president Shawn Fain emerged as both a transformative leader and a folk hero by winning major pay raises and other benefits for his members. It led to a song. If you get through the intro for a couple of minutes, you can hear it.

Bill Koenig and I have run into each other over the decades as competitors and friends on the auto beat and now we're working together as contributors at Forbes.com. We're just coming off some crazy auto contract talks, and strikes so Bill and I had plenty to talk about looking back at covering negotiations and United Autoworkers Union presidents of the past including the current one, Shawn Fain, who broke all the rules to win historic contracts for his members.

The president of the United Autoworkers union is brash, threatening, loud and direct. Shawn Fain is trying to bargain a new contract for his members. But six weeks into what he calls a "stand up" strike, taking down plants without notice, there's no deal yet. Is he overplaying his hand, digging in for the best new contract after GM, Ford and Stellantis have raised their offers, or is Fain just vain, staying in it to stay in the public eye?

From plastics to beauty innovations to inane questions about whether or not to meet for an interview, my email box filled with PR pitches way outside the heart of the plate. This week's Tales From Beat runs 'em down.

I worked with Carin Lagerstedt on a story about company based in Sweden..but that was over Zoom. Wonder of wonders she popped over the ocean to attend a trade conference here in the Detroit area so I finally got to meet her in person...and get her behind the mic to talk about her career, working with reporters in Europe and North America, her best strategies for landing stories and something about that reporter in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

Being on vacation this week didn't mean I didn't have to do some investigative reporting. It involved a death, a stink and a scoop. It's all in this week's episode of Tales From the Beat.

I'm covering the strike by the UAW against GM, Ford and Stellantis as a semi-retired freelancer. Most of the time I don't actually go anywhere, but the other day I couldn't take it any longer, so I put on pants and hit the picket line. Reminded me of good times as a CNN correspondent back in 1998 covering the 54 day walkout against GM. Teaser...it involved the Spice Girls.

Two automotive shows happening at the same time 30 miles apart. One, once a magnet for thousands of journalists from around the world, now reduced to a regional carnival, the other, a trade show growing so fast it's outgrown its venue and smart enough to move to a later date to avoid the obvious conflict for auto reporters faced with trying to cover both. My first-hand thoughts in this Tale of Two Shows.

Remember how Ross yelled at Rachel and Chandler to "Pivot!" to get his stupid couch up the stairs? Well, in the news and PR rackets sometimes you've got to pivot to get it all done, especially when you're thrown a lot of things at once. This week's episode is all about pivots past and present, and why they can make your head spin...and that's the fun of it.

A frontal flak attack, combined with colliding stories and a Ukrainian frock for Beyonce. Sound like a normal week? Hell, no!

The contract talks between the UAW and Detroit 3 automakers are down to their last few weeks and the new union president is talking tough. Over the past three decades as a reporter and PR guy I've had contact with several past UAW presidents. All different. My recollections, including covering the day one of them died.

You get an invite to an event figuring the organizers want you to cover it. You RSVP you're in. But then you're out. Huh? This week's true story about the story I was uninvited to cover.

It doesn't take a MENSA membership to be smart enough to understand the meaning of someone's vacation out of office email response. Except, based on the actions of a couple of PR people during my recent vacation, maybe it does!

When you're pursuing your news or PR career do you jibe or tack? In this week's Tales From the Beat I talk about how those sailing terms apply to the way you attack things--Do you go where the wind blows, or take a more measured approach?

General Motors has decided to be very transparent during contract negotiations with the UAW by going online. But when I worked at Chrysler back in 2007, we already adopted this tactic to great effect. Yes, transparency is best to get your message out, clearly. Link to PR Week story on the Chrysler website: https://www.prweek.com/article/1255559/chryslers-social-media-site-helps-drive-comms-wake-strike

What do PR people call you in story pitch emails? It's not always what you expect..or appreciate. The name game's been part of my life since my life began. Huh? It's all in this week's episode of Tales From the Beat.

Is the PR person pitching you an exclusive or an advance? They're not the same, but sadly, too many purveyors of PR seem to be a little confused, so in this episode of Tales From the Beat, I call on a little help from the voices of Schoolhouse Rock and the artificially intelligent wonders of ChatGPT to help me parse it all out.

Not exactly the Jets vs the Sharks but I'm ready to rumble with PR types who decide to gang up on my inbox pitching the same story. It's happened before, it happened just this week and it was time to put on my best Riff and rough it up a little.

Hiiiii...are you busyyyyyyy???? Sound like an underwater guy who's also a sponge, and like a sponge, sucks up everything it touches, including your time? Sometimes PR people are SpongeBobs when suck up a reporter's time by starting their story pitches like SpongeBob using what I call the "SpongeBob Salutation."

The PR people keep offering me "exclusives" but Webster must have changed its meaning because judging by the pitches I'm receiving hacks among flaks seem to think "exclusive" means "everybody." Maybe because both words start with "e?" Who knows. I spend a little over 7 minutes regaling you with three actual cases. I bet if journalists check their emails, they'll find out I'm not the only one receiving these. Crap, there's goes another "exclusive." Enjoy.