Connecting Hampton Road Journalists with New Sources

FREE SERVICE CONNECTS LOCAL JOURNALISTS
WITH HAMPTON ROADS BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Mimics costly national services, but is free for both journalists and sources


(NEWPORT NEWS, VA – July 31, 2008) – Reporters and editors seeking sources for their news outlets in Hampton Roads, as well as businesses, organizations, experts and other individuals interested in obtaining coverage for their causes can sign up for a new free service that links them.

Sponsored by The Buzz Factory, a boutique PR and marketing firm in Newport News, the service, called “Hampton Roads Media Connectionz,” launches Friday, Aug. 1. Journalists, businesses and other organizations interested in participating should visit http://www.hrmediaconnectionz.com/ to sign up at any time.

While there are national organizations that provide similar services – most carrying expensive price tags for sources who subscribe – this is the first such service dedicated to serving only the needs of Hampton Roads. Because the service is free, Hampton Roads Media Connectionz is expected to provide more “grassroots” sources for journalists, as opposed to the well-financed businesses who can pay for national services.

Participants must complete an online form that subscribes them to the service. Afterwards, reporters and editors return to the site and submit queries for sources to help them with stories they are working on. The service is available to print, broadcast, online and freelance journalists.

Once a day, queries will be forwarded via email to all who have signed up as sources. When a subscriber can offer expertise to address a journalist’s area of interest, the subscriber emails the journalist indicating their availability. After reviewing responses, journalists then contact the sources that provide the best “fit” for their stories.

“We’ve been on both sides of the fence as former journalists now working as public relations practitioners,” says Gail Kent, owner and managing director of The Buzz Factory. “As PR practitioners, we’ve been connecting businesses and non-profits with the media for more than 25 years, and we know how difficult it can be to get coverage for newsworthy stories.

“And as former news reporters, we know how frustrating it can be to find the right source to interview for a story – especially on deadline. This service is a win-win for everyone, and the price is right.”

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The Buzz Factory helps organizations powerfully interpret and tell their unique stories so that they will win customers, clients and friends, and influence opinion. For more information, contact Gail Kent: gail@theprbuzz.com or (757) 930-0032.





NOTE: for the same free resource on a national scale, visit http://www.helpareporter.com/.