VMD: What are the various missions of AP’s Montpelier bureau?

CG: We are here to serve a variety of audiences. We serve all of the daily newspapers in Vermont, as well as all of the television stations and most radio stations. But we also must cater to the regional audience of New England and the much wider national and worldwide audience served by the AP. Most of our time is spent serving our state and regional members, but we never lose sight of the fact we are also here in Vermont to serve as the eyes and ears of the Miami Herald or the Los Angeles Times.

VMD: Describe what a successful PR pitch to the Montpelier bureau would be like, from start to finish.

CG: A successful pitch starts with either a call or a quick letter, letting us know of a story idea or upcoming event. This needn’t be fancy; just the basic facts. Then, if we are interested, we will follow up with a request for more information. We prefer the first note to come in writing, but don’t object to telephone calls.

VMD: Do you have any pet PR peeves?

CG: I know PR firms have a job to do and I respect that. But I tire quickly of folks who push too
hard — and too often. We probably will do one out of every 50 stories we are pitched, so you have a two percent chance of getting us to do your story. I know the AP is an attractive target because we serve such a wide audience, but a fair share of stories that come our way are much more appropriate for a specific daily newspaper or some of the weeklies. I wish PR folks would realize that winning play in some weeklies in Vermont can help their clients quite a bit.

I also want everyone to know that a whole bunch of different factors go into our decisions to cover something. You may have the best story in the world, but if the event is happening on a weekend, the chances are next to nil we will cover it. During the legislative session we are less likely to have the resources to jump on a story than we might in the summer.

VMD: Will any kinds of stories be particularly appealing to you in 1993?

CG: We are always in the market for the offbeat — the story that is likely to win front-page play in Vermont, and across the country, as something especially unusual.

VMD: What’s your advice on speaking with reporters at the bureau rather than pitching ideas directly to you? Do reporters have beats?

CG: People are welcome to speak directly to our reporters. Sometimes I can be hard to reach and everyone in the bureau has an excellent sense of what type of story we will do. Reporters do have beats, although because of our staffing rotations, certain stories might end up with anyone.

VMD: What about photos? Would you prefer to be told about a photo opportunity or to be mailed prints or negatives?

CG: We are always interested in photos. Sometimes we will use a photo and not do a story. Toby Talbot oversees our photos. As a rule, we tend to want to shoot our own photos, but we might use a handout in a special situation.

VMD: How do you determine the topics to be covered on “Vermont This Week”? What information sources do you rely on? Would public relations input be unwelcome?

CG: The topics on “Vermont This Week” are determined by the week’s news and the expertise of the week’s guests. The fact-gathering is done by the panelists and I suspect only in the very rare case would there be a need for public relations input outside of what the panelists seek in their regular reporting of a story.

Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted in winter 1992/93. The names and organizations mentioned were current as of that time.