The Wall Street Journal will undergo its first real re-design in 100 years says WSJ ‘s Jonathan Friedland. "We are redesigning the page fronts, including the front page, so that they will be easier to navigate and we'll become more accessible to younger readers," explained Friedland, Los Angeles bureau chief. "This is something we have put a lot of time and energy into, and I think it is awesome, because it updates the look of the Journal, which won't alienate our older readers, and at the same time it's going to make it a lot easier for people who find it a little forbidding now," he told a small crowd of PR pros at a PRSA-LA/On The Scene Productions-sponsored breakfast with the media, Feb. 19.

Friedland said there will be a fourth section, three times a week called "Personal Journal." "It will cover the areas of ones life the Journal now doesn't cover," he said. "The news pages essentially help your run a business, and organize your commercial life. The "Weekend Journal" helps you find things to do in your leisure time. The "Personal Journal" is designed to help you make better consumer choices on things like health, plans, buying cars, personal finance and travel," said Friedland.

"We are organized slightly different from most newspapers, along national industry lines. In other words our reporters in Southern California don't really cover Southern California," said the journalist. "Our bureau is responsible for the Journal's national and sometimes International coverage of aerospace and defense, entertainment, hotels and gambling, toys, Hispanic affairs, part of the Immigration, half of the HMOs in the U.S., and electricity," he said.

"The best way you can help us if you're representing a company is to make sure the executives are available when we need them, without too many strings attached," said Friedland. "The best way to get space in the Journal is to offer us exclusives. We like to be," he stressed. "What an exclusive generally means is just that. We don't want to see it in the trades, or on TV, but only in the Wall Street Journal that first day," said the bureau chief.

"We're a national newspaper. We cater to professional and casual readers, and it's largely their second read, along with the daily metro paper," he said.

Friedland said the WSJ is generally not interested in companies with revenues of less than $500 million. "If we are interested, it's because the company is dong something of national import and appeals to national audience," he said.

Fried land is at jonathan.friedland@wsj.com. "If you e-mail me, I will get back to you promptly," said Friedland. "If you call me, it is less likely I'll be able to talk to you, particularly in the afternoons, because we're so busy. Faxes are a waste of time. We get thousands of them, and most of them go into the trash," said the journalist.

CNBC producer Jeff Daniels says "I can be working on six stories at a time"

"We're a pretty small bureau, and we've seen some cutback in the last year," said Jeff Daniels, coordinating producer, CNBC, Burbank. "We have a total of seven people working at the office full time, with two reporters and two editors. We usually do two stories a day: a feature and a breaking news story. We have regular features with a "Tech Watch" segment on Wednesday with Jane Wells, and Jerry Cobb does Box Office on Monday at 5:20 AM. CNBC also has a bureau in Palo Alto, which is staffed by three people. It is primarily technology-oriented," said Daniels.

Daniels said the bureau is not specific to a beat. Most of the stories are assigned in New York. Often, he said, "We do not have more than one day to work on a story. I come up with story ideas and pitch them to the various shows I think they'll fit. If it is a big picture story I might pitch it to `Business Center,' or one of the later shows," he said.

Do's and Don'ts

Due to the impact on Wall Street, Daniels said they're not interested in small companies. "I encourage you to watch our station. Make sure your CEO is available between 8:00 – 10:00 a.m., especially on the day we're doing the story. Exclusivity is important to us. We are a national network, so we don't get involved in local stories," said Daniels. "We also are tied into CNBC Asia and CNBC Europe," he said.

Daniels told the PR pros not to call unless the story is national or has national significance to it." Daniels, who has worked for financial journals and wire services most of his life, says most of the morning is absorbed by calls from all of the bureaus pitching stories for the day. The morning lineup has changed with a wakeup show called "Squak Box," which is now later on the West Coast, "Power Lunch" during the day, and "America Now," a political and business replacement show for "Geraldo." Daniels prefers e-mail: jeff.daniels@nbc.com.

LA Bureau is the largest of Forbes magazine

"We have the luxury of time, we come out every two weeks," says Elisa Williams, staff writer, Forbes.

The head of Forbes' global edition is based in Los Angeles, said Williams.

"Competition for space is probably the biggest driving factor in story selection. We see ourselves as an optional read, so the stories have to be really, really strong. The stories have to be exclusive, that includes the perception that the story has been done before," said Williams. "People must understand that it has got to be fresh and exclusive," she stressed.

There have been a few changes at Forbes in the way the publication is laid out. A section in the front called "Outfront," includes news piece that have gotten shorter and there are more of them, said Williams. "They're very brief, make a single point and are exclusive, bringing something new of national importance," said Williams.
A section called "Amazon" follows it, which has actually gotten longer. So your story could be killed if it is not fresh or too long, she said.

Williams does not like to be teased

"Sometimes the depth of knowledge of the person making the pitch is pretty shallow. And if you do talk on the telephone you quickly reach your depth. That can be frustrating for both people. I like to get pitches by e-mail, because I can look at them when I have the time," said Williams.

"But I do not like to be teased," she said. "Tell me what's there. Give me a number and make it easy, because we're out hunting for stories, and we only have a certain amount of time.

"We quickly have to decide if a story pitch is worth our time. I find the most helpful aid is to meet the people in charge, get to know them and get to hear what they're talking about.

"I probably won't set up a meeting if it doesn't peak my interest," she said.

Williams is at ewilliams@forbes.com.

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(**MAYO news releases)