"News releases often are missing a lot of information needed for a story," said Burman, who noted The Hollywood Reporter is one of two daily trades (Variety is the other) covering entertainment in Tinseltown. He oversees all editorial coverage from correspondents outside of Hollywood.
 

Burman, who interned at the Los Angeles Times, has worked at the Reporter for 13 years. He doesn't do much writing, but coordinates pitches to the right people globally.
 

Burman said he often receives calls pitching a story followed by inadequate releases. "You should know the key things we need for our audience. When I ask what about this, and this and this? – I get a response from a PR Pro – ‘Would you mind jotting all of that down and sending that back to me? I would love to put that in the release,'" he said.
 

"These are not people right out of school, but from major companies," said Burman, urging PR pros to know what the individual wants that you're pitching. "It sounds obvious, but it amazes me that it occurs," he added.
Pitches can be sent to Burman at jburman@hollywoodreporter.com or fax: 323/525-2377.
 

Seeking fashion, home experts
 

Style Network's Chung said she's looking for fashion, entertainment and home design experts all the time.
She said she has worked on several entertainment shows at the network and is currently the executive producer of "Area," which she called a "practical, exciting and up-to-the-moment home-design series that will inspire you to live well with room transformations."
 

Chung has worked on nearly every show at E! & Style, and will be working on a new entertainment series called "You're Invited," which launches this fall as well, she said.
The producer said pitches that "really bother" her are when people have no idea about the shows on the network. "They will pitch unrelated topics and then start asking me ‘what kind of show is it?'," she said.
 

Chung looks for design experts, party planners, and the rest of the network is looking for makeup artists, fashion designers and all experts in world of fashion, beauty, home and entertainment.
 

She can be reach at mchung@entertainment.com.
 

Read before you pitch
 

USA Today's Keveney urged PR pros to read the publication they are pitching.
 

"I've had people call me on Friday and pitch things for the weekend, and we don't have a Saturday or Sunday paper," he complained.
 

"The other experience that is always fun is when you turn down a story, then they [PR Pros] start asking for a list of people they can call to go around you or go over your head," he said.
 

Keveney said he will often try to help out a PR pro if a pitch is not for him but he thinks it's interesting.
 

Keveney is at bkeveney@usatoday.com.
 

L.A. Times changes features
 

Margulies said the L.A. Times is changing its whole features section.
 

The "Southern California Living" is going to "go under" on Oct. 11th, and the calendar section will be redesigned starting with the paper's Sunday edition on Oct.13th.
Margulies said the daily calendar section will be much broader in cultural scope, absorbing some of the features that are in "Southern California Living" now. That will launch Oct. 14.
 

"Last year I told every one if they wanted to get books and author reviews to go to ‘Southern California Living,' this year it is the Calendar section," explained Margulies. He says for about a year comics and advice articles will also be found there.
 

Margulies said the plan is to replace the SCL section over the next year with five separate daily sections – two of which exist now and will continue: the Health section on Monday and the Food section on Wednesdays. There will then be three more rolled out individually. One is a style fashion section (Tuesdays), and Thursdays will see a section called "Home" on home features and design things, and relationships.
 

On Fridays there will be the "Outdoors" section will feature "all of the outdoor activities we have in Southern California."
 

Margulies is happy to take calls and guide PR pros to the right editors or reporters.
 

His pet peeves are when PR pros call and don't know what he does or even read the section. "They say ‘I have this client (or event) do you want to come out and cover it'," Margulies said. "Sorry I'm an editor. I'm not doing the reporting thing. Know who you're calling or it's a strike against you."
 

Margulies is at le.margulies@latimes.com.
 

‘Don't promise what you can't deliver'
 

"Even though People has been around since 1974, I'm amazed how some PR Pros have not really read it," said Wang.
 

She continued: "I'm amazed when I get calls and the person says ‘Oh, I have this great client, so and so is on such and such,' but in answer to my basic questions: ‘Is the person willing to be photographed at home? Is this person able to give their actual age? Can we talk to family members?' they'll say ‘Oh, I don't know, I'll have to check.' Well, it would be great to know that ahead of time, and it would also be nice to know the facts of the story such as what makes this person or celebrity compelling in a city of thousands of actors and thousands of movies and shows. You need to ask yourself ‘What distinguishes this person nationally,' and that's something to think about before you give me a call."
 

Wang warned that PR pros should not promise what they cannot deliver.