One of the best parts of our job at Xstatic PR is working with both local and national media. We do our best to get to know the reporters we work with and their respective media outlets. Now, we want to share some of these personalities with you through our new “Meet the Media” blog posts. We’ll talk with local and national reporters,

those who cover beats ranging from business to health and fitness. Our goal is to learn more about each individual, the stories they are most proud of, the trends that are impacting their jobs, and how we as PR professionals can improve the way we work with them.

Our first Meet the Media post features Andy Vuong, business reporter covering technology, telecom, gambling and other business stories for The Denver Post. Enjoy getting to know him a bit better – we certainly did. Our only remaining question is – Santa and the macarena?

Xstatic: What’s your professional background? In other words, how did you get to where you are today?
Andy Vuong: Unlike many of my colleagues, I never did the “time” at a small community paper before joining a big metro daily like The Post. After a three-month copy editing internship at Newsday in the summer of 2000, I was given a temporary editing position in sports at The Post during the Olympics. After that stint ended, I took another temporary position in the business department, filling in for a reporter who was on maternity leave. I was hired as a permanent staffer in February 2001 by then-business editor Al Lewis, who is now a columnist with Dow Jones.

X: What was your first assignment as a reporter?
AV: I interned at The Post while I was in college, and my first assignment was about a mother who gave birth in her car on the highway while her friend drove her to the hospital. As it turns out, I went to middle school with the friend who drove her to the hospital. The first story I wrote for the paper as a business reporter was about a Santa Claus school. I had a fun time writing the piece because somehow I was able to get “macarena” and “electric slide” into it.

X: What story/stories are you most proud to have put your byline on?
AV: Pretty much all of the articles I wrote before and during the Joe Nacchio trial. It was a big story in 2007, and remains a big story for the Denver business community as well as those in Qwest/US West’s 14-state local service territory. Of those articles, the story I wrote on Qwest covering Nacchio’s legal fees stands out. I also had a fun time reporting and writing a profile on self-made millionaire Charlie Gallagher in 2002.

X: How has the local media landscape changed since Denver became a one-newspaper town last year?
AV: Clearly, the Rocky was our main competition, and the first thing reporters and editors would discuss in the morning is what they had that we didn’t, and vice versa. I think the local news stations are now our primary competitors, especially since all of them have active websites and top-notch investigative reporters. For me personally, with the Rocky gone, I no longer have to stay up past midnight every night to check their website to see if they scooped me on anything. But that doesn’t mean I’m not closely watching what the community and weekly papers are writing, as well as the national publications.

X: What pitches or story ideas best capture your attention?
AV: Pitches that draw a connection to something I’ve written about in the past, or a major event that happened recently. A Colorado connection is always key. I also like pitches with bulleted points, which just makes it stand out and easier to get through.

X: What is your idea of the ideal PR professional when it comes to helping you with your job?
AV: Someone who is responsive. I understand I’m not the only reporter you’re dealing with, but if you know it might take a while to get an answer, just drop me a note to say that you got my message so I don’t have to bug you. Because I will.

X: How has social media changed the reporter’s role in gathering information?
AV: The obvious answer is the way we find sources, whether it’s an expert for a topic or someone who would be a good anecdote for the story. Reading Twitter feeds can also help reporters find an angle to a story they might not have seen. I think every newspaper reporter should have a blog and a Twitter account. And anything else that pops up down the road that changes the way people get news.

X: How has social media changed the way you work with PR professionals?
AV: I’ve communicated casually with many more PR pros than I ever had in the past. Even though I haven’t met most of the people that I socialize with on Twitter, I generally know their expertise or the types of companies they represent, which can help later on when I’m in need of sources. And when I see an email from a familiar name, I’m more likely to read through it. And I would hope it goes the other way as well.

X: What is your PR pet peeve?
AV: When I say I won’t be pursuing the story idea, the PR person asks me, “Is there anyone else there who might be interested?” If I don’t like the idea, I definitely don’t want to push you on to one of my colleagues.

X: What’s your favorite sports team?
AV: L.A. Lakers. I was a die hard Magic Johnson fan growing up.

X: Who/what did you last download to your iPod?
AV: I think it was Shattered by OAR and Down by Jay Sean. Old stuff. I mostly listen to sports radio and my old songs in the car.

X: As a CU alumnus, what is your advice to Coach Hawkins at this point in the season? (We’re Ram fans, so we just had to know!)
AV: Wouldn’t be a bad idea to give your realtor a call right now.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 2:36 am and is filed under Hot Topics/Cool Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.