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Gazette Readers GuideThe Daily and Sunday Gazette are your newspapers. They're part of your community, and interested in you. It's our goal to be an essential part of your day, every day. Your news is important to us. Many items, in fact, are published only because you supply the information -- through press releases, news tips and story ideas. We appreciate your help in finding out what is happening. We have always been, and wish to remain, accessible to you. This brochure is designed to give you a better understanding of how the newspaper operates, and to help you find the right department or person you want to contact.
HOW A NEWSPAPER WORKSThree newspaper departments frequently deal with the public. These are the newsroom, the advertising department and the circulation department.
DROPPING THINGS OFFOur front lobby is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Evening or late-night drop-offs can be made by depositing information through a letter slot at the front entrance. We ask that your information be properly addressed.
NEWSROOM ORGANIZATION: CITY DESKThe city desk is primarily involved in collecting local and regional news. In general, those items involve local schools, police, courts, government, the environment, agriculture, human services, health and local hospitals. Readers can provide news tips to The Gazette Newspapers Schenectady office by calling us at 395-3140. Or call the nearest Gazette bureau. Some reporters have special areas of coverage, or "beats" (like Schenectady City Hall and education), and if your call concerns one of those items you will probably find yourself speaking directly to the reporter. The Local News section also includes a feature called Community Notes, in which we publish information about events, awards, service organization appointments, and other items of interest. Review a couple of these columns and you'll see the kinds of items we're interested in. Notices of your events can be faxed to 395-3089, or mailed to: 2345 Maxon Road P.O. Box 1090, Schenectady, N.Y. 12301-1090. The city desk is staffed from 9 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and from 2 p.m. to midnight on weekends, but it's best to call before 10 p.m. The telephone number is 395-3140. RELIGION: The city desk also prepares the religion page that appears every Saturday. We publish a feature called Events and Announcements, which is a list of comings and goings and special events at area churches. If you have a religion item, fax it to 395-3089 or mail it to: RELIGION NOTES, C/O The Daily Gazette, P.O. Box 1090, Schenectady, N.Y. 12301-1090.
COPY DESKThe editors on the Gazette's copy desk edit the texts, line by line and word for word, of all news stories and articles appearing anywhere in The Gazette (except for the sports and the opinion sections, which edit their own copy). Copy desk editors also write the headlines for the stories they edit. In addition, copy desk editors produce the Gazette's world and national news report, which mainly appears in the Gazette's A section. To do this, copy desk editors work from the national and world news reports provided by The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post news services. These services also provide news and features from Scripps Howard, Newsday, National Geographic, Copley News Service, Maturity News Service, The Baltimore Sun and The Hartford Courant.
PHOTOGRAPHY & GRAPHICSThese departments are involved in the visual look of the newspaper. If you know of a photo opportunity, please channel your suggestion through either the News, Sports, Arts or Lifestyles department -- whichever seems most appropriate. A call three to four days in advance is best. Published photographs are available to the public. There is a charge for reprints. Please provide the name of the photographer who took the photo, along with the publication date and a brief description. All reprint orders must be pre-paid. To purchase a photo, contact the photography department at 395-3140. Photos must be approved by Gazette management for non-promotional publication. If you have questions about getting photos not taken by our staff into the paper, please contact the appropriate editor. For information on photos you wish to submit with a press release, please see the section regarding press releases.
ARTS DEPARTMENTThe Arts Department publishes news on the visual, performing and literary arts, including stories about classical and popular music, theater, dance, art shows, television, video and books. Our stories range from Arts Briefs, consisting of a few paragraphs, to feature-length articles exploring a subject in depth. We also publish The Week Ahead, an eight-day calendar listing the concerts, performances, exhibitions and other arts and entertainment events scheduled to take place in the Capital Region during that week. News items should be submitted in writing at least 10 days in advance of the event. Please provide all pertinent information, including date, time, location, the duration of a production or exhibition, the names of key people involved, a brief description of the event, the price of admission (tell us if it's free), and where tickets are available. Please include a daytime telephone number where you can be reached for verification or additional details. Some biographical information on featured performers/artists is also welcome. As a general rule, we publish news stories only about events that are open to the public. Fax us at 395-3089,
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
OPINION PAGESThis department produces the daily and Sunday editorial and commentary pages, where opinions on the news are expressed. The opinion page carries the views of the newspaper as determined by a 4-member editorial board. Syndicated columnists share their opinions with you every day. The section also features the work of some outstanding cartoonists. The Sunday opinion section also carries columns by local contributors. We encourage our readers to share their views with the rest of the community. The opinion page has a Letters to the Editor section; this is your forum for voicing your opinion. Try to limit letters to a single typed page, double spaced, and include your name, address and telephone number. Mail your letter to: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The opinion staff is also responsible for the Sunday "Sound Off" section, which features your opinions about local and national issues. The opinion department is staffed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The telephone number is 395-3173.
SPORTSThe sports staff is responsible for all local and regional sports coverage, and for compiling state, national and international sports reports. Because we cannot hope to attend every local event, coverage by reporters and photographers is most often assigned when events appear to have strong reader interest. Feature stories (personality profiles of current and past athletes) are designed to give readers insight into particularly interesting aspects of sports in the Capital Region. The Scoreboard page is an integral part of the sports section. It contains detailed information about local and national sports events, including results, standings and event summaries. The page also includes a weekly schedule of prominent amateur and professional teams in the region, as well as a daily listing of television and radio sports programming. If you have the results of an event, call the sports department as soon as possible; this will help to get your information in the following day's newspaper. Some of our best story ideas come from our readers. If you have any ideas for a special story or coverage, or if you want further information, call 395-3070. The sports department is staffed from 4:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., but it's best to call before 10 p.m. Information on upcoming events should be sent to the sports department at least one week in advance. We welcome your opinions and letters. Please write to: SPORTS EDITOR
LIFESTYLESLifestyles includes several syndicated columnists, daily horoscopes and support-group listings. Feature stories tend to focus on human experience. Among topics that frequently appear in this section are: food, consumer information, family, fashion, health, psychology, home, humor, science, hobbies, seniors, gardening, the environment and previews of upcoming major local events. If you have a question or an idea for a feature story, write to the Lifestyles Department: LIFESTYLES, c/o The Daily Gazette, P.O. Box 1090, Schenectady, N.Y. 12301-1090 or call 395-3125.
ENGAGEMENT, ANNIVERSARY, WEDDING, AND NEW ARRIVALS ANNOUNCEMENTSGuidelines for submitting your wedding, engagement, anniversary or new arrival announcement.
BUSINESS DESKThe business staff reports to you about business developments, trends and news of interest to consumers. The business section also includes local and national stock listings. Local news items frequently appear in the "Business Briefs" column. News about job promotions and new hirings appear in "Business People in the News," which appears every Sunday. To submit items and other business news, write to: BUSINESS EDITOR, c/o The Daily Gazette, P.O. Box 1090, Schenectady, N.Y. 12301-1090. The business desk is staffed from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. The telephone number is 395-3119.
OBITUARIESTo place a paid obituary in The Gazette, please call 518 382-1100 or fax to 518 395-3050. Copy deadline for an obituary publication is 6 p.m. the day prior to publication. If it includes a photo, the deadline is 4 p.m. the day prior to publication Obituaries are paid notices based on information provided by funeral directors, cremation societies and other professional agencies of final disposition in accordance with the wishes of the families. The Gazette will not be held liable or responsible for the location or positioning of any such advertisment. All obituaries will be confirmed prior to publication.
PRESS RELEASESOrganizations frequently use press releases to get information to the Gazette. If a press release is of wide interest, clearly written and meets newspaper guidelines, does this guarantee the information will appear in the newspaper? The answer is that there is no guarantee. Editors must consider several factors when deciding what news, on a given day, appears in the paper. The questions of interest and appeal are considered. Editors also face the decision of how to use the available news space for all the stories and listings that could be published that day. Please remember that an event can be covered in the newspaper in several ways: a calendar listing, a short article, or detailed coverage by a reporter or photographer. A press release that clearly and accurately describes an event will enable an editor to consider the news value of the event and how it should appear in the Gazette. Photos submitted with a press release are subject to the same process. Please carefully note on the back of all photos the name of the organization, name(s) of the individual(s), and the date of the picture. Photos submitted to the Gazette cannot be returned, as a general rule.
WRITING A PRESS RELEASEEditors receive hundreds of press releases each day. Releases should be sent to specific editors or sections approximately 10 days prior to an event. A follow-up telephone call is sometimes appropriate to ensure the release was received. (If you know the individual reporter responsible for covering the news mentioned in the release, it could be helpful to send that reporter a copy; please note on the release if it has been sent to more than one person.) Be sure to send press releases that are accurate, complete and to the point. Follow these suggestions:
CIRCULATIONThe circulation department staff is responsible for the delivery of your daily and Sunday newspaper. This is the department to contact if you wish to start, stop, renew or interrupt (for vacation, etc.) a subscription to the newspaper. If you wish to change the method of payment -- for example, to send a check for a six-month subscription to our office rather than pay the carrier each week -- contact the circulation department. You also contact the department if:
The circulation department's customer-service office is open between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays and 8 to 11:00 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The telephone number is 395-3060.
ADVERTISINGThis department is responsible for the local, national and classified advertisements that appear in the Gazette. The retail advertising department (or display advertising) is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information, call 395-3020. The classified advertising department is frequently used by people who have one or two items, or specialty items (like pets) for sale, and for legal notices, garage sales, personal ads, etc. The classified department is open from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The telephone number is 382-1100. You can also place an ad by visiting the front lobby of our main office at 2345 Maxon Road between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
POLITICAL ADVERTISINGPolitical advertisements must be received three days prior to publication and must be paid for in advance. We reserve the right to edit and/or reject copy. Sources of figures and quotations must be supplied by the advertiser. Copy must be typewritten. Release forms may be necessary when using quotes. The forms are available at the Gazette. Glossy, black and white photographs reproduce best. They must be supplied by the advertiser.
REQUESTING SPEAKERSDaily Gazette staff members from all departments make public appearances, often in classrooms and at club meetings, to speak on a variety of topics free of charge. To inquire about the availability of a speaker for your next club meeting or class, contact the department manager or editor.
NEWSPAPER TOURSThe Gazette offers guided group tours of the newspaper. Visits consist of a walking tour to see how a newspaper is created, printed and distributed. To inquire about a tour, or to arrange one, please call Ann Marie Willingham at 395-3099.
OTHER SERVICES
NEWSPAPER DEPARTMENTS
NEWSPAPER BUREAUS
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