April 19, 2002
Interview

Journalist Profile: Tips on Getting Covered in CIO Magazine

SUMMARY: No summary available.
Profile #2 in Our (New) Continuing Series on High Tech Journalists

Rick Pastore
Deputy Editor
CIO Magazine
492 Old Connecticut Path
P.O. Box 9208
Framingham, MA. 01701-9208
PH: 508.935.4435
Fax: 508.879-7784
pastore@cio.com
http://www.cio.com


-> Circulation as of 4/02:

Approximately 140,000. 135,000 controlled (free) circulation to CIOs and other top level executives. 5,000 pay $94 per year.

-> Pastore’s background:

After graduating from Boston University in 1986 with a BS in Mass Communications, Pastore worked in editorial production for a variety of publications including the New England Journal of Medicine.

After honing his skills for a couple of years, Pastore landed a copy editing position at Computer World newspaper. Then, in 1991, he moved to a staff writer job position at CIO Magazine, which is owned by the same company. Pastore is currently Deputy Editor for CIO, a position he has held for nearly two years.

"I am personally interested in knowledge management systems, but I like reading about stories that help CIOs do their jobs better; that’s the most rewarding part." Pastore says. "It’s one of toughest jobs in a company and we are one of few publications that cover this area."

-> Current editorial coverage:

CIOs and senior executives who oversee annual IT budgets in excess of $154 million are the magazine’s primary target audience. Readers are also members of executive and management committees within their organizations. Given this fact, Pastore says the magazine covers "every topic relevant to them in any industry and any size company. Our 23 beats have a lot of different subject areas, but the common denominator is that they are relevant to CIOs and they offer general management information."

CIO Magazine covers technology in terms of how it is applied or how a company uses it. New product announcements are rarely seen. Pastore also says stories can be about a specific technology field, like wireless, as long as it "is making a difference in a CIOs life." A story can also be about "a technology that is being overplayed and experiences from people that struggle with it."

To get on the cover, the story would have to be "a major takeaway for readers, not just something that is nice to know but something that is imperative," Pastore says. "At the same time it should have a major company or star source in it such as a CIO that is well known or respected. If it is a major company and they did something others need to know we will run it."

-> What Pastore looks for in a story pitch:

"Generally the best pitches are for stories about practitioners," Pastore says. "Who has solved a problem or figured out how to do something using technology in their business. We will determine whether their experience is valuable."

Pastore reiterates that he absolutely does not want to see a pitch about a new technology offering. "We are not a magazine that debuts technology or writes about breaking tech announcements," he says. "Just finding out about something coming out is not that valuable. We keep up with technology developments, but it’s not something we really write about as a stand alone."

That said, if you do have a new technology coming out, by all means set up a meeting with Pastore or any relevant staff editor or writer. He says these meetings are encouraged, but be prepared to put the announcement in the context of how it will help a CIO solve a problem. A list of appropriate editors can be found on the magazine’s website at (http://www.cio.com/CIO/online_beats2.html).

Pastore actually prefers to receive pitches via fax. Email is good too, but as for the phone, he feels it is "just too hard to return most calls."

-> Deadlines:

CIO Magazine comes out every two weeks, usually on the first and the fifteenth of the month. Pastore says they will regularly take pitches for stories inside the book, but lead times on features is approximately 3.5 months. In other words, if you want to be on the cover or if you have a feature story idea, look at the editorial calendar
(http://www2.cio.com/marketing/mediatools/ciomageditcal.cfm).

-> Submitting pre-written contributions:

Pastore will consider them from CIOs and other executives if they are written "from a practitioner standpoint."

-> Becoming a regular columnist:

Most of the magazine’s columns are set, according to Pastore, but he will consider a couple on case by case basis.

-> Where you can meet Pastore:

Pastore is found mostly at his desk, but he will make appearances at the magazine’s own conferences. If you really want to meet Pastore or any of his staff, in-office meetings are encouraged.

He says this is very common and you should contact the magazine’s media relations manager, Karen Fogerty (fogerty@cxo.com, V: 508.935.4091).

-> Best gifts for Pastore:

"We do not encourage them but if it is something sent without warning we won’t send it back," Pastore says, adding that this does not happen very often. As a rule he will not accept free trips or any such gift that is "over a token amount."

->Pastore’s favorite business publications:

Other than his own, Pastore reads Forbes, Forbes ASAP, Fast Company, CFO Magazine, and Wired Magazine. Pastore also says that he rarely reads online publications.

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