Pitching local broadcast
Use this page when the story has strong visuals, timely local relevance, or an on-camera opportunity that could work for broadcast.
Start here
Find the segments that already fit food or community stories.
Broadcast teams think in segments, visuals, timing, and available guests. Before pitching, look for stations that already cover food, campus life, community heroes, seasonal ideas, or local events.
Look for recurring segments
- Human interest stories or local hero features.
- Food, cooking, wellness, or seasonal recipe segments, such as Foodie Friday.
- Morning show segments that bring local guests into the studio.
- Reporters who regularly cover restaurants, food trends, campus life, or community events.
Collect useful contacts
- Assignment desk or newsroom tip line.
- Morning show producer.
- General assignment reporter.
- Food, feature, lifestyle, or community reporter.
- General newsroom email if a named contact is not available.
Tip: You can call the general news tip line to ask whether the station has food-focused segments or accepts local chef demos.
Build the angle
Choose a story that can be seen, not just described.
The best broadcast pitches give the station something visual to film, a clear local reason to care, and a person who can explain the story on camera.
In-studio cooking demos
- Chef or RD demonstrations.
- Seasonal recipes, fall flavors, immune-boosting foods, or Thanksgiving leftovers.
- New menu offerings or student favorites in dining halls.
Feel-good stories
- Team members making a difference in the community or on campus.
- Acts of goodwill, uplifting stories, philanthropy, or donations.
- Partnerships with a local nonprofit organization or charity.
Something new
- What's new this year or semester for campus dining.
- New programs, technologies, campus gardens, or events like Joy-Ful.
- Tours of new dining hall renovations or visible upgrades.
Inspiration
Use past segments to shape a stronger pitch.
These Chartwells campus examples show different ways broadcast stories can work: donations, competitions, street food, plant-forward dining, and new service technology.
Donation story
Campus competition
Local food event
Plant-based dining
Service innovation
Make the pitch
Tell them what the story will look like on TV.
A broadcast pitch should quickly explain the visual, the guest, the local reason to care, and what the station can film or show.
Lead with the visual
- Describe the shot: chef demo, student reaction, dining hall tour, food prep, event action, or community partner moment.
- Make clear what can be filmed or photographed easily.
- Offer specific access, such as a chef in studio, a meal and tour, or a campus dining demo.
Be ready for quick timing
- Stations usually do not plan most stories more than one to two weeks in advance.
- Calling can be effective because many stations answer their general tips line.
- Keep the idea short enough to explain clearly by phone.
- Know what you can offer before you call.
Before outreach
Confirm the people, approvals, and details first.
Broadcast interest can move quickly. Make sure the team is aligned before offering spokespeople, locations, photos, tours, or on-camera access.
Secure a spokesperson
Confirm the person is willing to speak with media, comfortable on camera, and the best subject matter expert for the story.
Use the right title
When sharing a spokesperson title, include Chartwells Higher Education, for example: [Name], [Title], Chartwells Higher Education.
Align with the team
Confirm your client is comfortable with outreach, spokespeople, photos, visits, filming, and any access you plan to offer.
Prepare logistics
Have the on-site contact, phone number, directions, parking details, timing, filming location, and arrival instructions ready.
Required: Notify the Chartwells communications team about any pitches made to local broadcast media. Email checommunications@compass-usa.com when you need support.