Pictures from awards luncheon

Award winners Stuart Goldman, Jim Lucy and Ellen Parson.

Learning to understand your audience
Amy Fischbach shares how to connect with readers in any field

Knowing the lingo of the industry you are covering is essential when it comes to being able to write an award-winning b-to-b special section, Amy Fischbach, incoming national president, told members of the Kansas City chapter at the Western regional awards luncheon on July 27. Her work as a contributor to the Electric Utility Operations section of Transmission and Distribution World magazine has made her a finalist for a national award.

“You need to be able to talk the talk,” Fischbach said. “If you can relate to them, you can build trust.”

A big challenge for Fischbach in covering linemen, foremen and field superintendents for electric utilities is the fact they are rarely in the office. Yet she overcome this by finding out the best ways to contact them, such as getting their cell phone numbers and their wife’s email addresses (as the linemen themselves are rarely at a computer), both of which usually prove effective. She also focuses on making as many contacts as possible during an annual Lineman’s Rodeo, where linemen come to compete in events and network. During this event, she visits every tent and leaves her card and packets of information.

Throughout her career, Fischbach also has found how to effectively work trade show floors to make the best contacts and hear the most interesting and relevant story ideas. When at a trade show, she suggests figuring out which booths are attracting the most attention and visiting those, but she also recommends paying close attention to the smaller booths of companies that might not be able to afford the flashiest booths.

“The most interesting stories often come from outlying areas,” Fischbach said.
Finding what topics will get members of a specific industry talking is important as well. For linemen, storms are quite exciting.

“Linemen love to talk about storms,” Fischbach said.

It’s also important to put yourself in your reader’s shoes, and Fischbach did this at the Lineman’s Rodeo by getting in a bucket truck to feel what it is like to be high up in the air. The catch? Fischbach has quite the fear of heights, but she believes putting aside her fear and doing something her readers do every day helped her build rapport with her audience.

To make sure she captures the detailed technicalities of the industry she is covering, Fischbach summarizes key points mid-interview to make sure she is understanding and interpreting concepts correctly. She also asks sources to explain various points in different ways if she doesn’t understand something initially.

And finally, there must be quality images to go along with any package. For special sections, she suggests a specific cover for the section, and action shots throughout the section are important.

While it might sometimes be hard to obtain action shots, she has found many companies have photographers on staff that will to get pictures for you.

Amy Fischbach’s tips to creating an award-winning special section:
1) Get to know your target audience
2) Reach out to your readers
3) Tackle technical topics
4) Tie your section together visually

2011 West Regional Award Winners!

DESIGN

Feature Article – Design, Under $2M, Bronze
Feature Article-Design
Roast magazine
Roast magazine staff

Feature Article – Design, Under $2M, Silver
Question From The Gulf
Emergency Management
Jim McKay: Editor, Kelly Martinelli: Creative Director, Kris Krug: Main spread Photographer, Jim McKay: writer

Feature Article – Design, Under $2M, Gold
Powering Up
Government Technology
Steve Towns: Editor, Kelly Martinelli: Creative Director, GMP Digital: Main Photographer, Andy Opsahl: Writer of this article.

Feature Article – Design, over $2M, Bronze
The Macworld Gear Guide
Macworld
Rob Schultz (Art Director), Matt Vincent (Illustration)

Feature Article – Design, over $2M, Silver
One+ FD-Behavior
One+
Jeff Daigle, Blair Potter, David Basler

Feature Article – Design, over $2M, Gold
One+ FD-Quick Guide
One+
Jason Judy, Jeff Daigle, Blair Potter, David Basler

Front Cover - Computer Generated, Under $2M, Bronze
A Dirty Shame
Multifamily Executive Magazine
Scott Crawford, Shabnam Mogharabi

Front Cover - Computer Generated, Under $2M, Silver
One+ Cover-CG-1
One+
Jason Judy, Jeff Daigle, Blair Potter, David Basler

Front Cover - Computer Generated, Under $2M, Gold
The Changing Security Landscape
CIO Digest
Joy Jacob, Patrick Spencer

Front Cover - Computer Generated, over $2M, Gold
Copper Theft
Transmission & Distribution World
Susan Lakin

Front Cover – Photo, Under $2M, Gold
Cover Photo
Roast magazine, Roast magazine staff

Opening Page/Spread - Computer Generated, Under $2M, Gold
Work-Life Balance
Public CIO
Steve Towns: Editor, Kelly Martinelli: Creative Director, Tom McKeith: Illustrator, Andy Blumenthal: Writer

Opening Page/Spread - Computer Generated, over $2M, Silver
One+ SPRD-Health
One+
Jeff Daigle, Blair Potter, David Basler

Opening Page/Spread - Computer Generated, over $2M, Gold
One+ SPRD-Ten
One+
Jason Judy, Jeff Daigle, Blair Potter, David Basler

Opening Page/Spread – Photo, Under $2M, Gold
Opening Page/Spread-Photo
Roast magazine
Roast magazine staff


EDITORIAL
Case History, Under $2M, Bronze
Inside Job
Computer Graphics World
Computer Graphics World staff

Case History, Under $2M, Silver
Where Solar Makes Sense
Electrical Wholesaling
Jim Lucy, David Eckhart & Douglas Chandler

Case History, Under $2M, Gold
Making Change
CIO Digest
Patrick Spencer, Joy Jacob, Julian Hickman

Case History, over $2M, Gold
Forensic Engineering: A Valuable Tool in Incident Investigations
POWER Magazine
Angela Neville, JD

Editorial/Editor's Letter, Under $2M, Silver
Editor's Notes
Big Builder
John McManus

Editorial/Editor's Letter, Under $2M, Gold
First Word
Club Industry
Pamela Kufahl

Editorial/Editor's Letter, over $2M, Gold
Global Viewpoint
Transmission & Distribution World
Rick Bush

Feature Article, Under $2M, Bronze
Race of the Chargers
Electrical Wholesaling
Douglas Chandler, David Eckhart & Jim Lucy

Feature Article, Under $2M, Silver
911: A National Plight?
Emergency Management magazine
Elaine Pittman, Associate Editor

Feature Article, Under $2M, Gold
High Times in Southern Oregon
Oregon Business
Managing Editor Ben Jacklet

Feature Article, over $2M, Bronze
Is Legal Zoom's Gain Your Loss?
California Lawyer
Tom McNichol

Feature Article, over $2M, Silver
Arc Flash Review
Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M)
Mike Eby, Beck Ireland, Ellen Parson, Stefanie Kure, David Eckhart

Feature Article, over $2M, Gold
Minority Report
Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M)
Mike Eby, Beck Ireland, Ellen Parson, Stefanie Kure, David Eckhart

Feature Series, Under $2M, Silver
The Long Road Back
Affordable Housing Finance
Donna Kimura

Feature Series, Under $2M, Gold
Learn Now or Pay Later
Big Builder
John McManus, Sarah Yaussi, Teresa Burney

Feature Series, over $2M, Gold
Tech & Learning's 100@30
Tech & Learning
Tech & Learning

Government Coverage, Under $2M, Gold
FUEL -- government coverage
FUEL
John Kneiss, director of technical and regulatory services, Hart Energy Consulting

How-To Article, Under $2M, Gold
Pump Maintenance Ensures Reliable, Efficient Operation
Opflow
John Hughes, Editor; Carol Tomerlin, Managing Editor; Martha Kelle, Copy Editor; Daniel Feldman, Graphic Designer

How-To Article, over $2M, Silver
Pulling the Strings
Macworld
Glenn Fleishman (author), Dan Miller (editor), Jason Snell (VP/Editorial Director), Rob Schultz (Art Director)

How-To Article, over $2M, Gold
Inside the Leasing Center
Multifamily Executive Magazine
Rachel Z. Azoff, Shabnam Mogharabi, Scott Crawford

Individual Profile, Under $2M, Gold
Renaissance Man
Club Industry
Stuart Goldman

Individual Profile, over $2M, Gold
One+ IP-Schreiber
One+
Lara Dunston, Terry Carter, Michael Pinchera, Blair Potter, David Basler

News Analysis/Investigative, Under $2M, Silver
What Became of IMA?
Massage Today
Ramon G. McLeod, Christie Bondurant

News Analysis/Investigative, Under $2M, Gold
Stuck in Limbo
Apartment Finance Today
Jerry Ascierto, Shabnam Mogharabi, Rachel Z. Azoff, Scott Crawford

News Analysis/Investigative, over $2M, Silver
Tragedy in Tennessee
Insurance Journal
Andrew Simpson

News Analysis/Investigative, over $2M, Gold
Anatomy of a Complaint
California Lawyer
Chuleenan Svetvilas

News Section, over $2M, Gold
News & Numbers
Multifamily Executive Magazine
Shabnam Mogharabi, Rachel Z. Azoff, Jerry Ascierto, Les Shaver, Chris Wood, Scott Crawford

Organizational Profile, Under $2M, Gold
Connecting the Dots
Affordable Housing Finance
Christine Serlin

Organizational Profile, over $2M, Gold
The Youth Vote
Multifamily Executive Magazine
Chris Wood, Shabnam Mogharabi, Rachel Z. Azoff, Scott Crawford

Original Research, Under $2M, Bronze
Fight Back Against Thieves
Trends magazine
Constance Hardesty, Rick Rundall, Ann Everhart

Original Research, Under $2M, Silver
MFE Top 50
Multifamily Executive Magazine
Les Shaver, Chris Wood, Shabnam Mogharabi, Rachel Z. Azoff, Scott Crawford

Original Research, Under $2M, Gold
The 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon
Oregon Business
Editor Robin Doussard, Research Editor Brandon Sawyer

Original Research, over $2M, Bronze
Young Agents Survey
Insurance Journal
Andrea Wells, Andrew Simpson, Stephanie Jones, Patricia-Anne Tom, Ken St. Onge, Guy Boccia

Original Research, over $2M, Silver
Higher Stakes, Lower Margins
Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M)
Mike Eby, Beck Ireland, Ellen Parson, Stefanie Kure, David Eckhart

Original Research, over $2M, Gold
Fast Forward
Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M)
Mike Eby, Beck Ireland, Ellen Parson, Stefanie Kure, David Eckhart

Regular Column, Contributed, Under $2M, Silver
Employment Law
Contingent Workforce Strategies
Eric H. Rumbaugh, Subadhra R. Sriram

Regular Column, Contributed, Under $2M, Gold
Not the Emperor's Acupuncturist
Acupuncture Today
Gregory Ross, Tina Beychok, Ramon G. McLeod

Regular Column, Contributed, over $2M, Silver
Illustrated Catastrophes
Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M)
Mike Eby, Brian McPartland, Ellen Parson, Stefanie Kure, Beck Ireland, David Eckhart

Regular Column, Contributed, over $2M, Gold
Property TypeCast
Scotsman Guide, commercial edition
Victor Calanog, Ivanna C. Sukkar

Regular Column, Staff Written, over $2M, Gold
"Electric Vehicles: The Uncertain Road Ahead" & "EPA's Mercury Rule: Another Incarnation Coming"
POWER Magazine
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Regular Department, Under $2M, Gold
Sign Off
Radio magazine
Erin Shipps, Chriss Scherer

Regular Department, over $2M, Silver
"Global Monitor"
POWER Magazine
Sonal Patel

Regular Department, over $2M, Gold
In Pro Per
California Lawyer
Chuleenan Svetvilas, editor

Special Section, Under $2M, Gold
FUEL -- Lubricants & Additives Special Section
FUEL
Louise Poirier, Editor

Technical Article, over $2M, Gold
2011 Code Changes
Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M)
Mike Eby, Mike Holt, Ellen Parson, Stefanie Kure, Beck Ireland, David Eckhart


Congrats to all the winners!