Contribute
Pitching to DNTO: What works
EXPERTISE:
Some of our contributors have PhDs in cultural studies, some
teach music history, some have day jobs as film reviewers.
You don’t have to have your pop culture doctorate to contribute
to DNTO. But depending on the story you’re pitching, a killer
DVD collection or a membership in the Glass Tiger fan club
might help. In short, we want contributors who are passionate
about popular culture, and who have firsthand knowledge about
the subject they’re covering.
NEWNESS:
DNTO is always on the lookout for what’s new and what’s next
in popular culture. That means new trends in, or new ways
of thinking about, the way we live. That’s why we said yes
to a pitch about the resurgence of roller derby in Canada,
but no to a pitch about speed-dating.
OPINION:
We’re all about the new new new journalism on DNTO. We want
Jane Contributor to have a personal take on the story she
tells, and a reason for telling it. So “let me tell you about
these great new shoes” is not a DNTO story. But “I’m so devoted
to Crocs that they’re the only shoes I’m going to wear for
a month” might be.
ACTIVE STORYTELLING:
We’re looking for stories that are told in an active way.
Our best contributors have strapped on roller skates, wolfed
down hotdogs, and joined running cults in their quest for
a good story.
HUMOR:
You don’t have to be a standup comic to write for DNTO (though
we find it helps) but you do have to have a sense of humor.
We’re looking for witty writers, and contributors who can
take seemingly boring stories and turn them on their head.
We’re not interested in a treatise on how reality shows are
killing television, but we might be interested in a funny
commentary on the religious overtones of Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition.
Pitching to DNTO: What doesn’t work
STORIES WE’VE ALREADY DONE:
Best way to find out what’s been covered on the show: Listen!
We air Saturdays at 1 p.m. on CBC Radio One. And we’ve got
a kickin’ podcast. Check it out. You can also search our past
program logs http://www.cbc.ca/dnto/pastshows.html
or visit www.cbc.ca and enter
your topic idea in our search engine to find out if we’ve
already covered your story (and if your story is about burlesque,
yes we’ve already covered it).
STORIES THAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS ALREADY DONE:
This includes the resurgence of knitting, the popularity of
online dating, etc.
STORIES ABOUT A PARTICULAR ARTIST:
All our coverage of musicians and performers takes the form
of interviews conducted by our lovely host Sook-Yin Lee. We’re
not interested in artist interviews done by freelance contributors.
Themes: We often feature DNTO theme shows. If you’d like to
get updates on upcoming themes, email us at dnto@cbc.ca
and ask to be added to our email updates for contributors.
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