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.