It’s no secret that BBC Breakfast TV and Wake Up To Money (WUTM) on Radio 5 Live are the two most important morning shows for PRs wanting to get their story on the business agenda.
The BBC’s Salford Business Unit is responsible for all business output on WUTM and the business slots on Breakfast TV, presented by Steph McGovern and Ben Thompson.
The Salford planning desk covering WUTM and the business slot on BBC Breakfast consists of 10 producers and presenters.
The team holds daily editorial morning meetings so if you want to get your story on air for a Breakfast slot you need to do this by 11am, at least one day before.
How to Pitch
If you want to pitch a guest to feature on one of these programmes, then it is best to pitch to Sarah Wadeson, the Business Editor, or Martin Bedford, who heads up BBC Salford.
Based on the feedback that we received, we would not advise that you pitch directly to one of the presenters unless you have a strong relationship with them.
What is the Salford Business team looking for?
Breakfast TV
Breakfast TV focuses on the “human” angle of business stories with a strong emphasis on the consumer. It is recommended when pitching your story to offer a strong case study and a good guest who is willing to do a live interview.
If you are planning on approaching a breakfast programme make sure you do so at least the day before.
Wake Up To Money (WUTM) on Radio 5 Live
WUTM is the flagship business programme on 5 Live. As with Breakfast TV, WUTM gives emphasis to the human side of business stories. Having a strong guest in your pitch for this programme also increases your chances of being successful. The team take the ‘5 Live’ title very seriously; so they will also be more attracted to guests willing to travel to Salford.
Credibility is the key, as guests are often shared with the Today programme, so it is helpful if potential guests run a big fund or financial institution. It is much harder for Boutique firms to get on and will all depend on what the editor makes of them when they meet.
There are rolling planning meetings throughout the day – as business news on 5 Live runs all day.
Who to Pitch to
If you are pitching an ‘on the day’ story, you should speak with the Salford Business unit; there will be an on duty producer across the day. If it is a future story you should go via the planning desk in Salford or London.
Want get your business stories on BBC Breakfast and Wake Up To Money?
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About Roxhill
Roxhill Media is the real-time media intelligence platform. Founded in 2015 by Alex Northcott, the founder of the original Gorkana database. Roxhill’s topic-led media database allows businesses and PRs to effectively target journalists and news outlets around the world.
