Back in shape

Are you one of the many health club enthusiasts who flock to the elliptical machines each January, only to opt for the local fast-food restaurant come February? What about your readers? We’ve put together some fitness-for-beginners stories for your late-December and January pages, which should be a nice draw for the health clubs, personal trainers and exercise equipment stories in your area. Of course, if reading tips on losing weight was all one needed to get back in shape, I’d be back to my high school weight by now. But it’s a good place to start, unless, of course, that means reading every word on the Ben & Jerry’s container.

Auto shows

We're putting together some auto show content from Cars.com, highlighting the latest news and coolest prototypes in the industry.
Anyone else remember hitting the local auto show as a kid? My dad, one of those "I-need-a-new-car-every-two-years" guys, brought us each year so he could check out the new models and we could stuff our faces with fudge and watch those demonstrations on fog-free window spray. Not sure if Cars.com is covering the fudge (a Chicago Auto Show staple), but they'll have plenty of coverage of the important and irreverent aspects of the 2008 auto shows.

We're up and running

After months of planning, tmsspecialtyproducts.com is a reality. Check us out for all your advertorial content needs. And don't forget to offer us suggestions for stories, graphics and more.

Going green

Whether you're putting out special sections on hybrid cars or stories about environment-friendly holiday gifts, you probably already realize the marketability of green content. So do we. That’s why you’ll be seeing a lot of green content in 2008. We’ll cover the standards, like autos and homes, but are always looking for the interesting and unique, and are always open to your story suggestions. When Earth Day rolls around in April, we’ll have several packages ready to go. Let us know about any trends or issues in your city that you’d like to see covered, and we’ll get right on it.
Of course, here in Chicago, our Blue Bag recycling program has been discontinued since it was a colossal failure, but there are already new programs being tested in neighborhoods throughout the city. Not mine, though. For now, I’m hauling what seems like 100 pounds of old homework, magazines and newspapers out of our house each week to a community bin in the school parking lot, which is fine, but it will be nice once we can get our favorite city workers to come pick it up.

Can't find it?

While we're trying to provide you with everything you'll need to complete your classified or advertising sections, we're going to rely on you to tell us what we're missing. Leave a message here or contact us directly with your suggestions. And don't be afraid to ask. In the past, we've written local stories on health clubs, hospitals, apartments, boat shows and more. Any questions? Drop me a line at mbuscaglia@tribune.com.

Where's the calendar?

We're changing the way we distribute our content and one of the most drastic changes we're making is the elimination of our release calendar. After all, why should we tell you when to publish your special sections by holding you to our own release dates? Once the Web site is up and running, you'll be able to search for the content you need when you need it, not receive it on a CD and wait six months before you're ready to use it. And if you can't find what you're looking for, just contact us and we'll help you find what you want.

Job outlook sections

We know newspapers like to run job outlook sections in January, and we're happy to help. We can write stories covering the top 10 jobs in the area, hiring trends, short- and long-term job projections and more. Plus, we'll design the pages for you and deliver them to you in a ready-to-print format, complete with the ad holes you specify. And if you have local sources, let us know and we'll use them in the stories. Contact Candice Gora at 312.222.5721 or cgora@tribune.com for more info.

Job stories

Since September 2001, Tribune Media Services has been creating job-related content for Tribune and McClatchy (formerly Knight Ridder) newspapers across the country. As we put together our archive for the new site, we’ve read through plenty of job stories on resumes, cover letters, interviews, networking and other subjects, which are now online for your use. They can be used to draw readers to the front page of your classified section or to fill that quarter-page space on page 11 — you know, the one you were planning on using for your 15th house ad in the section.

Getting closer ...

December's here, so that means we'll be live with our new advertorial content service some time this month. We're busy posting stories, creating content packages and making sure all systems are go as we prepare for our soft launch.