By: David Astor Syndicates/News Services not immune to 'Star Wars'
Not every syndicate and news service went into hyperdrive, but several distributed plenty of "Star Wars: Episode One ? The Phantom Menace" material. Here's a sampler:
Tribune Media Services (TMS) says Knight Ridder Tribune (www.krtdirect.com) is offering various content, including a one-page graphic from the San Jose Mercury News. Also, TMS's MovieQuest site (www.moviequest.com) has a special button leading to "Star Wars" information and video trailers.
The New York Times Syndicate (NYTS) offered stories by "Inside Trek & Sci-Fi" columnist Ian Spelling that included interviews with three of the new film's stars. Marketing communications manager John Stickney says NYTS provided the package free to Spelling's clients and sold it to many nonclients. There's also a related Web area at www.nytsyn.com.
The New York Times News Service has content from The New York Times and NYTNS's other contributing papers. "Every day you're going to get more than enough ? to fill your 'Star Wars' deficit," says NYTNS day editor Gary McCardell.
The Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service is distributing many "Star Wars" stories from its contributing papers, says vice president/general manager John Payne. Scripps Howard News Service offered a special package, and BPI Entertainment News Wire provided "Star Wars" material from publications such as The Hollywood Reporter and The Boston Globe.
Thomson Target Media's Coverstory publication did a larger-than-usual issue on "Star Wars" that included the words of five contest winners ? one of whom recalled going into labor when the first two films came out! The issue's content was picked up by about 15 Thomson papers that don't subscribe to Coverstory, reports Jennifer Bulat, editor of the syndicated publication.
"Star Wars" was also mentioned in several comics, including Bill Amend's "FoxTrot" and Aaron McGruder's "The Boondocks" (Universal Press Syndicate), and Mike Cavna's "Warped" (Lew Little Enterprises/United Media).
But the most "Force"-full strip was probably "The Norm" by Michael Jantze. The King Features creator did a six-week sequence chronicling Norm's attempt to be first in line to see the film and offered online tie-ins such as a Norm diary (www.thenorm.com). Jantze reports that his site's traffic quadrupled from 150,000 to 600,000 hits a month.
Some interviewees say the media is overdoing "Star Wars" coverage. TMS writer Bob Greene even did a column boasting that he never has or will see any of the films. But others note that the media is giving the public what it wants.
"'Star Wars' is worth covering because it is a worldwide cultural phenomenon," says TMS director of marketing Steve Tippie. "It is of strong interest to our customers' customers" ? including many young people. Spelling adds, "'Star Wars' is hot. Newspapers want to cover what people are interested in."
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?(copyright: Editor & Publisher May 22, 1999) [Caption]
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