THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 30, 1994 TAG: 9406290082
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940630 LENGTH: Medium
Bak, acting director of the Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau, makes many contacts at meetings of the Society of American Travel Writers.
{REST} She totes along story ideas, sends writers personal notes, attends the seminars with them. It helps her develop ideas for getting writers excited about Norfolk, Bak says.
Once, she found a writer planning a story on the historic harbors of Baltimore and Annapolis. Bak persuaded him to include Norfolk.
``It's not really a hard-sell process,'' Bak explained. ``It's more of a relationship-selling process, where you have to get to know them. They have to begin trusting your credibility.''
Bak and Amy H. Jonak, communications manager, are surprised sometimes about what gets a travel writer turned on about Norfolk.
``You'll have these people come in from out of town, and they'll see a tugboat or something that you see every day,'' Jonak said. ``They'll say, `Oh, my Lord! This is wonderful.' ''
However, Jonak also reports that travel writers often are baffled over the 17 acres of gravel parking lots in the middle of downtown.
She didn't have a good answer until plans for the MacArthur Center shopping mall were unveiled.
Bak and Jonak have learned to take odd questions in stride.
``You think you have all of the information, all of the dates, when everything was built, what happened when, and the history of the city,'' Jonak said. ``Then you'll be on your way to the Navy Base and somebody will see a bird and say, `WHAT is that bird?' or you'll be on the American Rover and they'll say, `EXACTLY how deep is it here?' ''
As good hosts, Bak and Jonak find answers, even if it means several hours of library research.
Most times, hard work pays dividends in the form of good stories.
Still, there are times when Bak and Jonak wished a writer left a few things unsaid.
``The old Navy-town image,'' Bak said. ``I don't like that.''
Or, portions of this paragraph from the Durham (N.C.) Herald-Sun:
``This afternoon seems all about sunshine. It's mid-spring, cool, with a strong, steady, saltwater-tinged wind coming across the Elizabeth River, but downtown Norfolk lies under a Carolina-blue . . . sky, washed in sunlight that sparkles on the glass-and-steel office towers, glistens in the foamy wakes of tugboats on the river and tugs a soft imaginary blanket over a bum sleeping on the steps of the Servicemen's Christian Center.''
``Sure, I would rather not have writers pick up on it,'' Jonak said. ``But that's a writer's right.'' by CNB