As we all know, we PR professionals compete against each other on behalf of our clients, vying for audience eyeballs and attention from our friends in the media. In the downsizing traditional media environment (declining advertising revenue/news holes/news staffs/news outlets), one area where we can gain an edge on our competition is through developing new media contacts. And by that I mean both developing new contacts in the media, and developing contacts in the new media.

I think all of us know a colleague or two in PR circles who aren’t exactly known for their ability to hustle. These colleagues are going to have a difficult time keeping up with media staff turnover in markets where newspapers and other publications are closing, and radio and TV stations are downsizing.

For the rest of us, it’s another opportunity--not only to have more up-to-date and comprehensive media contacts than the competition, but also to build better media relationships. We will know the post-downsizing, re-organized media outlets better and the new media startups better. And we will also know the individuals at these organizations better, along with a superior understanding of their news coverage and story production needs.

It will be tough for reporters and editors to adapt to the new environment.  Whether they stay on in consolidated newsrooms at traditional newspapers or join new Web-based news organizations, news staffers will undoubtedly have to do more with less. Anything we as PR professionals can do to make their jobs easier helps to build these relationships. As with any relationship, you should try to add more than you are taking away. One example: Suggest stories and sources that you know they will value, even when you’re not pitching on behalf of a client. Your good deeds today will pay off in the future.