Tracking Down Sources

This week for my article I'm writing about The One Event which took place at Hoco on Monday night. Seeing as I wanted to do a recap of the event, I only had today to do my interviews and write the story. Going into this I knew that this might pose a problem with contacting my sources, but I didn't expect it to be a big issue. I called the the restaurants that participated in the event and was able to speak with three of them. Not all of the managers/owners were in when I called, which is why I wasn't able to talk with all of them. When I called Popovers they said that their manager wasn't in, but they gave me the number of their event coordinator. It was helpful that they were able to direct me to somebody else.

That part of contacting my sources was easy, but I also wanted to contact Deb Scanlon, the manager of Hoco. I already have a good relationship with her because of past articles I have done for The New Hampshire (TNH) in which I interviewed her. I thought it would be easy to contact her and that she wouldn't mind talking to me for five minutes on the phone since we already have an established relationship. I called her twice and left a message once, but she didn't answer or reply. I thought of going to her office, but I know that she is very busy and that her secretary won't always let you in without an appointment.

I then called other people that work at Hoco, such as David Hill, another manager. He didn't answer his phone either though. Lastly, I resorted to going onto the UNH Dining Facebook page and sending them a message. I explained my article and attached my questions, asking them to please respond. I know that email interviews aren't the best way to go, but I was running out of options. I'm still waiting for their response.

While I can still write an article with the information I have, it'll be nice to have quotes and more details from someone who works for dining. I plan on calling Deb Scanlon in the morning before class and seeing if I can finally talk to her. I know that this might not work out though and that I'll be cutting it very close. I think that in the future I'll remember to contact my sources ahead of time and set up an interview time. I almost always do this, seeing as I've been writing for TNH for some time now, but with my busy schedule it slipped my mind and I thought that I could have easily got her on the phone. Next time I'll have to be more careful when thinking these things.

UPDATE: (added half an hour after original posting)

Deb Scanlon just called me and said she was squeezing me in before rushing out the door. I'm so thankful to have good connections and it goes to show what a difference it can make to stay close to your contacts/sources.