MEDIA: SPACE BARONS - Mandrake, The Daily & Sunday Telegraph

by Clare O'Connor , PR Week UK 26-Jun-08, 06:00

Who are the space barons here? Tim Walker edits the diary, Richard Eden is his deputy and Christopher Lamb is a full-time reporter.

Circulation: 862,966
Pagination: One
Deadlines: 11am conference
Staff: Three

Who covers what?

Walker says: 'I would never ask anyone else to write a story I got from a personal contact and I know Richard and Chris wouldn't either. We respect confidences.'

What's the tone?
It can go from scurrilous to earnest in a few lines. Big scoops include Mark Thatcher's secret wedding, Joanna Trollope leaving Bloomsbury in a row over Harry Potter, Dame Maggie Smith's fight with breast cancer and Peter Phillips' royal wedding deal with Hello!

Approachability?
'People who contact us must have a strong story to tell if they are going to get anywhere,' warns Walker. 'We are not interested in PR puff pieces.'

PR-FRIENDLY SCORE - 5/10