A newly rejiggered format and recent aquisitions make it abundantly clear: This ain't your grandma's TV Guide. In October 2005, the weekly television digest with local listings shifted gears to publish in a glossy format at a standard trim size, adding national listings, more show information and-most vital to freelancers-more features. Now, editors are always on the lookout for relaxed, tightly written, well-reported, newsy stories, says editor-at-large Bruce Fretts, who bills himself as "the tone police."

Submit to the feature well but try to avoid submitting news stories. Also, stay away from think pieces, conventional profiles that amount to straight-up biography, and stories that fixate on who's dating whom. Pitch via email only.