Jenny,
Thanks for your trust. I am pretty confident I can talk to a reporter in a way that is a net positive. With an effort like this, I do not see a reporter wanting to scoop the launch; I don't yet know anything about the kind of article he's looking to write, but it's very unlikely he'd want to write a "this thing is launching" article unless we were saying "this thing is launching."
I think looking at "publicity cards" (nice term :) as a finite resource is the wrong framework. I'd say it actually works the other way around; by the time we *are* ready to make a real launch, we want to have some things in place, like reporters that have found us responsive and interesting to talk to in the past, stories that have hinted at what might be coming in the future, etc. If there is curiosity about what we're doing (from the reporters and/or from the public), if we can nurture that curiosity, we will be in a position to do a much more successful launch whenever we're ready for it.
All that said, I'm happy to be pretty cautious with him, and will make sure he understands that I'm not a very active and up-to-date part of the group these days; that way, he can get a little info, but it will be clear that he hasn't reached the "core group" yet. So we know there won't yet be a story with a quote from you guys. That ought to give you a little bit of an edge in the future if you want to do a more in-depth interview. (Even though I think it's an edge you won't need ;)
How's all that sound?
Pete