local TV news

Local TV news has shed audience over the past decade, including this past year in most timeslots, according to a new study. Even with these viewership losses, local TV news still garners more viewers on average than on average than network and cable. However, for election news, viewers tend to turn to cable.

Will cord-cutting and new technologies affect the prospects of network affiliates?

The long slow decline in viewership of local television news resumed in 2012 after a brief respite the previous year.  While stations devoted more of their available air time to local news, that wasn’t sufficient to halt the decline in viewership.  Early-morning newscasts continued to gain viewers, but that increase was more than offset by losses in most other time slots.

We’ve seen examples where stations have completely disconnected their marketing from  their network’s because research revealed the connection to be poison to their local news credibility. Stations should be careful not to have their credibility dragged down by the national media.

Bolstered by revenue increases and improvements in news gathering, local television news is expanding in major markets. Station economics affect the nation’s news diet because local TV news is consistently identified in surveys as the top news source for most Americans.

As President Obama keeps the White House press corps at a distance, he has sat for more than a dozen interviews with their colleagues from local TV stations — with unpredictable and sometimes illuminating results.

Academicians often come up with unconventional topics to study. And those involved in television are no exception. Here are four research projects that range from tracking the lipstick factor in female anchor credibility to weathercasters who think they’re God.

The transition from general assignment reporter to multi-platform journalist isn’t always easy, but people who’ve made the switch often say they’d never go back.

A new Frank N. Magid Associates study finds that 49% of viewers say local TV news is a major part of their daily routine, compared to 34% for cable news. And 81% say local TV news is their most important source among local, broadcast network and cable.