The Future Of U.S. Local Television

Bill Harvey: It’s hard to sell local. Even before digital came along, advertisers who put 40% of their TV dollars into spot in the 60s started to put in less and less and some advertisers disappeared from spot, going all-national. Staying the course means accepting that all of the air is going out of the balloon and local TV advertising will become less attractive over time, with lower revenues, able to pay only lower salaries than in the past, and harder and harder to make commissions if you’re a rep or part of an internal sales team. We don’t have to let this happen. Local TV (and national for that matter) can actually return to its former glory. Here’s how.