NDs: We Could Do Better At Investigative

Despite years or downsizing and budget trimming, news directors at TV stations still feel sanguine about local TV news and are mostly satisfied with the news they produce each day, according to a TVNewsCheck survey of news directors. They also have good things to say about their bosses.

But an overwhelming majority (81.5%) feel that they do an “average” or “poor” job at investigative journalism. By almost the same percentage (81.2), they concede that criticism of stations’ investigative and enterprise reporting is “fair.”

And the state of broadcast investigative reporting may not improve anytime soon, they say. Only 38.5% expect to see more of it in the next three-to-five years. A majority (60.7%) believes the level will stay about the same (36.3%) or decline (24.4%).

The news directors voted Hearst Television “the prize for best overall news” based solely on reputation.

The station group garnered 29.9%, or 23 of the 77 votes cast. A clear second was Belo at 16.9% with 13. Scripps, Cox and Raycom followed with seven, six and five votes, respectively. Since the survey was anonymous, it’s unknown how much self-voting there was.

Sinclair Broadcast Group took the “booby prize” for news quality. With 77 news directors also voting, Sinclair picked up 26 or 33.8%. The only other group with a substantial number of votes was Nexstar Broadcasting. Eighteen, or 23.4%, feel that its news deserves booby prize.

As if to underscore the findings, two respondents voted for Nexstar and Sinclair.

For the survey, TVNewsCheck contacted 643 working news directors via email during the first two weeks of December; 136, or 21%, participated.

According to the survey, nine of 10 feel “optimistic” or “extremely optimistic” about local TV news over the next five years and eight of 10 feel the same about the local TV broadcasting business (see chart below).

While the news directors concede that they could do better at investigative reporting, they give themselves high marks in other news areas (see chart below). Two-thirds say overall, local TV news is “good” or “excellent,” although only 6% characterize it as the latter.

Most of the news directors say that their coverage of local public affairs and sports is “average” or “good,” but that their coverage of weather, emergencies and crime/fire/accidents is significantly better — “good” or “excellent.” More than half deem weather and emergency coverage “excellent.”

Perhaps not surprising, the high marks go significantly higher when the news directors are asked to assess their own newscasts rather than local TV news in general (see chart below).

Most news directors indicate they have no complaints about their bosses (see chart below).

Solid majorities “agree” or “strongly agree” that their station or group “encourages innovation,” “puts public service ahead of ratings,” “works to retain its best talent,” “supports me the best it can,” gives me sufficient autonomy” and “maintains the wall between church and state.”

According to the survey, news directors have fully embraced social media. Nine of 10 say that social media are “important” or “extremely important” in finding and developing sources and in promoting newscasts.

The news directors also overwhelmingly recognize the value of mobile with 72.9% saying that mobile, Web and mobile apps are “extremely important” to disseminating news. Another 22.6% say they are “important.”

Even though the common ownership or management of two stations in a market can sometimes mean the loss of an independent voice within the market and job losses, a plurality of news directors (41.5%) say they believe the so-called duopolies are “good for local TV news” and a slightly higher plurality (45.7%) believes the FCC should relax its rule to allow more of them in small and medium markets.

The news directors are ambivalent on news sharing arrangements with other broadcasters or newspapers within their markets. While 34.6% say that such arrangements “strengthen” local news, 28.5% feel that they weaken it and another 32.3% feel that they make no difference.

The good news for RTDNA is that four-fifths feel the professional society is important to some degree, although only 11.5% say it is “extremely important.”

The survey suggests that an uncertain return on investment may be holding back some station from upgrading to HD news. Of the third of news directors (35.3%) who are not now broadcasting in high definition, only 23.4% feel that it would help them significantly in the ratings.

The respondents represented a good cross-section of markets and affiliations. Thirty percent were in DMAs 1-50, 30.8% in DMAs 51-100, 27.7% in DMAs 101-150 and 11.5% in DMAs 150 plus.

The breakdown by affiliation: ABC, 34.1%; CBS, 29.5%; Fox, 26.4%; NBC, 31%; Univision, 1%; Telemundo, 3.1%; independent, 10.1%. (The percentage exceeds 100 because some news directors manage multiple stations with multiple affiliations.)

Last week, TVNewsCheck reported other findings of the survey, in which the news directors give so-so grades to the national TV news organizations for the quality of their news.

Given the proliferation of new media and other challenges, how do you feel about the prospects for local TV news and the local TV broadcasting business in general over the next five years?

In general, how would you rate the quality of local TV newscasts in the following areas?

How would you rate the quality of your own newscasts in the following areas?

To what extent would you agree or disagree with the following statements about your station or group?