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Why Local TV Ratings are Down
When was the last time you watched local TV news? If you watch two newscasts a week, broadcast news consultants consider you a "heavy" news viewer. Doesn't really fit my definition of heavy, but then again, that's the state of local broadcast journalism these days. Things weren't always this way. These days, news programs that are rated number one at a given timeslot would have been canceled twenty years ago due to poor ratings. Why are fewer people watching? There are a number of reasons, some rather obvious. Number one, there are a lot more choices on television these days. In the mid '80s, many people only got three to five channels on their television. And those lucky enough to have cable had access to maybe twenty channels. My current cable probably has about 30 times as many channels. The internet has played a big role as well. You don't have to wait until five o'clock these days to get up-to-date. With a click of a mouse, you have access to a number of news stories, and you can filter through the ones you don't care to see. Television news will never be the ridiculous cash cow it once was (although it still brings in healthy profit margins). But more people would watch if the folks who are bringing you the news weren't so clueless. Turn on your choice of "Live at Five" and you'll see a dizzying array of car wrecks, stabbings, and pot busts. And most likely you'll see the same thing on multiple channels, possibly even in the same order. You'll also hear catchy phrases like "breaking news" for something that happened five hours ago. Television news professionals are, by in large, out of touch with their viewers. Many of them are "news junkies", and get a charge of energy when they hear a murder or fire come over the police scanner. You might be shocked at some of the joy and jubilation in a newsroom when tragedy strikes. What news professionals fail to realize is that many viewers don't care. They want stories that matter to THEIR lives, and things they can talk about with their friends. Often, they're not given that until all the crime stories have been exhausted, if at all. And by that time, many have already tuned out and are watching something much more entertaining. But the biggest reason your local newscast is filled with crime stories is that they're easy to cover. It takes very little legwork; a reporter and photographer (or, in some markets, one person doing both) go to the scene, shoot some shots of yellow police tape, and talk to a law enforcement authority. No extensive digging, no tough questions. It's news fast-food style. Sadly, this isn't going to change anytime soon. Many station owners are living in a time warp and long for the days of 70% profit margins. In hopes of getting back to the glory days, they keep cutting and cutting, resulting in fewer people to go out and get the hard-to-find stories. They're also opting for cheaper labor, which means younger and less experienced. (If you assumed all people who work in TV are rich, you're highly mistaken. Journalism as a whole is one of the lower paying professional fields, and television news is no different. And it's getting worse) Am I saying all crime stories are boring & not relevant? Absolutely not. But under the current model, most fit the same boring format. Give me something interesting, a story with a twist, and I'll stay tuned. The location is also important. A robbery in Beverly Hills is more interesting than a similar incident in the worst part of town, because you don't expect it to happen in Beverly Hills. News can still be relevent. Sadly, it may be a while before it is again, if ever. |
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This intel was contributed by sre94
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May, 2012
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