TV News: Is it still relevant?

Karen Friedman, a communications coach based in Philadelphia, has an article on this subject.  She says the question should be, “Does TV news matter as much as it once did?”

Here are excerpts from her article. The link for the full report is below.

“Research suggests that it does not. According to data from Nielsen, viewership of the three evening network news programs has steadily declined over the past 25 years, falling by more than 1 million viewers each year — translating into millions of dollars in lost annual revenue. The 2009 Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism’s State of the News Media annual report says that local news staffs, already too small to adequately cover their communities, are being cut at unprecedented rates. As a result, this caused local revenues to fall by a surprising 7 percent in a single election year— and ratings continue to drop. Only cable news is flourishing.”

“Rick Williams, executive producer at WPVI-ABC TV in Philadelphia, … says that because younger viewers find most of their information on the Internet, it is critical to cross-promote news between the TV and Web platforms.”

“For example, stations are now streaming news events live and carrying breaking stories on their Web sites. Viewers no longer have to wait until the evening news programs. To do this, many stations have hired producers who only create Web content, update stories online, produce video for Web sites and generate breaking-news alerts that are sent to subscribers’ cell phones and e-mail.”

“TV news, especially local news, will remain relevant to people who want to know what’s happening in their communities. Despite the steady decline of viewers, Pew reports that approximately two-thirds of Americans say that they still get their news from their local TV stations.”

“TV news must strive to remain relevant by continuing to increase Web presence and attract younger viewers. …TV news must consistently differentiate itself from other mediums by doing what it does best: broadcasting world events and live breaking news in a way that only TV cameras can capture.”

You can read the full article at http://www.karenfriedman.com/articles/tv_news_matter.php

Thanks for your insights, Karen.