“...a news industry that is more undermanned and unprepared to uncover stories, dig deep into emerging ones or to question information put into its hands...”
...31 percent of respondents said they “have stopped turning to a news outlet because it no longer provided them with the news they were accustomed to getting.”
...local television stations have increased their reliance on three main topics — weather, traffic and sports.
“...there is less in-depth journalism being produced...”
...Segments about weather, traffic and sports ate up 40 percent of local newscasts’ time...even though this kind of information “is now available on demand in a variety of digital platforms”...
Nielsen ratings show that the audiences for local television newscasts in 2012 declined...
...the three major cable news channels...have become more politically oriented...Daytime programs on cable news increasingly resembled prime-time talk shows...
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/business/media/local-tv-news-is-following-prints-path-study-says.html?_r=0
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...during last year’s presidential campaign, reporters acted more as megaphones than as investigators of the assertions put forward by the campaigns...
...31 percent have stopped turning to a news outlet because it no longer provided them with the news they were accustomed to getting.
Men have left at somewhat higher rates than women, as have the more highly educated and higher-income earners...
...CNN was the only one of the three big cable news channels to produce more straight reporting than commentary.
...Daytime programming now resembles primetime, with interviews and opinion replacing coverage of live events and breaking news.
Viewership of local TV was down in every key time slot...Local TV remains a top news source for Americans...the percentage who say they watched it yesterday is dropping — and dropping sharply among younger people.
...improved geo-targeting is allowing many national advertisers to turn to Google, Facebook and other large networks to buy ads that once might have gone to local news media.
...of Americans...72 percent get most news from friends and family via word of mouth...
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=23049
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...a news industry that is more undermanned and unprepared to uncover stories, dig deep into emerging ones or to question information put into its hands...the public is taking notice. Nearly one-third of the respondents (31%) have deserted a news outlet because it no longer provides the news and information they had grown accustomed to.
...The government of Malaysia was recently discovered to have bankrolled propaganda that appeared in several major U.S. outlets under columnists’ bylines. A number of news organizations, including The Associated Press, recently carried a fake press release about Google that came from a PR distribution site that promises clients it will reach “top media outlets.” And recently, journalist David Cay Johnston in writing about a pitch from one corporate marketer that included a “vacation reward” for running his stories, remarked, “Journalists get lots of pitches like this these days, which is partly a reflection of how the number of journalists has shriveled while the number of publicists has grown”...
...Local TV audiences were down across every key time slot and across all networks...Regular local TV viewership among adults under 30 fell...according to Pew Research survey data...the topics people go there for most—weather and breaking news (and to a lesser extent traffic)—are ripe for replacement by any number of Web- and mobile-based outlets...
http://stateofthemedia.org/2013/overview-5/
Nearly one-third—31%—of people say they have deserted a particular news outlet because it no longer provides the news and information they had grown accustomed to...those most likely to have walked away are better educated, wealthier and older than those who did not—in other words, they are people who tend to be most prone to consume and pay for news.
People who said they had forsaken a news outlet were...older than younger, richer than poorer and Republican or independent rather than Democratic...about one-third of Republicans and independents stopped turning to a news outlet...
http://stateofthemedia.org/2013/special-reports-landing-page/citing-reduced-quality-many-americans-abandon-news-outlets/
...CNN is the only one of the three big cable news channels to produce more straight reporting than commentary over all...
In local television, newscasts in recent years have placed an even greater emphasis on traffic, weather and sports...
With younger people tuning out local newscasts, there is growing concern that local TV news may be facing some of the financial challenges that have already battered the newspaper industry...local TV newscasts seem to be doubling down on sports, traffic and weather...
...analysis of cable...over all, commentary and opinion are far more prevalent on the air throughout the day (63% of the airtime) than straight news reporting (37%). CNN is the only channel to offer more reporting (54%) than opinion (46%)...
The already considerable amount of time devoted to sports, weather and traffic on local newscasts has risen even higher...four in ten of the newscasts examined here led with a weather story.
...The average evening news story package lasted 141...
...several significant areas of local news coverage have diminished.
...there has been significant growth in several other topic areas. The airtime devoted to accidents, disasters and unusual events increased...
...Attention to health and medical issues...At ABC, coverage increased...
...At ABC, where observers have noted a growing tendency to focus in on softer news topics, coverage of lifestyle and celebrity stories grew...Coverage of crime on the network jumped...
...at CBS, which has publicly declared its interest in focusing on more hard news, the coverage of lifestyle and celebrity topics dropped significantly...the least amount of coverage of any of the big three networks.
http://stateofthemedia.org/2013/the-changing-tv-news-landscape/
