• by April 21, 2004

HAS THE SUN SET ON NETWORK EVENING NEWS? - It may just be a coincidence that the same week Tom Brokaw announces plans to retire as anchor of the "NBC Nightly News" the researchers at Ball State University have unleashed a new study showing the dramatic migration from network evening news to other news dayparts, especially early morning news shows, but we think Tom may have seen something coming. "Morning television news programs are growing more popular with viewers, possibly signaling the end to the dominance of early evening newscasts," concludes the Ball State study, which was conducted as part of the university's Center for Media Design's so-called Middletown research effort, a project that followed 101 people around to see what and how much - media they actually consume. The findings suggest that media fragmentation and consumer choices has finally caught up with the network news business.

"Because of the introduction of new technologies and cable television, consumers are taking control. They are telling us that 'we'll consume the news when we want and the shows or networks we want to watch,'" says Bob Papper, a telecommunications professor at Ball State and co-author of the study. "If they want to watch the weather, they can tune into the Weather Channel at any time of the day," he said. "Why should they wait for the local news if a cable channel has it when they want to watch?" The study found that people now watch more news between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. than at any other part of the day. The findings were released this week to maximum effect during the Radio Television News Directors Association conference in Las Vegas.

Papper says the shift makes sense, because "people have more time to watch" news in the morning than in the evening hours. "They get up, flip on the television and get ready for work. Because Americans are working and commuting more than ever, they are getting home later. They may not be home for the early news because of work or family obligations." One thing that is less clear and likely will require more research, is how they are watching TV news differently in the morning than in the evening. In fact, Papper questions whether they are actually "watching" it at all.

"There's kind of an assumption that morning news is like radio, that people turn it on and listen, but don't necessarily watch it," Papper tells the Riff.

If that's true, it could mean that "viewers" may be less attentive to early morning news and may be treating more as ambience than the kind of engaged viewing Madison Avenue prizes so much lately. And that would be news to some major news advertisers, which over the past several years have shifted budgets from evening to morning news shows, making it the dominant news advertising daypart.