TV Stations' Local News Viewership Continues Decline

by Wayne Friedman , July 14, 2017

TV stations are counting heavily on local news programming in the coming years — even as their viewership continues to drop.

All four main local TV newscasts sank in 2016 versus 2015, when looking at combined viewership on ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox affiliates, according to Pew Research Center analysis of Nielsen results for the four sweep periods.

Late news sank 11% to 20.3 million in 2016, from 22.8 million the previous year. Morning news fell 9% to 10.8 million from 11.9 million. Early evening news lost 9%, from 22.8 million to 20.7 million.

These stats represent an ongoing downward trend since 2007 -- in which late news has dropped 31%, early evening news 19% and morning news has lost 12%.

This has occurred as TV stations increased local TV news content in 2016. According to the RTDNA/Hofstra University survey, local TV stations averaged 5.7 hours for news programming per weekday, up from 5.5 hours in 2015.

On the upside, seven major publicly held local TV station companies — Tribune Media, Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Tegna, Gray Television, Media General and E.W. Scripps — reported higher political advertising revenues, partly as a result of their TV news content.

These station groups collectively reported a total of $843 million in political advertising revenue, up from $696 million in 2014 and $574 million in 2012.

Overall, local TV station revenue was up 11% to 20.6 million in 2016 versus the year before. Total digital advertising revenue increased 10% in 2016, reaching a total of about $1 billion.

advertising, local media, tv

3 comments about "TV Stations' Local News Viewership Continues Decline".

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Douglas Ferguson from College of Charleston, July 17, 2017 at 12:04 p.m.
Not much reason to tune in when everything local is on my phone (without ads).
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Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, July 17, 2017 at 12:56 p.m.

Once again, we are confusing average minute ---or quarter hour hour ratings with overall viewing tonnage. For example, say four stations are competing with 200 other channels for viewers at 6PM, with news as their primary content. Last year, the four news stations averaged a 4% rating per quarter hour telecast---or 16 rating points if one adds up their per TC numbers. This year with the same stations competing with 225 channels for audiences their average rating drops to only 3.6%---or 14.4 GRPs. Does this mean that there is less 6P-7PM news viewing in this market? Not necessarily. What if one of the stations expands its nightly news from an hour to 90 minutes and gets the same 3.6% rating? Now,some of its news viewing spills over into another time block. But it's still news. And what if another station drops its sitcom reruns and launches its own local news---garnering a 2.5% rating. Now, despite lower that last year average quarter hour ratings, we actually have more time spent with broadcast station news in the early evenings.

Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, July 17, 2017 at 7:26 p.m.

So the weather "girls" with tight and tighter dresses and big busoms are not working as well as expected.