ABC TV Stations Start PSA Small Business Campaign, Local TV Bracing For Low Ad Revenues

With small to mid-size businesses everywhere needing all kinds of financial help due to COVID-19, ABC-owned TV stations have started up a PSA/social media campaign, as well as airing related content.

The campaign, called #BeLocalish -- in reference to Localish, a local digital broadcast channel of ABC Owned Television Stations -- will feature encouraging success stories of local businesses during the pandemic.

The stories will also air on ABC stations’ linear broadcast and during half-hour weekly special on Localish’s linear TV network.

Localish, which targets a younger audience under 44 years old, started up on Feb. 17 of this year. Previously, the locally based digital TV channel was called Live Well.

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TV viewers are encouraged to participate by sharing stories on social media. The PSA promo will air on all eight ABC stations, which cover 23% of all U.S. television households.

Many local TV stations groups are bracing for what looks to now be a difficult year in terms of cutbacks on advertising revenues this year -- although it is a big Presidential election year, which typically gets a spike in political advertising revenue.

Magna Global, a major media agency, said in mid-March local TV’s non-political advertising sales would be see a dramatic fall -- a big 14.4%.

Still, it believes political spending will make up for much of the lost ground, adding in $5 billion for the year  All that means a slight 1% increase overall for 2020. Before COVID-19 issues hit, Magna estimated a 12.5% ad revenue boost for local TV this year.

Another earlier pre COVID-19 estimate, from BIA Advisory Services, said local linear TV advertising dollars would rise 8% to $20 billion this year from $18.6 billion the year before.

 
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