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Television News. Most Popular News. Source: RTNDF Survey of the Future of the News, October 2006. Evening News Ratings. Sources of Information. 62% Local TV News 50% Cable TV News 49% National TV News 38% Newspapers 31% Internet 30% Radio Rasmussen Poll Conducted August 3-4, 2008
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Most Popular News Source: RTNDF Survey of the Future of the News, October 2006
Sources of Information • 62% Local TV News • 50% Cable TV News • 49% National TV News • 38% Newspapers • 31% Internet • 30% Radio • Rasmussen Poll Conducted August 3-4, 2008 http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/pt_survey_toplines/august_2008/toplines_news_sources_august_3_4_2008
2* Which cable news network do you generally watch—Fox News, CNN, or MSNBC? • 35% Fox • 42% CNN • 20% MSNBC • 3% Not sure
Network News The Big Three: 1985-2004 Dan Rather Peter Jennings Tom Brokaw
Network News The (New) Big Three (and PBS) Katie Couric Charles Gibson Brian Williams Jim Lehrer
TV News Viewers • In 2006, the median age of nightly news viewers stayed at roughly 60 years • TV News desperately wants to attract younger viewers without losing older ones
2006: Katie Couric Joins CBS • First woman anchor • Recruited from Good Morning America (breakfast television) • Cohost of Good Morning America, Charles Gibson, recruited to anchor ABC • CBS increases soft news at first
CBS Reduces Hard News Source: Andrew Tyndall
Network News Who Is Winning? Katie Couric Charles Gibson Brian Williams 3rd: 7,810,000 2nd: 8,950,000 1st: 9,380,000
Network News: Changes over past 20 Years: • Ownership changes: conglomeration by multinationals • 1985 General Electric buys NBC (5% of profits, 1994) • 1985 Capital Cities Communications buys ABC1995 Disney buys both • 1995 Westinghouse Electrical Corp. buys CBS (40% of profits in 1995)
Week 9: Television News • Ownership changes: Effects • Profits over Prestige (no more public service requirements) • Cost Cutting • Drive to increase audience share
Week 9: Television News • Changes over past 20 Years: • Ownership changes: Effects • More accessible stories: • Graphics • Soft News (infotainment) • Shorter, faster paced stories • Teasers (to stop people from using the remote)
Week 9: Television News • Changes over past 20 Years: • Ownership changes: Effects • More accessible stories: • Less Foreign News • Too expensive • Seen to be less relevant/important to public
Week 9: Television News • Changes over past 20 Years: • Ownership changes: Effects • More accessible stories: • Less Foreign News • More commercials
Week 9: Television News How much news is in a 30 minutes broadcast?: CBS: 1981: 23:23 2000: 18:20 NBC: 2000: 19:00 2003: 20:20
Cable News Source: Kagan Research, LLC, a division of Jupiter Kagan Inc.
Week 9: Local TV News Why do we have local television news?
Week 9: Local TV News • Why do we have local television news? • Reflect local community interests • US is a very diverse, decentralized society: people think local • Most services controlled at state/local level: education, police, transportation, health, social services, etc. • PROFITS!!
Percentage of TV Station Revenue Produced by News Source: RTNDA/Ball State University
Factors That Drive Local TV News: • Time • Staff • Technology • Dramatic power of visual images • Competition for viewers • Costs
Factors That Drive Local TV News: • Time • Staff • Technology • Dramatic power of visual images • Competition for viewers • Costs • Profits!!!
New Developments • One of the major issues in local TV news in recent years has been the trend toward stations producing more news without increasing their staff to do it. • Local TV content can now be accessed as podcasts, on cell phones, on outdoor screens and streamed over the Internet.
Week 9: Local TV News • Group Exercise 1: • Pretend you are a local tv station here: • What sorts of stories are important for people in a local community? • Will people watch if you show these stories? • How do you maintain an audience?
Morning Evening Late All Gov’t/Elections 8% 12% 13% 11% Crime 38 46 44 42 Accidents 9 6 6 8 Business 8 5 * 5 Domes. Issues 6 13 23 14 Science 1 2 4 2 Foreign Rel. 5 2 3 4 Defense/Military 2 5 1 2 Celebrity/Entertainment 7 2 2 4 Lifestyle 16 8 3 10 Topics in Local TV, Percent of all time
What is a "Good" Newscast? • TOPIC RANGE • STORY FOCUS • ENTERPRISE LEVEL • NUMBER OF SOURCES • VIEWPOINTS • SOURCE EXPERTISE • LOCAL RELEVANCE
Watch the local news broadcast: • What tactics were used to attract viewers? • Are these examples of bad journalism? • What aspects were good?