In The Face Of Crisis, Local Stations Must Go Back To The Future
In The Face Of Crisis, Local Stations Must Go Back To The Future - NewsLab
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The brilliant Dan Burke, former COO of Cap Cities and, later, ABC, once said something like this: Television is going to enjoy a long, luxurious decline. I think it is safe to say that the decline, at least in terms of ratings, revenue and influence, is well underway. For someone who grew up in local broadcasting, I am saddened by the industry’s current state of affairs and I have been thinking a lot about what we can do to reverse what some see as inevitable. Since I have always subscribed to the concept that all news is local, I am focusing my thoughts on local broadcasting.
For those of us of a certain age, there was a time when local TV stations conducted formal ascertainments of the communities we served. We routinely scheduled individual meetings, town halls, off-the-record gatherings and community events designed to connect with varying constituencies so that we could, ostensibly keep a finger on the pulse of our viewers. Occasionally, we would discover good story ideas for our news departments and often, we would simply forge a connection to an individual or organization that could prove helpful down the road. Everyone from the general manager on down was involved.
We learned a lot about our communities, and I like to think it was reflected in some of the coverage we provided. But some found the process protracted, bureaucratic and unworthy of their precious time. So, when the Fairness Doctrine was finally repealed in 1987, the quaint idea of reaching
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