'Your TV station is on fire': A local TV news 'survival guide' calls for stations to prioritize digital…yesterday

An ice-water wakeup call? A tough-love kick in the pants? A five-alarm fire?

The new “survival guide” from Northeastern’s Reinventing Local TV News Project does not mince words. Building on a survey of more than 1,000 adults ages 18 to 34, it lays out local TV broadcasts’ irrelevance to young audiences’ digital- and mobile-first news consumption habits with a brutal call to action.

For much of the 21st century, local TV news has appeared relatively stable – and profitable – next to the decimation of print. But in 2025, that profitability is slipping, as the same industry headwinds catch up to a sector that’s been slow to innovate. The report notes that “built-in financial advantages” including cable TV retransmission fees and political advertising may have helped hold off the industry’s demise, but now, “the warning signs are real.”

“Local TV news is facing its most critical challenge since the introduction of television 100 years ago,” the report’s authors write. “The audience that will determine the industry’s survival — 18- to 34-year-olds — has already moved to digital platforms where most TV stations barely exist, or struggle to effectively connect with the demographic.” In other words, “your TV station is on fire.”

This report, released in November, examines news consumption habits and presents best practices for connecting with younger audiences that it implores local TV stations to adopt ASAP.

“The choice is stark,” writes Mike Beaudet, an investigative TV reporter and professor of the practice in video innovation, in the report’s conclusion. “Adapt now with the proven strategies outlined in this survival guide or watch local TV news become a relic that failed democracy when it needed it most.” Visions for reinventing local TV news take different forms; another initiative aims to rebuild the funding model behind local TV news for streaming.

The Reinvent team partnered with audience research firm SmithGeiger Group to survey young adults. Some of the report’s topline recommendations:

Hire a “Digital Content Creator” immediately.

This is the report’s core ask of local TV stations. It describes this position dedicated to creating original content for digital platforms — and not just repurposing TV stories for social — as a “life raft role” and “the most important hire any newsroom can make right now.” To be successful, the authors recommend that this position be involved “early and everywhere” in story planning and production.

Research published this year suggests repurposing TV stories as digital content remains the default for most local TV stations. A survey of local broadcast stations by Harvard’s Shorenstein Center found that half of respondents place a “very high priority” on developing digital content and platforms. Yet just 16% of respondents said they’re producing a substantial amount of stand-alone digital content, whereas 28% said their digital content consists of stories previously aired on broadcasts, and another 55% described digital content as “heavily based on broadcast content.”

The research also notes that staff size is a major factor in TV stations’ ability to produce digital content. Newsrooms with 60 or more staff were three times as likely to produce original digital content as stations with 30 or fewer staff (37% v. 13%). That means the same have and have-not dynamic afflicting the rest of the local news landscape applies to local TV news; “areas where a strong digital presence from local TV stations is most needed is where it’s in shortest supply.” While two-thirds of respondents said a digital staff increase would be “important” or “very important” to serve community information needs, only 6% said such an increase was “very likely”; another 27% thought this “somewhat likely.”

As part of Reinvent’s research, the university team partnered with three local TV stations in major markets to pilot this position for a year. It embedded Digital Content Creator fellows in WCBS in New York City, WLS in Chicago, and WCVB in Boston. A fourth fellow collaborated with all three stations to produce graphics and animation. Two of the partner stations, WCVB and WCBS, hired their fellows to full-time positions following the fellowship year, The Boston Globe reported.

The report suggests a breakdown of a Digital Content Creator’s typical workday, including a regular dedication to newsroom coaching:

Newsrooms should not expect these positions to convert young audiences into linear TV viewers overnight, or at all. But “when a big story breaks or that next major storm approaches, your station may be the one they turn to because of this investment in brand-building,” the report states. With this position, “your brand is making inroads with a digital audience that your traditional newscasts are missing entirely.”

There’s an ideal length and structure for digital videos.

The magic video length, per Reinvent’s testing, is 50 seconds, plus or minus 10 seconds. Respondents watched three versions of the same story, and a majority said videos of this “medium” length “were both the right length and contained the right amount of information.” Perhaps more surprising, given a “shorter the better” zeitgeist, respondents were more likely to watch the entire medium-length video than the short one.

The most successful videos typically employ a “three-act structure,” a concept it credits to The Washington Post’s Joseph Ferguson: a hook, immediate answer and payoffs, and an “informative climax.”

Other video pro tips:

• “One story must take many forms.” The same story can be turned into a short-form vertical clip, a headline reel, an explainer carousel, a longer YouTube segment, or an animation-driven pull quote, “but only if appropriate time and resources are dedicated to each one.”
• Animation helps capture and direct audience attention, and increases retention of key information.
• Packaging matters – details like titles, thumbnails, metadata, and captions help connect videos with audiences, and should be platform-native.
• Young adults are looking for stories about local breaking news (41%) and weather (37%) on social media. And almost four in 10 “want a fun and informal approach to the news.” One-third of respondents each were looking for: positive, local stories; stories that feel “personal and authentic”; and stories about local arts, entertainment, and events.
• Audiences want to see behind the scenes of reporting:

Understand what metrics can (and cannot) tell you.

Reinvent wants TV stations to move away from ratings as the primary benchmark of success. It suggests six “WARMER” digital metrics to pay attention to:

“Metrics serve as a living feedback system that supports experimentation, helps clarify audience behavior, and sharpens team instincts over time,” per the report. For instance, low click-through rates could be a sign the thumbnail or headline need to better highlight the local or emotional hook. If retention drops in the first five to 10 seconds, a video might need a sharpened opening — “faster pacing, stronger visuals, or a clearer promise to the viewer.”

Comments are generally worth the hassle.

“Leave comments turned on whenever possible,” recommends a Reinvent social media working group. “Turning them off builds a hypothetical wall between you and your audience and restricts engagement. Use available tools such as built-in language and content filters, and only disable comments if a particular story results in inappropriate responses.”

Reinvent suggests paying attention to qualitative feedback to stories like clarifying questions, dialogue, and requests for follow-up coverage.

Download the full report here.