The Newsroom

Regional News (and News in general) in the US

(January 2012)

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SN
The SNT Three
Basically, I've spent a lot of time in America recently with family, and I've noticed how the main stations have so much more news than here in the UK. For example, the big three stations (CBS, ABC and NBC) in my family's local area air:

Overnight national news programmes.
Local morning news programmes from 4.30am
National morning news programmes from 7.00am (2 hours long, except NBC's which is 4 hours...)
Lunchtime news programmes at Midday
Evening local news programmes from 5.00pm-6.30pm (one station starts at 4.00pm)
National local news programmes at 6.30pm (such as the CBS Evening News/NBC Nightly News/ABC World News)
Nightly local news programmes at 11.00pm

I was just wondering if anyone could shed any light on the reasons behind there being so much more time devoted to news in the US than here? Particularly local news, as the majority of broadcasts are local?

Sorry if this should be integrated itno another thread!
CH
chris
Local news in the US is naturally larger due to the size of the country, hence there's more of it.
JW
JamesWorldNews
I used to have to visit Texas very often on business up until a few years ago. Houston and Dallas: many Global and National channels.

Out in the sticks (I used to have to go to Odessa, Abilene, Midland): seemed to have hundreds of local news channels which were all fascinated by local football and hockey teams.

But, the coolest thing of all was the fact that one local tv channel would broadcast it's Breakfast news programme from the terminal of Midland-Odessa Airport (code MAF), where they had a proper "newsdesk" and cameras set up in the middle of the terminal. (Was closeted off during non broadcast times by clear roller shutter plastic).

It was strange to see a tv news set in the middle of an airport terminal and I oft wondered why they chose to broadcast from the airport, as opposed to a "regular" studio.

Final comment on the subject: CNN Domestic: woeful with a capital 'W".
WW
WW Update
Local TV news in the US tends to be very profitable; that's why there is so much of it. When American stations air network programming, they can only sell their own advertising during local station breaks -- the rest belongs to the network. However, all of the commercial airtime during the local news is sold by the local stations.

This is also the reason why there is comparatively little national news on US local television. Over the years, there have been several attempts to extend the national evening news from 30 minutes to 45 or even 60 minutes, but local station owners blocked those plans, since they would be left with less time for local news.

Local stations hire consultants who perform detailed market studies to ensure high ratings. They dictate what kinds of news stories should be covered and how they should be presented.

Television news in the US is not considered a public service in the British sense. It's a highly competitive, market-driven, often very populist business more comparable to Britain's newspaper industry.
MA
Markymark


Television news in the US is not considered a public service in the British sense. It's a highly competitive, market-driven, often very populist business more comparable to Britain's newspaper industry.


It's been 20 years since I last visited the US, so I've not seen anything recently, but I was very impressed (in fact it was the most impressive aspect of US broadcasting for me) by American local TV news coverage.

Heaven knows what visiting Americans must make of ITV London Tonight, and BBC London News when they arrive here !!
:-(
A former member
From the local news from America i've watched over the years the sort of items they cover do stretch the terms of what local news should be. Obviously we are not exactly beacons but i feel our local news is sufficient to the demands. Could you imagine if Anglia had to fill 3 hrs of news, they struggle to fill 15 of a 30 min programme.
IS
Inspector Sands
The US local news programmes do a fair bit of national news too. I believe there's some form of syndication of news content from the network news operations.

They also fill a lot of time with feature items - they'll often get in someone from a local business and do an item with them - for example a gadget review or a demo of a beauty treatment, which is essentially an extended advert.

Both things that regional news here wouldn't do
ST
Stuart
Do the local stations actually have sufficient revenue to show anything other than 'local interest stories' portrayed as news, and just re-runs of old syndicated programmes out of primetime? Isn't that really why they scratch around for just about anything to put on air?

Perhaps I'm under a misconception, because I've never been to the US: but I'm sure someone will let me know if I'm wildly off the mark.

However, I have a dreadful premonition that the 'local TV' proposed by DCMS (one of the trials of which would be in Plymouth), would have even less attraction, as the national PSBs would remain, and we'd just end up with mind-numbing hours of tedious reports ,of the like you'd skip over in the local newspaper.
WW
WW Update
It's been 20 years since I last visited the US, so I've not seen anything recently, but I was very impressed (in fact it was the most impressive aspect of US broadcasting for me) by American local TV news coverage.


For a long time, local TV news was considered an American broadcasting success story. Quality-minded stations, and there were quite a few of those, managed to cover important local issues in a way that was appealing to the ordinary viewer (at a time when many European news broadcasts were often rather dour and stiff because they were still aimed at the educated elites) and make a profit in the process (which meant that local stations didn't have to be forced to produce local news). In fact, many elements of news presentation that are now taken for granted around the world have their origins in American local TV news.

However, in recent years, American TV news has moved far too much in the direction of "eye candy", with stations selecting stories solely for their entertainment value (from crime to heath tips) and often totally neglecting important issues. It is generally accepted among television observers that the state of local TV news in the US is, with rare exceptions, not good.
Last edited by WW Update on 7 January 2012 8:58am - 3 times in total
IS
Inspector Sands
Do the local stations actually have sufficient revenue to show anything other than 'local interest stories' portrayed as news, and just re-runs of old syndicated programmes out of primetime? Isn't that really why they scratch around for just about anything to put on air?

In my experience the only thing that most stations make is their news.

The amount of network/syndicated material varies from station to station. Network affiliates, especially those in the big cities which are owned and operated by the networks, will be almost all network programmes outside of local news. Independents will just be syndicated programming, PBS stations work differently again they will often do some of their own programmes.

Not all stations have their own news, it's not a license requirement (although they do have requirements concerning things like emergency broadcasting). In some areas the news provision is pooled - one news operation based at one station will serve several stations in the same area (obviously with different bulletin times!)
IS
Inspector Sands
However, in recent years, American TV news has moved far too much in the direction of "eye candy", with stations selecting stories solely for their entertainment value (from crime to heath tips) and often totally neglecting important issues. It is generally accepted among television observers that the state of local TV news in the US is, with rare exceptions, not good.

I always think of the network bulletins as being a load of stories on medication interspersed with adverts for medication Laughing

The time when the local new operations come into their own is when there's a big local emergency. Always worth trying to watch online to a station when there's a hurricane on the way

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