June 2, 2014

RTDNA

Fewer local TV stations say they supply news content to newspapers, radio stations or other TV stations than in previous years, Bob Papper reports in the latest installment of the RTDNA/Hofstra University Survey.

In the survey three years ago, Papper writes, “I noted that cooperative ventures had been growing during a down or uncertain economy … and that it would be interesting to see how they hold up as the economy improves. Last year’s evidence suggested that they’re shrinking. That trend has continued this year as well.”

The change isn’t huge, but Papper notes that all categories went down.

Papper says the “percentage of stations involved with other media slid about two and a half points from last year to 75.9%,” which he notes is “Still a very high number.”

Almost a third of TV news directors (31.2%) said they ran news on another local or nearby TV station, and they said they ran that news on an average of 1.4 stations.

In the most recent State of the News Media report on local television news, Pew reported that 25 percent of stations broadcast news produced by another station.

Stations owned by the same company now routinely share news content regionally or groupwide. In some of the largest markets, local news services produce coverage for two or more competing stations.

That sharing can have “significant” impact on quality, Pew wrote, but it “varies substantially from market to market.”

Previously: News directors most likely to be named Mike, Jennifer or Kelly

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Andrew Beaujon reported on the media for Poynter from 2012 to 2015. He was previously arts editor at TBD.com and managing editor of Washington City…
Andrew Beaujon

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