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Did you know the nightly network news will die in 5 years?
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I attended the Texas Association of Broadcasters annual banquet last week to honor Laura Prather for her work on the Texas Free Flow of Information Act.
The event sparked a discussion with a broadcaster about the impending demise of the nightly network news. Although it's been little reported, the nightly news has lost an average of 1 million viewers each year for the past 25 years, according to the Pew Project.
The networks have no end in sight to this free fall. The average age for nightly news viewers is 61.3, about a decade older than the typical newspaper reader. That's trouble because younger viewers aren't replacing older ones.
The Big Three networks still attract 20 million viewers with their nightly news. They also see these programs as important to maintaining their brand as they search for new ways to build their audience.
I write this with no glee over the death of TV news, but only to add some perspective to the conversation about the shifting media landscape. I also want to emphasize I'm focusing on network news; the future of local TV news is a different subject. Like many, I have trouble picturing a day without the nightly news so indelibly stamped on the national consciousness by Walter Cronkite.
However, in the age of on-demand video, fewer people see the need for appointment TV symbolized by the nightly news. You can turn on cable news or click on many Web sites, including VictoriaAdvocate.com, for national news whenever you want it.
What frustrates me is how little most Americans are aware of this trend. The network news anchors aren't reporting it, and newspapers are too self-absorbed by their own troubles to report on this important national news.
Newspapers clearly face their own challenges in the digital age, but Sunday newspapers still reach 115 million people, a little more than half of all U.S. adults. Surprised?
If you ask most people, they probably will have some idea about the economic challenges of newspapers. Most, though, likely have no idea of what's happening to the nightly network news.
I expect you also will be surprised to read this quote from a former "Nightline" executive producer: "The death of the evening news was predicted with considerable certainty 15 years ago. The three will live another five years. ..."
What will be the cost to society when this shared experience disappears? Although he's gone, Cronkite's legacy lives on for the remaining nightly news viewers looking to be reassured "that's the way it was."
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12 Comments
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Comments
Each moring before any daily activities, I read the VA from front to back. I also read the San Antonio Express before the Victoria delivery was canceled. At times during the day, I will scan FOX and CNN on TV for national news and updates. I quit wasting my time with ABC, CBS and NBC for their constant blasting of my beliefs.
August 26, 2009 at 3:05 p.m.As for the local TV news channel, I rarely watch it.
As onewhoshappy stated, they probably have a low budget and small staff. They are most likely to be a training ground for beginners and they generally move up after a period of time, with the exception of the sports department who can't wait for volleyball season to start up each year.
Thanks, all, for the discussion.
The national newspaper readership data is available through the link I added in the post. More is online at http://www.naa.org.
For the Advocate, our readership is even greater than the national average. Within Victoria County, we reach 90 percent of all adults. Within the nine-county region, that reach is 70 percent.
I hope TV news continues much beyond this prediction. I'm glad to see people consume news in any fashion. Our biggest competition: apathy and ignorance.
August 24, 2009 at 10:03 p.m.Maybe, but there won't be many print newspapers left to report on the last network sign off either.......
August 24, 2009 at 8:49 p.m.I honestly think the six o'clock news in major markets will outlive the print newspapers in the same market.............
"Sunday newspapers still reach 115 million people, a little more than half of all U.S. adults. Surprised? "
A little more than surprised. I would be even more surprised if that is print editions only. I would think you are taking online editions into consideration with that number. I don't think the penetration of all U.S. papers combined is anywhere near 50%.
August 24, 2009 at 1:47 p.m.EXAMPLE: Fox just reported possible pipe bomb explosion in California high school. CURRENT, UP TO THE MINUTE NEWS!
August 24, 2009 at 11:52 a.m.Our local tv newscasters simply do not have the budget to report news. They collect the news just like you and I. I excuse them simply because of few dollars and a small staff.
August 24, 2009 at 11:43 a.m.Cat,
I think you're referring to local TV, along with the nightly network news. For more on the future of local TV news, this Wall Street Journal is one of the best I've read recently on the subject:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12342...
August 24, 2009 at 11:35 a.m.I quit watching Network news because of the extreme left wing reporting they do. What really bugs me is they are selective in reporting events that reflect badly on their political views.
August 24, 2009 at 11:34 a.m.Instead, I watch Fox News which has a growing number of viewers and I get to see all the news.
AND.........I not read the newspaper as much as I did once upon a time because I'm about 8 hours ahead of the newspaper. That may be the reason we see newspapers going in a different direction such as featured items, viewpoint, etc.
August 24, 2009 at 11:32 a.m.Generally speaking, I am way out ahead of the 5:30 p.m. evening news offered by ABC, CBS and NBC. Fox and CNN and various websites keep me informed moment by moment if I so desire. I do not watch the 5:30 p.m. news as I did once upon a time.
August 24, 2009 at 11:28 a.m.