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How long until the end of TV news as we know it?
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When I was in Austin this week, I spoke with a couple of longtime broadcasters about the future of local and network TV news. They agreed it was bleak.
I take no relish in this assessment. The Texas Association of Broadcasters has been a strong ally of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association, the Texas Press Association and the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. The broadcasters stood tall in the fight for open government, which resulted this week in a huge victory with the passage of a shield law for journalists.
The broadcasters agreed their audience is leaving them for the Internet and on-demand video. They're not sure how TV stations remain relevant in the 21st century, but they know the Web is part of the answer.
What bothers me, though, is the relatively small amount of news coverage about the shifting TV audience. If you ask most people on the street, they would have no idea about the struggles of TV news stations. On the other hand, I expect quite a few would tell you they hear newspapers are dying, even though our audience is growing when you look at print and online.
A study last week revealed this is not just my perception. Researchers showed newspapers and TV news shows have devoted little attention to this audience flight. You may read the New York Times story on the study by clicking here.
One broadcaster I spoke to suggested people didn't notice what was happening to TV stations because they had such smaller news staffs to start with compared to newspapers. No one is decrying the layoffs at TV news stations because people don't see it -- and few are reporting it. Here's a link to a rare story that does report on the TV industry's struggles. Of course, even this story manages to include newspapers because our industry is so incredibly self-absorbed.
Again, I'm not advocating the death of TV news. I'm just hoping for a little balance when reporting the shifting media landscape. Even Barbara Walters is saying this: "The only programs that will be here 10 years from now are the morning shows. Everything else you can TiVo or see on the Internet."
If Barbara is saying it, why are so few reporting it? I guess I can join the long list of people critical of news coverage.
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Big J,
If A&M and UT received more funding in 2003, why wouldn't every local A&M club honor the rep who helped make that happen? I understand why other universities wouldn't like such a bill if they received less funding, but where is the wrongdoing in all of this? Thanks.
May 18, 2009 at 7:28 a.m.Hey Folks,
I have been away for a while, and still don't have the time as before.
The digital world will completely take over, all in due time. If any media group of any size is trying to remain "this is the way we have always done it" they will perish.
I stopped taking a paper a week after I bought my first computer.
The Nature Nazis should like an all digital world no trees are killed...
Ya'll have a great day.
May 18, 2009 at 3:34 a.m.Newspapers serve a useful purpose. After all, how many take their computers to the bathroom?
May 16, 2009 at 12:28 a.m.Big J and Legion,
You'll have to fill me in on the Victoria A&M Club and legislation in 2003. Can you provide some background?
Mike, I appreciate your support of newspapers and perhaps they will find new ways to cooperate. I hope, though, that the individuality of a community newspaper remains important to readers. Our community connection is why we reach 90 percent of readers in Victoria County and 70 percent in the nine-county region. No other medium comes anywhere close to that reach.
May 15, 2009 at 10:37 p.m.BigJ please, HB3015 passed the house 94 to 46 on there version, the senate version passed 17 to 14 ( for some reason) , the final compromise version passed the house 100 to 44.
In 2003 the state was facing a budget shortfall of over $1 Billion, they cut costs everywhere.
If you read the whole bill, the amount of tuition paid above $46 a hour is set aside for low income student tuition.
All that being said, I am amazed that one of the smallest A&M alumina groups had that much influence statewide.
May 15, 2009 at 6:04 p.m.It’s a matter of economics BigJ ,I never thought I would live to see the day a major city have just one newspaper or no newspaper at all…The New York Times is trying to consolidate and they are one of the world’s largest newspaper…Can’t hire journalist if they continue to lose readership and advertisers.
May 15, 2009 at 5:49 p.m.I don’t disagree with Zorro’s comments because I think the newspaper industry will have to eventually go for the not- for- profit route...For example, I would have liked to seen Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and Austin join forces for a daily newspaper using the USA Today format ;costing $1.50 per issue and $3 Sunday edition…Just think ,they would have enough money to hire invesagative reporters, feature the top columnists, and a beat writer for all the major sport teams…Dallas, Lubbock, El Paso, and Midland could cover the northern part of the state..The newspaper would be the size of the Houston Chronicle Sunday edition.
I still like the feel of the newspaper and I like the idea that it would take more than a sip of coffee to complete…..I can get the news anywhere but journalist and columnist bring it home to me.
May 15, 2009 at 5:33 p.m.I hear you, Big J. I'm not a fan of any of the talking heads, regardless of their politics.
It seems to me as if the cable networks have replaced news with a variety of people shouting their opinions about what they think is news. I don't tune in any of that in.
May 15, 2009 at 5:24 p.m.Thanks, One. And the great thing about the Web is you can alert us to any sirens you want us to check on. We're able to react much more immediately and interactively. Our readers are everywhere. We just need to listen and then report.
May 14, 2009 at 6:25 p.m.One,
I agree TV and newspapers face serious challenges. My point in this post was to point out that the challenges facing TV news are as great or greater than newspapers. Yet, the coverage has not followed.
We have, by far, the most vibrant Web site in the Crossroads region because we agree online is the future.
May 14, 2009 at 5:35 p.m.Everything is shifting to the internet. This week I finally dropped my telephone land line and now only have Vonnage and cellular. A couple of months back I decided to come back to Netflix because I can watch so many movies and other entertainment instantly now. Many other websites also allow you to watch entertainment and news online. Even the evening news is available online immediately after the live broadcast. I buy everything I can online not only because of price, but convenience as well (my neighbors do as well from seeing the UPS trucks). I spend a lot of time on the computer keeping up to date on the news and entertainment. I know when I receive an email. I can check during the day for updates on the news. I can refresh this web page and see if anyone has made a comment I want to read or comment about. Facebook also keeps me up to date on friends and family, even with recent pictures we share. The world has changed and is changing before our eyes. I fully realize my comments are hardly news and I may very well be behind the curve. I take the Victoria Advocate but I rarely read it other than online. That's not intended as a slight, it's just the truth. Every day seems to bring more wonders courtesy of the internet. The internet now brings you everything, news, entertainment, shopping, and communications, even legal and medical advice. You get the picture.....the internet is the future. Figure out how to make it a part of your business model or perish, it would seem. How many typewriters have you seen lately?
May 14, 2009 at 4:59 p.m.I disagree that local newspapers will go first, if ever. Our readership is 90 percent of adults within Victoria County and 70 percent within the nine-county region. That hardly sounds like teetering on the brink of extinction.
The local TV station, by comparison, has an audience share of 20 percent. In the age of TiVo, who actually makes an appointment to watch the news at 6 and 10?
We see a huge opportunity in offering on-demand video to complement our printed and online products. Viewership for our videos is soaring since our redesign have put them up front and center.
We may eventually quit print delivery, but news consumption remains high. The challenge is to keep connecting with our readers and audience at the high level we are.
May 14, 2009 at 4:49 p.m.It seems to me that TV NEWS will have to some how become more interactive to hold on to its viewers. The internet offers click and go news meaning you can click on and read/view only the stories you want to, with TV you have to wait for them to get to the story they tease you with. The situation is worse for papers because you can only really report the news that has already happened. Soon the internet will more than likely dominate news broadcasting with news crews driving around waiting for a story to break and then trying to be the first on scene to report and upload a live broadcast to the web that subscribers will be able to watch on their cell phones. Just my thoughts.
May 14, 2009 at 3:10 p.m.