Growing Local TV News Programming Without Exhausting Employees or Audience

Local TV stations are facing the challenge of creating compelling content for viewers in the digital age, as discussed in a panel at The Business of TV News event in Washington. The panel, moderated by Bill Hague of Magid, highlighted the growth of local programming and the need to adapt to changing viewer habits.

Ozzie Martinez of Telemundo Station Group and NBCUniversal Local emphasized the importance of transforming into a multiplatform bilingual organization to reach a wider audience. He spoke about the success of regional newscasts and streaming content in attracting new viewers.

Sean McLaughlin of Graham Media Group addressed the disconnect between viewers and content, stressing the difficulty of changing ingrained habits in local newsrooms. The panel also touched on the challenge of finding producing talent, with younger generations more interested in creating content for platforms like YouTube than traditional newscasts.

Scott Livingston of Sinclair shared how rebranding a producer job listing as a content creator position led to a significant increase in applicants, highlighting the shift towards non-traditional storytelling methods. Sue Diviney of WTTG-WDCA Washington discussed the appeal of working on programming beyond news, such as behind-the-scenes programs on streaming platforms.

Overall, the panel emphasized the need for local TV stations to adapt to the changing media landscape by embracing new platforms and storytelling techniques to stay relevant and engage viewers in a rapidly evolving industry.