Local TV news credibility is on the upswing according to the latest Pew Research Center study.  Of course, it is still less than a third of all viewers who "believe all or most of what the news organization says."

28% of all respondents said Local TV News when asked that credibility question.  That is six points lower than a decade ago.  It is also third overall - behind #1 CNN (30%, down 12% in a decade), and 60 Minutes #2 at 29% (down 6% since 1998).   Local TV News' credibility increased by 5% since the 2006 survey, and edges NPR... more »

I'm not a big Olympics fan - but every night I find myself getting hooked into watching it for hours.  I'm not alone the ratings are strong across the country - really strong!

I think the draw is the Olympics is the ultimate reality TV program.  It is all about the DRAMA of the Olympics.  I am rooting for Michael Phelps to get 8 gold medals.  The DRAMA of the 4X100 relay the other night was incredible!

I'm not a gymnastics fan but the DRAMA of the U.S. Men's team trying to gut out a medal after one of their best had to... more »

VSS, a media private equity company, predicts that by the end of 2008, TV ad revenue will beat newspaper revenue for the first time since record-keeping began in the 18th century.  They say that TV ad revenue, boosted by political races and the Olympics, will reach 51-billion dollars this year.

Newspaper revenue will sink like a rock to just under 47-billion dollars - that is nearly 5-billion dollars less than last year.  TV ad revenue will be up about 3-billion, according to VSS.

But this is no time for Broadcasters to be smug about their victory.  Yes, TV ad revenue sprinted... more »

You knew it had to happen - a McDonald's iced coffee prominently sitting on the anchor desk for a morning newscast in Las Vegas.  Product placement has made its way to local TV news programs.

The Las Vegas Sun reports that KVVU - Fox 5 - started placing the plastic cups with the McDonald's logo on their morning news set a couple weeks ago.  The KVVU news director calls it a "nontraditional revenue source."   Capital J journalists may refer to it as something else.  But is it a really big deal?

It made me chuckle to read that the news director... more »

WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, South Carolina spiked their 6 p.m. news ratings by 30% this week by offering a DTV home test for their viewers.  I have written about a similar test in Honolulu during the May sweeps that was also a big success.  This is an excellent public service for your viewers - and it drives viewership.

WSPA has been averaging a 9.1 rating/16 share during the July sweeps.  They popped a 12 rating and 21 share with their DTV test, which ran at 6:20 p.m.

They used a phone bank to answer viewer questions during the test that received over 300 calls. ... more »

When was the last time your television station popped "Super Bowl-Like" ratings - outside of a Super Bowl?   For WCMH-TV in Columbus it was just a few days ago.

And with a stronger emphasis on the Internet and mobile devices, the station had a record day in cyberspace too.

The occasion was the annual "Red, White, and Boom" celebration in Columbus on July 3rd.  Tens of thousands of people flocked downtown for food, games and a spectacular fireworks display.  WCMH has owned the event for years.

This year the station put an added emphsis on their web site, and it paid off with over... more »

Two AR&D clients swept the National Edward R. Murrow Awards for "Overall Excellence."   Congratulations to KOMO in Seattle, the winner of the large market award, and WJAR in Providence, winner of the small market Murrow.

Both of these stations have excellent news operations and it is great to see them recognized with the national award for overall excellence.  It is truly an award the entire station can take pride in achieving.

Also a tip of the hat to AR&D client WKRG in Mobile which won a national Murrow for Continuing Coverage.  KOMO captured a second national Murrow for writing.

Great work.  We are proud of

The 25-54 demo is out-dated!   Every 7 seconds another Baby Boomer turns 50.  By 2009, the majority of all American households will be led by someone 50 or older.

Many TV general managers I have talked to agree with my call to change the so-called "key demo" for advertsiers to 30-to-60 year olds.  The buying power continues to get grayer in this country and needs to be recognized by the those 20-something media buyers.

Think back to your 20's - did you have any "buying power?"  I didn't.  But today I do.  My two sons complain that I am imposible to... more »

If you needed proof that traditional news outlets are in competition with thousands of Internet sources, consider the first report of the untimely death of Tim Russert.   No, it wasn't his own network - NBC - or any other traditional broadcast or cable news outlet.

Beating the pack by a full 36 minutes was Wikipedia!   That's right - the controversial site written and edited by anonymous sources - beat the venerable Associated Press by over half an hour.  Wikipedia had the news 38 minutes before NBC told the world.

In fact, there were eight edits on the Wikipedia site before NBC... more »

Someone once told me, "you can't cut enough expenses to get back to profitability, you have to have a revenue plan too."  I believe this thinking is lost on most broadcast groups in these difficult times. 

I hear from frustrated general managers every day that their company is only focused on cutting expenses, with no planning on how to protect their core business while at the same time pursuing new revenue streams.  In fact, the GM's complain it is just the opposite - any new revenue ideas are routinely rejected immediately because all the corporate folks want to hear is where... more »