Local TV News Forced to Shift Coverage Focus
by Matthew Lawlor on Oct 2, 2013 | Views: 90 | Score: 0
| 2005 | 2012 | |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | 29 | 17 |
| Traffic & Weather | 25 | 29 |
| Human Interest | 7 | 5 |
| Politics | 7 | 3 |
| Sports | 7 | 12 |
| Accidents or Bizarre | 5 | 13 |
| Business | 3 | 8 |
Broadcasting Topic
% of Coverage
Sources:
pewresearch.org
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In order to slow the steady drop in viewership experienced by local TV news broadcasts, producers have shifted focus on the topics covered. Traffic, Weather, and Sports now make up 40% of all local news coverage. Political coverage has been reduced by more than half in the last seven years to 3%. Accident/Bizarre coverage has more than doubled to 13%.