Reinventing Local TV News

Local TV news is still what the majority of Americans turn to to keep informed, with more people getting their news from television than any other source according to a 2017 Pew report, but the industry is in trouble. Despite drawing in the largest percentage of adults when comparing local, network, and cable TV news, local TV news has also seen the steepest drop-off in viewership in the last year. Profits have shrunk in the last three decades, and people of all demographics—young adults, especially—are turning away from television. But while many stations, afraid of alienating older viewers, are wary of innovation that may draw new audiences in, a host of stations is experimenting with new ways to attract younger, more diverse audiences. At a time when local TV news is often written off as formulaic, with sensationalism triumphing over substance, a look at stations that are going digital-first, crowdsourcing reporting, experimenting with augmented reality, and injecting more personality into the news.