Is local news important? For more than a decade, market watchers repeatedly proclaimed the demise of the newspaper industry as readers migrated to online options.
The latest trends are disrupting the broadcast TV industry as well. In 2019, viewers are bypassing local TV with streaming options that include HULU, AMAZON PRIME, NETFLIX, and SLING. More troublesome developments for local TV stations, however, are the move CBS, NBC, and ABC are making to streaming channels.
What happens to the 6 o’clock local news when more and more viewers watch CBSN directly from their home roku device?
Headlines from Variety in 2018 read: Cord-Cutting Keeps Churning: U.S. Pay-TV Cancelers to Hit 33 Million in 2018 (Study). The article states that in 2018 consumers who cancelled traditional pay-TV service and did not resubscribe increased by 32.8%, to 33.0 million adults, according to new estimates from research firm eMarketer. That’s compared with a total of 24.9 million cord-cutters as of the end of 2017, which was up 43.6% year over year (and an upward revision from eMarketer’s previous 22 million estimate)
WHO IS WATCHING LOCAL GOVERNMENT?
This trend is certain to affect the lives of residents like Sharon Pollard, Ann Dunham, local merchants, and more. If network streaming bypasses local stations, local news revenue is sure to dry up over time. TV broadcast ad sales only made up 31.2% of national total ad revenues in 2018.
As the 6 p.m. news hour’s impact diminishes, local residents are increasingly finding alternative online ways to stay informed and engaged.
MEDIA GONE CORPORATE
Local governments must be watched, however. Local news has traditionally been our best resource. Recent history in the City of Myrtle Beach alone reinforces the reality that local government unchecked is a greater threat to liberty than what happens nationally.
Media outlets including WBTW, WRNN, WPDE, SUN NEWS, and WMBFnews, however, have all gone corporate maximizing resources in cost cutting measures. As such, their top level managers are often shipped in from out of market. They are not as integrated into the history of the community as Mark Gardner (of the Sun News) was back in the 1970s.
Small upstarts like our team are integrated into the community with a long history of all things local. While our market share grows, however, our small staff size makes it hard for us to cover a broad base of well researched news. We are required to self limit our scope of coverage because of the small size of our organization. While we occasionally cover other topics, we singularly focus on local government and local government/corporate collusion.
Team-working And Networking May Be The Best Move Forward
Working with groups like the Freedom Action Network on our Wednesday Water Cooler broadcast may be the best move forward for all local news in general. The migration has already begun with several other channels coming online including: Liberty on Caffeine, The Liz Callaway Show, and a host of soon to be released shows by NMBStudios.
NMBStudios is a new streaming broadcast network headquartered in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. MyrtleBeachSC News plans to feature one of their new launches this week called Brand Stories. Readers can visit their home page on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/GrandStrandBrands
