Why Some TV Stations May Start Ditching Local News
Florida-Georgia Television Company / Creative Commons License / via Wikimedia Commons
For decades, local news has been the backbone of broadcast television stations, serving as both a public service and a critical revenue stream. However, in an era of shifting media consumption habits, declining advertising revenues, and an increasingly unsustainable business model, the question is no longer whether some stations will drop local news — it’s when and how many will.
Local TV Economics
The economic pressures facing local television are undeniable. Even the largest station groups are feeling the squeeze, and for those at the bottom of the ratings pile, local news has become a financial albatross. A local newscast requires an expensive mix of talent, technology, and infrastructure. Salaries alone make up the largest portion of a newsroom’s budget, even as staffing levels have been relentlessly slashed. The ability to automate production has helped cut costs, but it has not fundamentally changed the underlying reality: local news is expensive, and for many stations, it is no longer profitable.
Consider what happened in Toledo, Ohio. WNWO-TV, the Sinclair-owned NBC affiliate, made headlines when it abandoned locally-produced news in 2023. It was not a lack of need for local journalism that drove this decision; it was the brutal math of business reality. The station had been a perpetual ratings underdog, and despite efforts to cut costs, it could not justify continuing to fund a money-losing operation. Instead of producing its own newscasts, WNWO now airs Sinclair’s Washington, D.C.-based “National News Desk” news programming, supplemented with network-provided content and syndicated shows. The station still delivers NBC programming to viewers, but it no longer employs a local news staff.
This model — where stations abandon local news production while still fulfilling their contractual obligations to networks — is not an anomaly. It is more the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
Next Logical Step
The industry has seen waves of newsroom layoffs, but as the business model continues to deteriorate, the next logical step for struggling stations is to cut local news entirely. When a station’s return on investment for local news turns irredeemably negative, shareholders and corporate decision-makers will see little choice but to pull the plug.
Some argue that local news is essential to a station’s identity and brand, and that viewers will rebel against its disappearance. But the evidence suggests otherwise. WNWO’s shift away from local news did not spark an outcry or a mass exodus of viewers. The majority of the audience simply shifted to other local stations that still produce news, while WNWO continued to function as an NBC affiliate. This reality should be alarming to any newsroom already struggling to justify its costs. If local news disappears from a station and the audience barely notices, then the rationale for keeping it afloat weakens significantly.
Coming Up Next: Larger Markets
Larger markets have been somewhat insulated from this trend so far, but that may not last. In Indianapolis, Scripps-owned WRTV has consistently lagged in ratings and is already replacing some traditional newscasts with its anchorless “Scrippscast” format. This playlist-style approach reduces costs but also signals a retreat from the traditional newsroom structure. If the financial pressures continue, Scripps and others may conclude that cutting news altogether is the only viable path forward.
Crucially, there is no regulatory requirement that local stations produce news per se. The FCC mandates that stations serve the public interest, but this does not necessitate the production of a full-scale local newscast. As long as a station can demonstrate some commitment to local issues—through public affairs programming, partnerships with other news organizations, or even airing repackaged network news content—it can continue to operate without a dedicated news division.
Immense Implications
The implications of this shift are significant. A market that once had four or five competing local newsrooms could find itself with just one or two, reducing the diversity of perspectives and coverage. Viewers will still have access to news through other sources—cable, digital outlets, and social media—but the loss of local broadcast newsrooms will further erode the traditional model of community-focused journalism.
The coming years will test the resilience of local TV news. While major players in top markets may survive, smaller stations with weak ratings and declining ad revenues are running out of options. The harsh economic reality is this: for some stations, getting out of the local news business is not just an option — it is inevitable.
Local News To Peruse
Gray Stations Add ‘Local News Live’ To Daily Lineup - Mark K. Miller [TVNewsCheck]
Give Gray Credit For Thinking Ahead - Kirk Varner [TVND.com]
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks To Resign - Matthew Keys [TheDesk.net]
Peacock Launches In-Market Streaming Of NBC Sports Regional Networks - Mark K. Miller [TVNewsCheck]
2024 US Elections Digital Advertising Trends: CTV Drives Programmatic Ad Spending - Jaime Vasil [Basis Technologies]
Local Newsrooms Are Using AI To Listen In On Public Meetings - Andrew Deck [NiemanLab]
