Re: 11 Alive News Director Calls Local News "Boring, Repetitive, Irrelevant"
*stands up and applauds* Could THIS be the news director I've been waiting for? Someone who REALIZES that 99% of TV news is fluff-ified?
Local news needs a shakeup. Local news shouldn't just tell you WHAT is going on but WHY it is going on. Daily editorials. Global perspective, local action. Morning shows that aren't as sweet as marshmallows with honey. Nightly programs that not just inform - but educate - the viewer. To fill the time, TV news has overstretched itself.
All you need is a good, solid morning newscast - news, traffic, weather, nothing pretentious. Depending on the age of the news operation, a noon is OK. At five, a nice roundup of the stories, a look to tonight, some in-depth report, weather, and either health or sports (out West). You don't need a 6pm - heck, most markets are more suitable for a 6:30 than a 6pm (like Seattle and Denver have done over the years). At 6:30 - incisive, cutting reporting, tonight's weather, world news headlines, and a roundup of sports. Maybe a 7:30 on the East Coast - I think 7:30 is actually a good time to run local news, kinda like the 6:30 but maybe a bit deeper. At 10 or 11, roundup of the headlines, a marquee investigation story, weather, sports. All with global and local perspectives. Editorials with counterpoints - brings TV news into the cable news era without it infecting the straight-line newsroom.
News is not just a money maker, it is a public service to the viewer. It should be treated with respect and made the top commitment of the station. And you don't need 50+ hours of it a week, either. Pure fluff, if you want it on your station, should be ripped off the news department and spun off so that it does not pretend to be news. Don't make your weather department (or your Local Area Triple Doppler HD Forecast Center) so long-winded and hyped up. People crave hard news and reporting. Global news and local news. But TV stations keep throwing softballs in pursuit of the almighty ratings point.
In this day of cable news and a zillion news outlets, what keeps local TV relevant is that it is LOCAL. That's important - but a complete hard news package to go with that local news is important too.