Local TV news audiences drop

Local TV news viewership is dropping with local affiliates for Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS in the US losing more than 6% of their audience in early morning, evening and late night slots last year according to new research.

The Pew Research Centre’s State of the News Media report 2013 said that while local TV remains a top news source for Americans, the percentage is dropping sharply among younger generations, with regular local TV viewership among adults under 30 falling from 42% in 2006 to just 28% in 2012.

The research added that topics people go to local TV news most for – such as weather and breaking news – are ripe for replacement by web- and mobile-based outlets.

“Local TV audiences were down across every key time slot and across all networks in 2012. And the off-peak news hours like 4:30 am that stations had been adding for years seem to have hit their audience ceiling,” Pew Research said.