The Sameness Of Local TV News

During the thirty-seven years I was in local TV news, I used to bristle at the criticism that it was overwhelmingly shallow and basically banal. I hated those people who would tell me they only watched PBS, and then proceed to tell me what they didn't like about what I reported the night before. But after being retired from the business for a year - and watching a lot of local TV news - I have to admit there is something lacking.

It goes beyond an overabundance of crime and fire coverage - which there is - it's a lack of investigative reporting and what I call "think" pieces. Those are the kind of stories that make people think about how their communities and lives would be better -or worse- if certain things would be done or eliminated.

But there is another problem facing local TV news operations that goes beyond content coverage alone. There is really no effort by TV stations in one single market to separate themselves from their competition. They are just not good at it. They all look the same. They all cover the same stories. To make it worse they market themselves the same way as other stations around the country -e.g.- "On Your Side", "Action News", etc. You could be in Tampa, Salt Lake City or Cincinnati and you'll see the same marketing approach. Why? Blame consultants. I'll have more on that in another blog.

The other problem is the financial woes TV stations have been dealing with since 2006, but that is starting to turn the corner. The question is will they have the commitment to hire the people they need to serve the communities that really depend on them.

Bill Ratliff