TV news

Media Minutes: September 16, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:08:02 -0400

A new investigation found that U.S. TV news is turning away from video reporting and to arguing pundits and hypothetical conversations about what might be happening. And it’s been 50 years since Newt Minow gave his speech about TV’s “vast wasteland.” In this digital age, his words still reverberate for the industry, policymakers and public interest advocates.

Media Minutes: August 26, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:56:41 -0400

St. Louis — the largest urban area in Missouri — is getting less news reported by fewer journalists, thanks to covert media consolidation. And the music industry will be shaken by a policy put in place in the 1970’s that could put copyrighted songs back into the hands of the artists who actually created them.

Related Stories

What Did TV News Really Learn From 9/11?

Stevie Converse — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:07:30 -0400

Full article: TV Newscheck
Harry A. Jessell
TV news was so deeply involved in covering the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and those attacks were so traumatic that you would expect TV news was significantly changed by the experience. But has it been? Forces far more powerful than Al Qaeda ever was shape local TV news. These are bloodless economic forces, which have been demanding that stations produce more news for more platforms on tighter budgets.

Broadcasters Cash in with Political Ads

Stevie Converse — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 10:33:19 -0400

Full article: SavetheNews.org
Megan Tady
Thanks to <em>Citizens United</em> v. <em>FEC</em>, corporations can now spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns, and they're paying for TV political ads in record numbers. A new report by Moody's Investors Service predicts political advertising sales will continue to soar — even in the face of a double-dip recession. Are corporations using their record-breaking profits to rehire journalists and produce quality news and entertainment?

Media Minutes: July 1, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:47:56 -0400

What do you do if you live in one of the almost 80 communities across the country where media companies are quietly merging their TV newsrooms, cutting staff and sharing news content? ChangetheChannels.org is calling attention to this growing problem. And an interesting case that could affect the future of documentary filmmaking is unfolding in an unlikely place: tax court.

Collaboration or Collusion in Chicago TV News?

Stevie Converse — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:56:29 -0400

Full article: Chicago Reader
Michael Miner
Local TV news operations across America have been merging their newsrooms -- circumventing media ownership rules. Chicago is the poster city for this kind of covert consolidation with a local news sharing agreement between four stations -- CBS, NBC, FOX and CW -- that combines journalists, crew and editorial staff to produce a single newscast.

LocalNews Finds Itself More Wanted than Ever -- But in New Ways

Stevie Converse — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 08:52:40 -0400

Full article: Denver Post
Joanne Ostrow
A funny thing happened on the way to writing the obituary for the battered institution that is local TV news. While the number of people sitting in front of the tube at 10 p.m. has declined consistently the past decade and the form itself seems an antiquated aspect of the popular culture, the audience for local TV news stations' output has expanded.

Network News at a Crossroads

Stevie Converse — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:53:51 -0500

Full article: New York Times
Brian Stelter and Bill Carter
The economic problems facing ABC News and CBS News in many ways mirror those faced by newspapers, which have been similarly afflicted by a drop in advertising revenue. The reaction -- severe cuts in personnel and other costs -- also looks to be the same. But can you shrink your way to prosperity?

ABC News to Cut Half its Domestic Correspondents, Close Bricks-and-Mortar Bureaus

Stevie Converse — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:32:44 -0500

Full article: Los Angeles Times
Matea Gold
As part of the deep cuts announced at ABC News, the network plans to close all of its physical bureaus around the country except Washington and halve the number of its domestic correspondents. The Washington bureau will remain open, but its size will be substantially reduced.

ABC News to Cut Hundreds of Staff

Stevie Converse — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:16:40 -0500

Full article: New York Times
Brian Stelter and Bill Carter
ABC News will sharply reduce by about 25 percent its news-gathering staff through buyouts and possible layoffs. The cuts at ABC, a unit of the Walt Disney Company, are among the steepest ever made at a network news division.