The name Local News Service refers to a variety of news resource share services all started in 2008 and 2009. It sometimes does not refer to a specific sharing service but to the category in general. Typically, these services include pooling video crews to cover routine events and sharing helicopters used for newsgathering.

For 2009, the biggest development for local TV was content pooling.[1]

NBC-Fox partnerships are called Local News Service.[2]

History

Since 2000, Fox News, ABC and CBS have been partners in a national news pool partnership.[3]

In January 2009, NBC Local Media and Fox Television Stations set up the first Local News Service with their Philadelphia stations after testing since the summer 2008. Fox and NBC then added other markets where they both own stations.[4] In March, the first local news pool not formed by the NBC-Fox alliance was formed in Columbus, OH by Media General's WCMH-TV and Sinclair Broadcast Group's WSYX and WTTE.[5] On April 1, Fox Stations entered into its first pooling agreements without NBC in Phoenix (KSAZ-TV) with Scripps' KNXV-TV and Meredith's KPHO-TV and in Detroit (WJBK) with Scripps's WXYZ-TV.[5] The Fox (WFLD)-NBC (WMAQ-TV) partnership on May 11 started its Chicago pool its first with outside members: Tribune's WGN-TV and CBS's WBBM-TV.[6] On June 29, 2009, six weeks after the start of the Atlanta group, WGCL-TV exited the pool as they considered it restraining their ability to differentiation.[1] The Orlando local news service launched July 16, 2009 is the first to include a local news cable channel, Central Florida News 13.[7]

Issues

There is some concern that these agreements will cause local news coverage to be overly similar "or will enhance it." The involved stations claim that it will help the stations by allowing more specialized reporting by not tying up resourcing for routine events. Many of the stations involved have reduced news staff due to decreased advertising revenue. Fracturing audiences will continue the revenue decline and the need to continue to reduce costs. These partnerships are a natural solution along with outsourcing and other partnerships and content sharing to the revenue decline. However, the member stations may use the local news services as a reason for even more reduction in personnel.[6] Others say that it will be difficult for rivals to work together.[1]

News share services

Market Launch
date 		Station Owner
Philadelphia[8][9] Test: Summer 2008
January 2009 		WCAU NBCUniversal
WTXF-TV Fox Television Stations
Washington, DC[10] June 15, 2009 WUSA Tegna
WRC-TVa NBCUniversal
WTTGa Fox Television Stations
Boston[11] June 1, 2009 WFXT Cox Media Group
WBZ-TV Paramount
Chicago[6] May 11, 2009 WGN-TV Nexstar
WFLD Fox Television Stations
WBBM-TV Paramount
WMAQ-TV NBCUniversal
Phoenix[5] April 1, 2009 KSAZ-TV Fox Television Stations
KNXV-TV Scripps
KPHO-TV Gray
Cleveland[6] April 2009 WKYC-TV Tegna
WOIO Gray
Columbus, OH[5] March 2012 WCMH-TV Nexstar
WSYX Sinclair
WTTE
Atlanta[2] May 18, 2009 WAGA Fox Television Stations
WANF Gray1
WXIA-TV Tegna
Tampa[12] June 2, 2009 WTVT Fox Television Stations
WFTS-TV Scripps
WTSP Tegna
Detroit [5] April 1, 2009 WJBK Fox Television Stations
WXYZ-TV and WMYD Scripps
Los Angeles[13] June 15, 2009 KTTV Fox Television Stations
KTLA Nexstar
KNBC NBCUniversal
New York[14] June 22, 2009 WNYWa Fox Television Stations
WNBCa NBCUniversal
WCBS-TV Paramount
WPIX Nexstar
Grand Rapids, MI[15] July 13, 2009 WOOD-TV Nexstar
WWMT Sinclair
WZZM Tegna
Orlando, FL[7] July 16, 2009 WKMG Graham Media Group
WOFL Fox Television Stations
Central Florida News 13 Charter
Dallash[16] January 9, 2009 KDFW Fox Television Stations
KXAS NBCUniversal

a. Also share in an "aerial news footage partnership" h. Helicopter shares 1. WANF, then called WGCL-TV, dropped out of the news share pool.[1]

Helicopter shares only

Market Station Owner
Phoenix[17] KTVK Meredith
KPHO-TV Meredith
KPNX Tegna
Denver KCNC CBS Television Stations Inc
KDVR / KWGN Nexstar
KMGH Scripps
KUSA / KTVD Tegna

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Malone, Michael (2009-07-13). "Atlanta Pool Springs Leak". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  2. ^ a b Malone, Michael (2009-05-18). "Atlanta Stations Set to Share". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Analyst is Lukewarm on the Future of Local News". TV Technology. July 13, 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  4. ^ Greppi, Michele (November 2008). "Fox, NBC Stations Form Local News Service". TV Week.com. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e Malone, Michael (2009-04-01). "Fox, Scripps Create Local News Service". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d Grotticelli, Michael (May 8, 2009). "Chicago stations join to share video crews for ENG". Broadcast Engineering. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  7. ^ a b Malone, Michael (2009-07-16). "Three Orlando Outlets Share". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  8. ^ Malone, Michael (2008-11-13). "Fox, NBC Try 'AP' Approach to Local TV". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-25. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  9. ^ Malone, Michael (2008-11-13). "UPDATE: Fox and NBC Want To Take Joint News Service National". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  10. ^ Malone, Michael (2009-05-21). "Gannett, Fox, NBC Share in DC". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  11. ^ Malone, Michael (2009-05-19). "WFXT, WBZ to Share in Boston". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  12. ^ Malone, Michael (2009-06-02). "Fox, Gannett and Scripps Share in Tampa". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  13. ^ Malone, Michael (2009-06-02). "Three L.A. Stations To Begin Local News Video Share June 15". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  14. ^ Malone, Michael (2009-06-08). "New York Pool: WNYW, WNBC, WCBS, WPIX". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  15. ^ Malone, Michael (2009-07-06). "Grand Rapids Stations Share". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  16. ^ Malone, Michael (2009-01-16). "Fox, NBC Expand LNS Relationship". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 2012-09-25. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  17. ^ "Phoenix TV stations to share helicopter". azcentral.com. 2009-02-24.
Categories