Skip to main content

Screen Wars Thought Leader Interviews are also available on

SpotifyApple PodcastGoogle Podcast
State of the Screens

“Thank God you’re not in newspapers”: Local TV is doing way better than you’d think, a new report…

By April 18, 2018No Comments

Local TV news: There are currently 703 local TV newsrooms across the U.S. producing content for 1,072 different stations.

Change in newsroom staff (2008 vs. 2018):
1) Local TV — ↑ 5%
2) Local newspapers — ↓ 50%

Flashback: Pew Research Center: Local TV News Fact Sheet

Local TV station revenue normally follows a cyclical pattern based on the political cycle.

Station Revenue by year (TV only):
1) 2010 — $19.4B
2) 2011 — $17.9B
3) 2012 — $20.3B
4) 2013 — $18.4B
5) 2014 — $20.0B
6) 2015 — $18.5B
7) 2016 — $20.6B
8) 2017 — $19.8B*
9) 2018 — $21.1B*

Digital revenue broke $1B for the first time in 2016.

Airtime dedicated to news continues to grow (hours per day):
1) 2003–3.7
2) 2008–4.6
3) 2013–5.3
4) 2016–5.7 (↑ 54% since 2003)

More #1: What Local TV News Needs to Do to Survive

More #2: ‘Digital’ TV Leaders Have Been Forged By Risk

Michael Beach

Michael Beach is the Chief Executive Officer of Cross Screen Media, a media analytics and software company that enables marketers to plan, activate, and measure CTV and linear TV at the local level. Michael is also the founder and editor of State of the Screens, a weekly newsletter focused on video advertising that is a must-read for thought leaders in the advertising industry. He has appeared in such publications as PBS Frontline, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Axios, CNBC and Bloomberg, and on NPR’s Planet Money podcast.