Study: Weather at risk for local TV sites
Cory Bergman August 16th, 2006
Some interesting stats from new study that examines the relationship between local TV news and the web. While 75 percent of internet users watch a local newscast at least twice a week, many of them aren’t relying on TV websites for the same information. “Local weather is the most sought-after information online, yet web users are much more likely to turn to other sources than to local television web sites to find it,” reports the study, conducted by Crawford Johnson & Northcott Inc. Just 26 percent of web users say they go to a local TV site for weather information — 40 percent go to “other” sites like Weather.com and Google. “Many stations spend a lot of resources building a strong local weather brand, yet they don’t deliver on the web,” said Jill Johnson, CJ&N partner. “It’s time to get more proactive.” Full press release below…
PRESS RELEASE — People who seek news and information on the internet also watch local television news and do not see it as a substitute according to a new study from Crawford Johnson & Northcott Inc. The study, designed to examine how news consumers use the internet and local television, found that 75% of internet users watch a local newscast at least twice a week. In addition, 52% said they try to watch at least one local newscast per day.
“Web users as a group watch as much local television news as anyone else,” said Bob Crawford, Ph.D., partner and head of the company’s research division. “I think we’ve heard a lot of talk about how the web is replacing television as a source for news. This indicates that’s not the case at all. They don’t see the web as a substitute, just another source.”
That’s good news for local television managers, who also might be glad to know that the elements information seekers on the internet are most likely to seek out are the elements for which local television is known – weather, news, video. However, the not-so-good news is that web users don’t necessarily turn to local TV web sites for this information. In fact, according the study, local weather is the most sought-after information online, yet web users are much more likely to turn to other sources than to local television web sites to find it.
This should send up a warning flag for local television according to Jill Johnson, CJ&N partner.
“It’s time to get much more proactive,” said Johnson. “Many stations spend a lot of resources building a strong local weather brand, yet they don’t deliver on the web. In fact, their web traffic counts are misleading them and masking the problem. It’s time to pay attention to what web users want, because as this study indicates, online users are local television viewers too.”
Another significant finding is that as a source of local information, local television web sites are on par with local newspaper sites.
“Web users are just as likely to turn to a local television station web site as a local newspaper site when it comes to finding local news online,” said Crawford.
In addition, local television stations have the power to drive people from their newscast to their web site. According to the survey, 68% said they have gone to a station’s web site after hearing a local story on a newscast.
“The key is what they find when they get there,” said Crawford. “Is the information easy to find? Is it easy to use? Some of the findings in this study suggest that local television isn’t giving web users what they want. That’s a real concern.”
The survey was based on a random sample of 861 respondents living in the United States. All respondents were between 18 and 64 years old and answered the survey via a web-based interview. A stratified sampling procedure based on gender and age was used to obtain a representative sample.
▪ 75% of internet users watch a local newscast at least twice a week; 52% said they try to watch at least one local newscast per day
▪ 85% are very or somewhat likely to seek out local weather information on the web.
▪ 26% said they would go to a local television web site for local weather; 9% would go to a local newspaper site; 13% to a national news site (such as CNN or FOX News); and 40% said they would go to some “other site.”
▪ 37% said they would go to a local television web site for information on local news stories; 35% said they would go to a local newspaper web site
▪ 68% said they had gone to a local television station’s web site for more information after hearing a story on a local newscast
▪ Web users in all age groups older than 25 are about equally as likely to have ever watched news or weather video on a web site, with those ages 35-44 the most likely (53%). About one third of those 18-24 have turned to the web to see news or weather video.
▪ 72% say their home page is a site that provides news and information.
▪ Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) keep the same home page on their computers for more than a year. Another 17% change their home page just once or twice a year.
For more information on the complete study, contact Bob Crawford at 319.377.0846 or email him at bcrawford@cjni.com.
15 Comments Add your own
1. A | August 16th, 2006 at 11:44 am
Well yea, who wants to look at rehashed NWS text surrounded by flashy ads.
Now if you have some actual useful weather app on your site, that is a whole ‘nother story - for example, while it hasn’t been linked to on their site for years so you need to know the direct URL, KREM has a nifty java app that shows realtime current weather conditions outside for all over the area.
2. Terry Heaton | August 16th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
I’ve been writing about this for a long time, and the threat is very real. It’s THE key niche for local broadcasters, and to give it away without a fight is pretty foolish. I’m sorry; a “useful weather app” on your site is important, but it doesn’t address the real changes that are taking place in online news consumption. When you’ve got deep pocketed internet pure plays knocking at the local weather door, it’s time for a little humility, resource commitment, and some creative thinking.
3. thedetroitchannel | August 16th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
allocate some resources to a stronger door?
4. Steve | August 16th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
SkyCams! User controlled SkyCams will solve our problem!
5. Z | August 16th, 2006 at 6:14 pm
Okay, I’ll bite. What can be done?
I mean, lets face it. At this moment, if I say “Find me a weather forecast”, even I, who runs a TV news Web site, will probably reflexively go to weather.com. It’s quicker to type and flits to mind immediately.
That’s despite the fact that, often, if I want any sort of drilled-down weather info, it’s much faster to go to a local site than navigate the myriad menus at weather.com. And if I want decent radar, I sure shouldn’t be going to weather.com.
Sure, they have a 10-day forecast. Know why we don’t? Because the 10-day is wrong more often than right. So how do you show people that?
But in the end, it will _always_ be _easier_ to type weather.com than it will to type MyFoxNY.com, ABC13.com or anything with “channel” in the name.
How do you fight simple convenience?
6. Cory | August 16th, 2006 at 6:34 pm
Even more than the Weather.com convenience factor is the fact weather is becoming ubiquitous: Google, Yahoo, RSS readers, DVRs and cable TV start screens, to name a few.
The keys to me would be:
1) Simplicity and cleanliness of presentation
2) Easy personalization (automatically remembers me)
3) Easy wireless delivery of personalized info
4) Weather storytelling and personality that brings local context and experience to conditions.
5) Cool but easy-to-use technology that’s mirrored from TV to online. See it on TV, use it yourself online.
6) Emphasizing local expertise and proven track record in expanded promotion efforts, but don’t use TV-like “TRIPLE DOPPLER 6000″ promotion style.
7) Aggressive distribution of branded weather coverage to other information providers and platforms.
7. Former TV Weather Person | August 17th, 2006 at 1:48 am
What almost every outlet does NOT do is go live online — STREAMING — how about using the weather talent to be in front of the green screen which would be shown, just like it is on tv, during times of any significant precipitation or weather event.
Why not have the weather talent use devoted weather watchers to chime in via voice, use Gmail chat or any other VoIP and have their voices piped in to reinforce what is going on in a locale? And use these reports constantly, so there is something fresh every few minutes.
ANd what is the purpose of stations which have spent tens of thousands on a radar unit to show it on a few lousy weathercasts? Why not stream live a feed of that radar, quit wasting people’s time by having the Java applets or whatever to load of a loop.
It seems harsh, but the news people seem to saturate coverage with items that have absolutely NO impact on local viewers. Take for example the JonBenet Ramsey murder; it received the BREAKING NEWS label in markets thousands of miles from Boulder, Co. Why? Meanwhile, I’m guessing that scores of local markets had murders the same day as the Ramsey suspect’s capture, but how many of these markets reported on these murders? Some of them likely involved children.
Why not use Google Maps to display the crime committed in a community on a daily basis?
And since Google is thrashing the ad revenue, why not take some of these newscasts out on the road to these area, say Shopping Malls and the like. Have the sales departments work with these outlets to offer 5 to 15% off (or more) by coming out to kiosks at the malls. Have some news talent on hand and have town hall meetings about specific issues within the mall. If not malls, why not shopping plazas?
What I don’t understand is that the market I reside in, four stations send a camera person to shoot the baseball game (a AAA team) for a couple of seconds of highlights. There is hardly any post game interview or anything decent for a true sports fan to watch. This is a good example of how GMs and NDs should contact each other and aggree to pool coverage for the highlights. Or put the onus on the team to have some intern drive the highlights over (edited!). It seems like a waste of time, resources, etc. for somebody to be sent over to shoot 2-3 hours of baseball for less than 20 seconds of a double, runner scores, pitcher strikes out someone, catcher jumps up and handshakes ensue.
8. frank padula | August 17th, 2006 at 7:41 am
How do you fight simple convenience?
Easy one, “you create it”. I don’t think i have seen one local stations wx site displayed in a clear fashion. Always to much info that is watered down further by boring fcst discussion that i know i hate writting, etc. We need graphics! they are quick and dirty, to the point, and if people are creative enough they will draw you in. I’m not taking about a temperature map clottered with text, but a graphic that illustrates the mood of the information and caters to its audience. With the what am i getting out of this mentality. The weather channel rocks, because they make it FUN!
9. Anonymous | August 17th, 2006 at 11:09 am
My local NBC affiliate simulcasts its local feed of Weather Plus on its website. The local CBS affiliate streams a web-only version of its forecast in Real and Windows Media format. The local ABC streams its live dopper radar.
Me, I’m content with raw text from the NWS, but my first web browser was Lynx, so I’m weird that way.
10. The New Urgency for Local&hellip | January 15th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
[...] For example, one of the most popular features on a weather website is the zip code forecast. It’s been a staple of Weather.com, Yahoo and others for years. But on many local TV websites, zip code forecasts have been buried because they offer National Weather Service results that occasionally disagree with the one-size-fits-all forecast provided by the TV meteorologists. News directors have been worried that it sends mixed messages, when in reality the decision to downplay it reduces the station’s competitiveness online. A recent study found that just 26 percent of web users go to local TV websites for local weather. Almost all of the rest go to national sites, such as Weather.com and Yahoo, where they type in their zip code. [...]
11. Promote the web in weathe&hellip | February 7th, 2007 at 6:00 am
[...] Cory’s post a couple of days ago about why “search beats promotion” reminded me of an unintended behavior promos may be encouraging, particularly weather promos. I know weather promos are suppose to get me to watch the news, but for me at least, they simply remind me to check the weather online. Why wait for the 11 o’clock news, when I can grab my laptop off my coffee table? I can’t image I’m alone on this. If a growing portion of our audience starts doing this (maybe that’s why late news broadcasts are down 10%), shouldn’t we promote our online coverage, as well as our on-air coverage in every promo? If our promos are reminding people to go online, shouldn’t we at least remind them to go to our websites? Thoughts? [...]
12. imparare | April 14th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Interesting comments..
13. Is your meteorologist off&hellip | May 29th, 2007 at 8:07 am
[...] We’ve written about this before, but I believe it’s critical that TV stations shift their thinking and spending from TV to the web when it comes to weather. Standard weather coverage on TV will no longer be a reason to watch (breaking weather coverage is a big exception), and people are shifting online in droves. So create powerful weather technology online that allows users to personalize their experience, and then extend that technology to TV. In other words, meteorogists on TV should be using your web-based technology to deliver the forecast, re-enforcing the need in viewers’ minds to use your website for the weather. Under this approach, the web is the primary forecast destination, and TV is a complement. If we don’t make this switch soon, we’ll give away our franchise to Weather.com, the portals and national news sites. It’s already happening. [...]
14. MOJO | January 18th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Wow, thanks for the excellent information!
15. Brian Davis | July 7th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I have feared that TV weather and news would begin to phase out as websites become more available. This could be a bad thing to weather and news personalities. Many local areas are just now realizing the power of internet as some people are just now getting highspeed internet. I am a Meteorologist for a local station and also own a satellite business where we are converting people to high speed internet on a daily basis. Some of these customers are telling me that they would rather just go online to get weather and news versus turning on the TV set! I think for TV personalities, this could be trouble brewing. Lets face it, Less people tune into local news than used to. There are hundreds of other channels that can be watched! Someone may be watching HGTV or FOODNETWORK rather than the local news now days!!
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