Sweeps: DC 11 p.m. newscast audience down, AM grows
Steve Safran December 1st, 2006
A major drop across the board for the 11 p.m. news in Washington, D.C.: the three network affils saw double-digit percentage losses in their audience versus November, 2005. WJLA - the ABC affil - is down 35% versus last year. Even the #1 late newscast in DC - WRC - saw its audience drop by 11%. Where is the audience growing? The morning news. Ever the understaffed underdog at most stations, nearly all DC early-AM shows grew their audiences. Not a surprise: when you wake up, you still need to know what’s happening. The 11 p.m. news exists because of 10 p.m. network lead-ins. As the networks lose their grip on audience share, the late local news audience shrinks. And with the web, by 11 p.m., everyone already knows what happened that day.
5 Comments Add your own
1. Everett W. | December 1st, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Okay, all that and the fact that traffic patterns have become so bleeped up in the D.C. area that people need to get up extra early for morning rush. Correspondingly, people become less willing/able to stay up for late news.
2. Steve Safran | December 1st, 2006 at 2:34 pm
It’s not a DC-only phenomenon, although I will grant you traffic there is a whole new kind of cruel. (And this from a Boston guy.) Culturally, we have changed and the 11 pm shows can’t depend on lead-ins the way they used to.
3. Troy | December 1st, 2006 at 3:22 pm
On target Saf,
As a media guy, I have abandoned altogether late news & I don’t even offer it to my clients. If anything - its prime network news and not the local flavor.
As you mentioned in the story, folks are getting the news they want from the internet, not what is offered (oldway) broadcast. Even teasers for local TV news on AM radio out here (SF Bay Area) are finding new ways to hook the view i.e. special/human interest etc. I would suspect their numbers are way down as well.
Times - they are ‘a changing.
4. Andrew Langer | December 2nd, 2006 at 8:12 am
Hello,
I am all for more small media outlets. The networks are just not the answer to getting information out there. Somehow people think Internet news is not as good as broadcast, so that’s why I call for more small media outlets.
For example John Berlau is pretty much restricted to small print publications. A syndicated or even regular nationwide show with him would be great. Julie DeFalco and Brooke Oberwetter could provide good commentary on technical issues.
Prostitution is an issue that needs more coverage. Berlau is an expert on this, as he has worked both sides of the street as you might say. But apart from that he has got many hours of solid material consisting of interviews with prostitutes and their customers. I just happen to think a well done series would show people some things they had never known.
Now my own blog the Andrew Langer Liberty Blog is another case in point. Readership is low but I think people could tear themself away from whatever it is for 15 minutes a week to listen to what I have to say. I would not need or maybe even want television coverage but radio would work. Yes I could certainly do a couple of 15 minute spots a week.
And we won’t even get into my ideas about the Andrew Langer Food Show.
5. Ratboy | January 19th, 2008 at 5:24 am
Wow, thanks for the excellent information!
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