Maybe the CEO of Time Warner saw this study before his quote about CNN, because according to a new Harris Interactive study, more people say the Web will be their primary news source than network news or cable news.
While today 25% of respondents in the U.S. say they rely on network TV news, the Web comes in at number 2 with 18%. But when asked what source they will turn to in the future, those numbers flip and the Web moves ahead of network TV news by 4%. It’s hard to tell from the press release if local TV news was wrapped up with the network TV news numbers, but if that’s the case broadcasters need to ask themselves how they should be allocating next year’s budget.
Adds jus_me in comments: “The only news on tv is kids with guns and old ladies whose cats have run away. Oh yeah, and the weather and sports. I find important news in five minutes on my laptop without some overly happy people telling me I’m going to die in five minutes… right after this commercial break.”
Adds Dan: “It makes no difference if the product is on the web, on broadcast TV, on a cell phone or on an iPod. If your information does not add value to a person’s life, what do you expect to happen? It’s not the delivery vehicle that’s the worry for local stations, it’s the content they are delivering. If they don’t change, drastically, others will replace them….”
