â–¶ Local TV News Hits Home: Local television news is more effective in engaging viewers’ attention with advertising than other TV program genres and competitive media, cites a Hearst Television study. Key findings include:
• 49% of viewers ranked local TV news first as a major part of their daily routine. Broadcast prime-time dramas and sitcoms ranked second (47%) followed by broadcast network prime-time reality TV (42%), cable prime-time dramas/movies (37%) and cable news (34%).
• 45% of respondents said they pay more attention to local TV news than most other TV genres, while cable news was cited by 39%; 81% cited local TV news as the “most important” news source among local, network broadcast and cable TV news.
• Local TV news is also relatively “DVR-proof,” says the study. Only 17% of respondents cited having recorded local TV newscasts for later viewing; 57% said they never, rarely or only sometimes fast-forward through portions of recorded local TV newscasts.
Source: Hearst Television