Whether its fake news, digital distractions or seeking information from other sources - TV news just experienced its biggest decline in tune-in since the advent of the medium.
Doesn't seem correct? I'll explain.
While many of us associate news media with your big national news brands and networks, the most widely watched news has historically been local news on TV.
That's still the case, but a remarkable 20 percent fewer people are watching local news on TV today compared to a year ago. Over the past year here's the breakout of adults using TV for news according to the Pew Research Center:
Local TV News: 37 percent (down 9 percent)
Cable TV News: 28 percent (down 3 percent)
Network TV News 26 percent (down 4 percent)
TV's news influence has never been lower since the advent of the industry. Digital news sampling only continues to rise. We do see partisan differences in sampling. For example ...
While nearly an equitable percentage of Democrats and Republicans tune into local news (38 percent of Democrats & 36 percent of Republicans), there are bigger differences with other TV news sources.
Your broadcast news networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) are viewed by:
- 30 percent of Democrats
- 21 percent of Republicans
The inverse is true with your Cable TV news networks:
- 32 percent of Republicans watch (most commonly Fox News)
- 26 percent of Democrats
I've not generally been bothered by a decline in TV news viewership provided that people are informing themselves. My biggest concern with this information however, is if people are adequately informing themselves of local news. It's worth repeating that the politicians and elections that are most likely to impact your day-to-day life are those closest to you.
Remaining informed about local issues and engaging them as needed is as important as ever. Especially in South Florida with our checkered history of public officials.