The economy is awful.  I get it!  That's what I am being told by informal focus groups of local TV news viewers as I criss-cross the country.

And those viewers – from cab drivers to hotel clerks to the lady who cuts my hair to my neighbors – all say the same thing.  They are watching less local TV news because of the daily overdose of bad news about the economy.  Now, I know I have been pressing for months for local TV news to make the economy a priority in your daily content – but there is a caveat.

Your viewers want you to mix in some HOPE with the daily litany of economic doom and gloom.  Don't just show them the economic car wreck every day – but also give them the alternate route to keep it from happening to them.

It is still all about the economy – BUT – balance it with some helpful stories that show your viewers how to survive and move forward.  Offer them advice, tips, and bring on experts to give them a roadmap to survive 2009.  Make it simple and practical advice.  Tell them what local companies are hiring.  Tell them where the Job Fairs are etc.

One of my clients runs a local economic segment every day in the second half of their 6 p.m. newscast with practical tips and ideas.  Their metered ratings for the second quarter hour increase each day.

If you don't provide economic balance in your newscasts – your viewers may just opt for Andy Griffith re-runs instead of watching your doom and gloom news.

Jim

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Willi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.