For years, local news has anchored broadcast TV stations, delivering public service while driving revenue. Yet, with changing viewer habits, shrinking ad dollars, and a business model growing less viable, the question isn’t if some stations will abandon local news—it’s when and how widespread it will be. Several factors are driving speculation that some TV stations in the U.S. may start ditching local news, a trend rooted in economic pressures, shifting viewer habits, and industry consolidation.
TVrev.com takes a look at why a shift might be happening:
1. Declining Revenue and High Production Costs
Local news is expensive to produce, requiring staff (anchors, reporters, producers, camera operators), equipment, and studio space. Traditionally, stations relied on advertising revenue to offset these costs, but that model is crumbling. Ad dollars are increasingly flowing to digital platforms like Google and Meta, which offer targeted reach at lower rates. A 2023 Pew Research study noted broadcast TV ad revenue dropped from $20.5 billion in 2017 to $15.4 billion in 2022, while digital ad spending soared past $200 billion. For smaller stations or those in mid-sized markets, the return on investment for local news often doesn’t justify the expense, pushing owners to cut back or eliminate it entirely.
Audiences are abandoning traditional TV for streaming and online news sources. Nielsen data from 2024 shows adults aged 18-34 spend less than 20% of their media time on broadcast TV, favoring platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and X for real-time updates. Local news viewership skews older—typically 55+—and that demographic is shrinking as younger viewers, who advertisers covet, tune out. Stations see less incentive to cater to a dwindling audience when cheaper alternatives like syndicated programming or network reruns can fill airtime with lower overhead.
3. Consolidation and Corporate Priorities
The wave of media mergers—think Nexstar’s 2019 Tribune buyout or Apollo’s potential sale of Cox Media Group (CMG) in 2025—has centralized decision-making. Large owners like Nexstar (200+ stations), Gray Media (113 markets), and Sinclair (190+ stations) often prioritize profit over localism, especially in smaller markets. They’ve been known to slash newsrooms or replace local broadcasts with centralized “hub” newscasts piped in from bigger cities. For example, Sinclair has faced criticism for homogenizing content across its stations, reducing unique local coverage. If CMG’s sale goes through, a buyer might ditch news at underperforming stations to streamline costs.
4. Competition from Digital and Hyperlocal Sources
Local news faces stiff competition from online outlets—think Patch, Axios Local, or even X posts from citizen journalists—that deliver faster, cheaper updates. A 2024 Knight Foundation report found 60% of Americans get some local news from social media, bypassing TV entirely. Stations struggling to compete might see news as a losing battle, especially if they can’t afford digital infrastructure to keep up. In markets where newspapers have folded (over 2,500 since 2005, per Northwestern’s Medill School), TV was a last bastion, but that role’s fading as resources dry up.
Real-World Examples and Trends
Sinclair’s Cuts: Sinclair has shuttered newsrooms in markets like Toledo, Ohio, replacing them with regional feeds, a cost-saving move that could spread.
Nexstar’s Strategy: After acquiring Tribune, Nexstar reduced news staff at stations like WGN in Chicago, focusing on national rather than local content in some cases.
Small Market Struggles: In places like Yuma, Arizona, stations sold by CMG to Imagicomm in 2022 have leaned on minimal news or none at all, reflecting a broader retreat.
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