“Even as the preference for digital delivery creeps up on that for news via TV, local television stations retain a strong hold in the local news ecosystem,” Pew reports. On that local front, TV leads with 38% of Americans, followed by 20% preferring local news from radio and 17% who rely on local daily newspapers. Next comes a range of less traditional sources such as online forums or discussion groups (12%), local organizations such as school groups or churches (8%), and community newsletters (8%). “While individually these less traditional sources garner far smaller audiences than the big three—local TV, daily papers and radio stations—together they add up: 28% of the public often gets news from at least one of six less traditional providers.
Viewed another way, the vast majority of Americans who get
news from local TV stations primarily do so the old-fashioned way: from the TV
set (76%), not from a station website or social media account (22%). Radio is
similarly tied to its traditional form, with 81% listening over the air, to 15%
looking at radio station websites or social media. On the other hand, 43% of daily
newspaper consumers get their local news digitally.
Overall, Americans evaluate local media positively—despite
the constant barrage of insults coming from the current White House, with 30%
of those surveyed saying they are very confident that their main news source
gets them the information they need, and another 52% saying they are somewhat
confident. An overwhelming majority of adults say it is at least somewhat
important for journalists to understand their community’s history (85%) and to
be personally engaged with the local area (81%).
When it comes to financial support of the industry, only 14%
of American adults have paid for local news in the past year, either through
subscription, donation or membership. When asked why they don’t pay, the widespread
availability of free content tops the list (49%). Only 10% said concerns about
quality of coverage was the top reason for not paying.
Weather far outpaces other local news topics on importance
in daily life for U.S. adults. “Perhaps the most basic function of local
journalism is to provide residents with news across a range of topics in a way
that helps them live their daily lives and take part in the community,” Pew
suggests in the report. The findings show that Americans have a wide range of
topical interests, but most see only a handful of topics as “important to their
daily lives.” In order, behind weather, they are: crime (44%), traffic (41%)
and news about changing prices (37%). Sports, on the other hand, has the
largest segment (34%) who find it neither important nor interesting.
Meanwhile, most Americans (73%) follow local news at least
somewhat closely, while about a quarter of U.S. adults (26%) follow local news
either not very closely or not at all. Additionally, about four-in-10 (38%)
don’t have any type of news provider they rely on regularly for local news,
while another 30% rely regularly on just one.
Overall, nearly nine-in-10 Americans (89%) currently get at
least some local news digitally (news websites, apps or social media) and 41%
do so often. Looking separately at websites and apps compared with social
media, roughly equal portions often get news from each (26% and 25%,
respectively). And television-oriented local news consumers appear to have a
stronger attachment to local news than those with digital preferences: U.S.
adults who prefer getting local news online are less likely to follow local
news very closely (21%, compared with 40% among those who prefer TV).
Digital local news is now being consumed more through mobile
devices than desktop or laptop computers. Roughly half of those who get local
news online (51%) primarily do so through a mobile device, about twice those
who primarily do so on a desktop/laptop computer (27%); and 19% who get news on
both types of devices equally. Finally, news alerts are a prominent part of the
local news environment. Roughly four-in-10 U.S. adults (42%) get local news
alerts on their mobile phone.
