TV's Shrinking World Pits Networks Against Stations in Fee Fight

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... Carr, who has been nominated to be chairman of the FCC by President-elect Donald Trump, accused ABC of trying to "siphon more and more money away from local broadcast TV stations" even as Disney shifts marquee programming to its streaming services. The loss of revenue may hurt local news coverage at a time when Americans' trust of the media is at a low, Carr wrote in a Dec. 21 letter.

"I want you to know that I will be monitoring the outcome of your ongoing discussions with local broadcast TV stations to ensure that those negotiations enable local broadcast TV stations to meet their federal obligations to serve the needs of their local communities," Carr wrote.

Disney didn't respond to a request for comment. ...

So long as the topic seems to be Disney and local affiliates ...

Maybe we should also talk about Disney apparently tying ESPN to the local affiliates that Disney owns.

For example, my understanding is that if I want to view my local ABC affiliate (WABC-TV7 from NYC) I also have to subscribe to ESPN's steadily and rapidly, imo, increasing charges.

So I ask a simple question, why do I have to subsidize the ridiculous salaries of sport players in order to see my local weather?

Does Disney have an answer?

@#3 ... According to the article, it seems like Sinclair depends on that Disney $$$? ...

So, the wealthy apparently ~taking care of~ their wealthy brethren?

@#6 ... I generalized too quickly, a lot of local news catches information that the national services either omit, change or lie regarding. ...

Yeah, the apparent death of local news is not a good thing.

Who's Actually Watching Local TV News? (august 2024)
www.tvrev.com

... In an "infotainment" era dominated by streaming services, social media, and on-demand content, one might wonder: who's actually watching local TV news anymore? Despite the rise of digital media, local TV news continues to play a crucial role in communities across the United States.

However, its audience is rapidly evolving and increasingly nebulous " and understanding who's truly tuning in (and why) sheds light on both the challenges and opportunities facing this long-standing pillar of local television broadcasting.

The demographics of local news viewership reveal a clear trend: older adults remain the most loyal audience. According to a 2023 report by the Pew Research Center, adults aged 50 and above are the primary consumers of local TV news, with nearly 65% of them watching it regularly.

This age group grew up with television as their main source of news and has maintained that habit, even as younger generations have shifted to (or grown up natively) with digital platforms. ...