NAB: Localism Still Key to Success for Stations and Women in TV

Top executives at two major TV station groups and a top syndication producer all credited their background in local TV as a key to their success, but admitted they had faced many tough tradeoffs as they worked to navigate complex technology, business and family challenges during their career.

"Even with an avalanche of information, local news still matters," noted Rebecca Campbell, president, ABC Owned Television Group, who added that newer technologies, such as social media and Twitter, were, if anything, making local news more relevant and popular. She noted that when one of their local news anchors, tweeted that Penn State coach Joe Paterno had been fired, the news quickly spread. But breaking the news on Twitter before the airing of the newscast actually attracted audiences. "It didn't at all take away from the product," she explained. "In fact, it was completely the reverse."