US TV Stations Attract More Viewers With News Than 'Seinfeld'

TV stations around the country are drawing bigger audiences with local newscasts than by showing syndicated reruns and talk shows. Facing a record drop in advertising, station owners are pushing their news crews to fill expanded schedules, allowing programmers to eliminate more costly syndicated programs such as "Dr. Phil." In Los Angeles and San Francisco, stations are adding as much as 12 hours of news a week to schedules. "News has held up better than some of our syndicated programming," Jack Abernethy, chief executive officer of Fox stations, said. "Local news is less expensive and has better revenue potential than many syndicated programs." With crews already in place, stations can produce local news for as little as half the cost of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and other syndicated programs, Bill Carroll, director of programming at Katz Television Group in New York, said in an interview. "In almost every situation, the incremental cost to expand news, if you already have the resources in place, will be less than the license fee that you'd otherwise have to pay," said Carroll, whose company advises stations on purchasing and scheduling programs.