Not Great News for Late News

NOT GREAT NEWS FOR LATE NEWS
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Paige Albiniak]
With late newscasts falling as much as 10%-20% in major markets from November 2005 to November 2006, stations are rethinking how they offer news. News consultants say people are up earlier, home later, and to bed later—which bodes poorly for the 11 p.m. news, for decades a crucial chunk of a station's revenue. As a result, stations such as Chicago's WMAQ are starting their news earlier in the morning, while increasingly focusing on their digital offerings. In that one-year period, the late news in the top 10 markets dropped 10% in households, from an average 6.7 rating/13 share in November 2005 to an average 6.0/12, according to data compiled by Nielsen Media Research. That trend tends to hold true among each of the Big Three network stations. In New York, WABC's 11 p.m. news has dropped 12% in households in the past year, from a 7.5/14 in November 2005 to a 6.6/12 in November 2006. WNBC has fallen similarly, while WCBS inched up 1/10 of a ratings point.
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