Now that the February ratings period is complete, some TV stations are reporting a change in news viewership. So Market Share has been interviewing local news and marketing managers from operations that performed well in February to try to determine why. So far, we’ve reviewed station ratings performances in Detroit, Buffalo, Boston, West Palm, and […]
Now that the February ratings period is complete, some TV stations are reporting a change in news viewership.
So Market Share has been interviewing local news and marketing managers from operations that performed well in February to try to determine why.
So far, we’ve reviewed station ratings performances in Detroit, Buffalo, Boston, West Palm, and St. Louis.
While it’s difficult, and dangerous, to isolate any one factor and say this is why a station is experiencing success, we can assume that it is some combination of content, talent and marketing.
KGTV, the Scripps-owned ABC affiliate in San Diego, was the most-watched 11 p.m. newscast Monday through Friday in Adults 25-54 in February, up from second place a year ago.
“These ratings reinforce the fact that our community is interested in good, solid journalism,” said KGTV’s general manager, Jeff Block.
Stan Melton, KGTV’s creative services director, who joined the station in June of 2014, launched a news image campaign in December.
“It’s news of the day that doesn’t waste your time,” says Melton. “The newsroom liked the campaign because it reflects what they do.”
Joel Davis, KGTV’s new station manager, who was the news director during February, thinks the station’s success at 11, and its increased ratings performances in its morning news and 6 p.m. news, is due to the station’s focus on enterprise reporting, stories that can be seen only on KGTV.
“We emphasize enterprise reporting,” says Davis, who defines enterprise reporting as original, local and significant stories that come from tips, sources or a reporter’s own curiosity.
“We hire reporters who are old-fashioned, show-leather type reporters, reporters who break original stories.”
Davis says his pool of general assignment reporters covered more than 850 enterprise stories last year, many of which were the lead stories.
“Plus, when you add in the investigative reports, that number goes up significantly, and these are stories only seen on KGTV,” he adds.
“You develop what you want in a newscast,” Davis says, “then develop the metrics to measure how well you’re doing,” a lesson he says he learned from long-time news director, Bob Jordan, now retired.
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