When there’s a shift in news viewership at a TV station, that’s news. A station that was second in the ratings in late news last November is now the top choice among viewers. Why is that? What actions did the station take in news content and marketing that might explain the shift?
Or in some cases, news ratings in a particular market don’t really change from one ratings period to another. One station seems to dominate the marketplace and is the clear choice for news regardless of the newscast or time period.
We profile these stations and markets to see if there is anything other stations can take away that might help them improve their news ratings.
We ask the managers to comment and we show examples of news marketing and sometimes news content.
KCRA, the Hearst-owned NBC affiliate in Sacramento, Calif., remains the dominant news station in household ratings, taking the top slot in every newscast.
So I asked Lori Waldon, KCRA’s news director, why she thinks viewers are choosing to watch KCRA’s news?
What’s different, better, more unusual?
“Viewers turn to KCRA because they know what to expect,” said Waldon.
https://youtu.be/7dtJgF7f5_c
“We produce high-quality journalism. Our anchors and reporters … are experienced, respected and credible. And most importantly, we strive to be consistent. We treat every day like it’s sweeps. If you can’t deliver a high-quality product on the slow news days, viewers won’t trust you with the big stories.”
https://youtu.be/gkUAQ4E6Bj4
“KCRA is often called a legacy station,” Waldon continued. “We’ve been a dominant ratings winner in this market for a long time. We never let our guard down. We do great work, but we know we can improve. That mentality permeates every inch of our newsroom from the anchor desk to the edit bay.”
https://youtu.be/LLk4r4H0xLQ
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