TV stations are producing more news than ever this year, with the median output of 5.5 hours a day breaking the record set in 2012 by a half hour, the latest RTDNA/Hofstra University annual survey of newsrooms found.
The number of TV stations adding a newscast jumped more than 7% from last year, the survey found. The increases were across the board, although ABC and Fox affiliates lagged behind CBS and NBC stations, it said.
Additionally, there is likely more to come, as roughly 33% of news directors said they plan to add newscasts in the coming year.
The record output comes despite the number of affiliates producing local news being slightly down. The study shows the number of TV stations originating local news down to 714 from last year’s 717.
You can read the detailed report here.
