Local TV news producers want your content despite election noise, finds D S Simon survey
A survey by D S Simon Media offers insights into the challenges and opportunities that the election year presents for brands and their public relations teams.
One key finding of the report is that local TV news stations are avoiding political coverage, with only 9.7% of their news shows dedicated to politics. “This presents a unique opportunity for brands and non-profits to get their stories told and their experts interviewed on local television news even when it is increasingly difficult to cut through election coverage on cable or network news,” says Doug Simon, CEO at D S Simon Media. “Unlike network or cable TV news, local television offers a larger portion of newscasts for additional news content. It’s one reason why trust in local TV news is among the highest of any type of media.”
The survey also found that 92% of local TV news shows will not be preempted by election coverage during the political conventions. Local TV news producers cited viewer preference for news they can use, the availability of 24/7 political news on cable TV and online platforms as an alternative and staffing levels among the top reasons why politics isn’t covered more.
According to a release, there was more “good news for brands in the TV producers survey. Not only did a record number of producers express interest in interviewing brand and non-profit spokespeople, 77% of them preferred to interview a brand spokesperson rather than a third-party expert.”
“We’ve been seeing this trend accelerate since the start of COVID,” says Simon. “Stations want authenticity. Unless you have an A-List spokesperson, we are seeing equal or better bookings for the satellite media tours we produce that feature in-house spokespeople.”
The survey also revealed the topics that interest more than 60% of the producers surveyed. These include health and wellness, travel, education, technology, parenting, personal finance/business, retail and consumer goods, and arts and culture. PR professionals can leverage these topics to pitch relevant stories and increase their chances of securing coverage. The report also contains information on how PR people are adjusting their media relations plans to meet the challenges of the election year, states the release.
Free copies of the report are available for download. “How PR Pros Can Navigate Election Noise: The 2024 TV News Producers Report” includes results of a survey conducted by D S Simon Media. There were 109 responses from TV stations, local affiliates, and PR professionals nationwide. The survey was completed in April 2024.
