If you doubted that local television is still important in people’s lives, consider this: When Hurricane Harvey was threatening Texas, where did people turn for the latest information? Local TV.
89% surveyed said local TV news was their top choice. Their second choice? Local TV station websites. Their third choice? National TV News.
Study Results
- At 89%, local TV news was the top choice for information. Coming in second were local TV stations’ websites at 45%. The third choice was national TV news at 44%.
- Looking at daily time spent, adults spent the most time with local TV news at 3 hours and 31 minutes, compared to just one hour for cable TV.
- When facing dangerous weather approaching their region, adults felt that local TV news (67%) gave them the best information on how to prepare, virtually twice that of the number two choice, cable news channels (34%).
- 84% of respondents said they trust the news on local TV stations, compared to 68% for cable news and 35% for social media.
- When it comes to digital choices, local TV was still number one. Local stations’ digital assets were the number one source, with almost 2 hours of usage, twice that of social media.
“Local broadcast TV stations are the most trusted resource for urgent local news over-the-air and online. Our strong local platforms provide critical services to the public in times of emergency, both as witness to breaking developments and as rallying points for communities before, during and after urgent events. Data from the Hurricane Harvey Media Usage Study reveals that local communities continue to choose local TV news over all other resources to deliver the accurate and lifesaving information they need.” – TVB President and CEO Steve Lanzano
Study by TVB of 700+ in Houston, Corpus Christi area as storms moved in
Paul Dughi.com 