Five local news trends and predictions to watch for in 2025
Katie Suiters
Emmy Award-Winning Executive Producer Turned Media Training and Strategy Expert
A former producer's extremely scientific predictions.
I want to start this list off by saying I have a deep respect for journalists navigating today’s rapidly changing media landscape. Having worked at local stations around the country, including Cox Media Group's DC Bureau where I worked with 12+ local stations at a time, I know hundreds of people that work hard every single day to bring us stories that matter. I write this list with that in mind, and not to scare my journalist friends, but to reflect on the trends I'm seeing from the outside, and what I believe we can anticipate in the coming months. As is with anything you read, feel free to disagree with my opinions and thoughts.
1. Expanding Roles + Need For Resources
Newsrooms are getting smaller. I could stop this entire section there. We've seen the layoffs, we've seen the cuts, and we've seen the growing responsibilities that journalists take on to edit their own videos, act as their own assignment desks, all while posting on social, answering viewer emails, oh, and broadcasting the news. To me, this highlights the need for smarter tools and workflows ( Dataminr comes to mind - please include more in the comments!) to manage the increasing demands. Another pro tip - rely on pitches from folks like the full team of former journalists at On Air . We get it.
2. The Social Media First Strategy
“Breaking news” nine times out of ten (or 99 out of 100) means breaking on social media first. Local stations are doubling down on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to reach audiences where they already are. Expect more real-time updates and behind-the-scenes content (stations people LOVE this - please do more BTS). For businesses looking to engage with news outlets, understanding this shift is crucial. The more your story resonates on social media, the more likely it is to grab attention in the newsroom.
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3. Podcasts Are the New Primetime
If a reporter has a niche, I 100% think they should start a podcast. Full stop. Podcasts have become a powerful way for local newsrooms to dive deeper into stories, creating content that stays relevant long after the nightly newscast. Whether it’s investigative reporting or human interest features, podcasts are giving local news a fresh, engaging voice. I've also seen reporters guest on podcasts and I think that is excellent as well. Podcasts allows stations to engage across platforms on places like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc. where audiences already are. And if you're invited to talk on a podcast and you're NOT a reporter, Brighton Media can get you ready for any interview opportunity. Shameless plug for a modern media training company I work with that meets clients exactly where they are.
4. Video is Still King/Queen
As much as we (I) love the written word, video content continues to dominate. From Instagram Reels to YouTube Shorts, short-form video is a major focus. Local newsrooms are finding creative ways to repurpose their reporting in bite-sized clips. (Pro tip: Invest in good lighting! Even/especially for social, it’s a game-changer.)
5. Pioneering the Unknown
I firmly believe in the WaPo slogan 'Democracy Dies in Darkness'. We need local media and we need journalists holding the powerful accountable AND telling us if our neighborhood is safe, what to do this weekend, and when the next snowstorm is coming. But it's no secret that local news is evolving rapidly, and so are the ways audiences are engaging with it. Staying on top of these viewer trends and meeting audiences where they are will give newsrooms AND companies an edge in staying not only relevant but critically important.
What did I miss? Agree/disagree? Let me know in the comments...
Emmy Award-Winning Executive Producer Turned Media Training and Strategy Expert
2 个月Adding another tool that EVERY newsroom should use - TMX - I just started using it this week but journalists and PR friends PLEASE check it out. So cool.
Stop working so hard. Time to work smart. Let me show you how in planning, writing, voicing.
2 个月All trends worth watching and ACTING on, perhaps. Sure wish a current ND or EP would chime in here. Notice that the folks giving this post traction are mostly not in news anymore. <sigh> Katie Suiters, what do you think it would take to change the workflow in a reporter or anchor's (uh, yeah, let's involve them too) day to make these ideas doable?
Helping professionals discover their potential and embrace the courage to lead their own path.
2 个月As a former newscast producer (who left in 2015), I couldn’t agree more. The innovation of the consumption of news started 20 years ago, or more. My father was a newspaper editor who had the title “New Ventures Director” before Digital Media was cool and was one of the first to have a newspaper website. I wanted to bring our viewers into my newscasts before it was a thing we did with social media, and I’m sure other producers did too. Video will always be “the thing” and attention spans will continue to shorten. News has to go where the people are, rather than trying to get the people come to where they’re used to being. Plus, news organizations have to realize when people simply don’t want that content. An added component is that babies and pets drive traffic on the air AND online, still.
Skilled storyteller who is passionate about helping others. Community and newsroom leader. Using my voice to bring attention to women's issues. Building relationships and connecting people with resources.
2 个月I think you hit the nail on the head, Katie! Your first (sad, but very accurate) observation, about newsrooms getting smaller, just drives home the point that businesses need to hire former TV journalists. We really can do it all, under ridiculously tight deadlines, and remain cool and calm and measured and presentable for live TV. Additionally--- if someone's business involves working with local media--- we are the only ones who really understand the current demands. As someone who has been in local TV news since 1997, I have honestly seen it all. I'm deeply committed to the value of local journalism and am interested in evolving with the changing landscape as opposed to lamenting and fighting it. By the way, I remember receiving your CMG DC Bureau emails, in Tulsa, before Apollo purchased FOX23 News. Great insights. Keep it up!
Manager, Client Experience @ Weber Shandwick
2 个月Love these insights, especially the comment about social media. So many people are going there for news first!