Nexstar and Tegna to Merge

[SP Cook]

Most TV news personalities at the local level couldn't pass a basic civics class.  In smaller markets, most are not even from the city they work in and are most interested in moving up the ladder to the next biggest city. 

Expecting that these people, no matter who they work for, are going to uncover some vast conspiracy (which doesn't exist in the first place, but whatever) is like expecting a 7 year old to do algebra. 

[Bobby5280]

Most TV news personalities at the local level couldn't pass a basic civics class.

If that's the case, the general public in America would fare even worse at a civics test -especially the ones who take in a heavy diet of cable news.

In smaller markets, most are not even from the city they work in and are most interested in moving up the ladder to the next biggest city.

And? I'd like to know who created a rule that says local TV stations can only hire anchors from their town/region. This is no different from professional sports teams hiring the best talent they can get. The New York Yankees would not have won all their championships if they could only hire players from the NYC metro.

Small market TV stations don't pay well at all. The on-air talent might get paid a somewhat livable wage while the camera people, editors, etc get paid like fast food workers. Everyone has to work on their "reel" and try to move up to TV stations in bigger cities for better pay checks. The ones who can't move up leave the business. I know three people who used to be news anchors at our local ABC station. One of them works for a bank. Another runs a screen printing business. And the third works in the PR/marketing dept for the city government. I'm pretty sure she can pass a civics test.

Anyway, I'd put more trust in a local TV news anchor than I would any of the performative jackasses who work at 24 hour cable news networks. Local news, for the time being, still seems somewhat normal. Cable news is anger pornography and propaganda. 

Expecting that these people, no matter who they work for, are going to uncover some vast conspiracy (which doesn't exist in the first place, but whatever) is like expecting a 7 year old to do algebra.

Local scandals get uncovered by a variety of factors. It takes more than just a reporter for a local TV station or newspaper to find out about it on his own. One or more whistleblowers from the inside might be involved. Then there's the public rumor mill. Finally we have technology. Smart phones and ring doorbell cameras are a real bitch to a police department trying to cover up a dirty shoot.

We recently had a local police officer convicted of murder, thanks to his own body camera and other cameras he didn't know about. If one company or a couple of companies in collusion with each other owned all our local TV stations and newspapers it might have been easier to cover it up. TV stations and newspapers don't like getting "scooped" by their rivals. But if the local media is monopolized they'll only report what they're told to report by the higher ups.

[Scott5114]

I'd like to know who created a rule that says local TV stations can only hire anchors from their town/region.

Next time you're getting tornadoes you should flip on the Weather Channel and see Atlanta meteorologists try to pronounce Oklahoma town names. It's hilarious.

[thenetwork]

I live in a TV market that is one of the Bottom 5 markets in the country, and 20 years ago, I was a salesperson for one station in said market.

20 years ago, this station was run by a local mom-and-pop station owner. The news/sports/weather staff alone had at least 15 employees -- all of which had 4-year degrees in-hand from college.  Outside of the 1 or two national news or sports stories, everything else was local, albeit some stories were pure "fluff" as most days were slow news days "Sinclair opens a new gas station in town..."

Within the last 7 years, Nexstar bought the 3 OTA stations that were under the same roof, and they had hired at least one person who was a Senior in High School that was also taking some early college credit.  Staffing was cut in half. 

Now there may be up to three local stories, with the rest of the newscast airing state, regional or national stories from the network or their larger sister Nextar stations.  Weekend and weeknight weather forecasts for staff on vacation are outsourced to other Nexstar stations.

Meanwhile, at the other station across town (Gray TV) which houses the other two Big 4 networks, they use the same staff for both channel's news and outside of each stations logo and graphics, the newscasts are pretty much word-for-word clones. And though the two or four reporters they have covering news now go on location for stories, having to lug set up and use their equipment by themselves, you only see their faces reporting from somewhere in the studio.  They MAY just have a videographer or two that shoot the video in the field while the reporter is stuck back at the studio doing everything else.

At both stations, words, cities and names are regularly mispronounced.

Oh, and 20 years ago, the stations had actual in-house people behind the scenes floor directing, while others ran the camera, operating the teleprompter or were at master control doing the switching.

Nowadays, the anchors control their own teleprompter, cameras are robotic and master control is run from offsite at a hub center.

Those who stick with "moving up the ladder" can go from bottom market to a major market in as little as 2 moves, or less than 5 years -- unheard of 20 years ago.

However, like those seasoned anchors who have seen the writing on the wall regarding the future of the Nexstars and Grays, most freshman anchors and reporters  leave TV and work for regular companies in their promotions, communications or PR departments, because the money in TV is drying up to the point that most jobs at McDonalds and Walmart are paying more per hour with better benefits than a TV job.

Apparantly, Nexstar believes they can get by with a station staff the size of WJM on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and keep the same people for more than 5 years...

[Bobby5280]

Next time you're getting tornadoes you should flip on the Weather Channel and see Atlanta meteorologists try to pronounce Oklahoma town names. It's hilarious.

It is funny to see a meteorologist on the Weather Channel get tripped up by the pronunciation of Chickasha, but those people are on a national network, not a local station. A newly hired anchor at one our viewing market's stations (in Lawton or Wichita Falls) typically learns the correct town pronunciations pretty quickly.

Aside from that, the situation in these local TV stations isn't great. Staffing is cut to the bone. I get some laughs from the on-air bloopers that occur, thanks to the studio cameras being automated and news anchors having to control their own teleprompters.

The content for local news broadcasts is often being edited down to the last minute. If a story has to be pulled due to that or some other technical problem it can cause big headaches. If the news broadcast crew has enough human beings they can get the time remaining in the broadcast balanced out pretty easy. If you're over or under on TR you're going to either have dead air to fill (too much time remaining) or you're going to be cutting out in the middle of a story (too little time remaining). When you have a skeleton crew multi-tasking like crazy things can go to hell pretty easy.

Then again, when more and more of the newscast is coming from other sources and master control is ceded to someone in another city I guess it leaves less work for the local crew to do. Anyway, jobs in local broadcast TV stations are pretty much shit jobs anymore.

I did like seeing the news Viktor Orbán lost his Prime Minister job yesterday in Hungary's election. Despite his efforts to monopolize the media in that country a record number of voters (77% of the voting population) showed up to give him the boot. It might be a good statement on how powerful other means of mass communication have become, be it social media, podcasts, etc.

[mgk920]

I'd like to know who created a rule that says local TV stations can only hire anchors from their town/region.

Next time you're getting tornadoes you should flip on the Weather Channel and see Atlanta meteorologists try to pronounce Oklahoma town names. It's hilarious.

Don't forget us Wisconsinites!

Mike

[Rothman]

I'd like to know who created a rule that says local TV stations can only hire anchors from their town/region.

Next time you're getting tornadoes you should flip on the Weather Channel and see Atlanta meteorologists try to pronounce Oklahoma town names. It's hilarious.

Don't forget us Wisconsinites!

Mike

Even Utah has Hurricane and South Dakota has Pierre, so most states have oddities.

[SP Cook]

And? I'd like to know who created a rule that says local TV stations can only hire anchors from their town/region. This is no different from professional sports teams hiring the best talent they can get. The New York Yankees would not have won all their championships if they could only hire players from the NYC metro.

It is actually totally different.  You miss the point entirely, which is not surprising, as believing in conspiracy theories requires that one ignore a lot of actual facts. 

Athletes are, well, athletes.  Whether they play for the Yankees, or the Pirates, and whether they were born in NYC, or the middle of nowhere, their BASIC INTEREST is the same.  To do the best they can at athletics, which is the center of their existence.  From childhood they have dedicated themselves to excelling at sports.

TV news people are celebrities.  They are the next thing to actors.  They are all about looking good and reading the material well.  From childhood they have learned a skill not that different from acting.  They really don't care about who the county clerk is.  They really don't care, or understand, what a county clerk even is.  They have only a vague understanding of what a county is.   This is not to say they are dumb, actually anybody of reasonable intellect can learn the ins and outs of how the government works in a particular place in short order, if they wanted to do, its just that TV news people aren't paid for that and have a personality type that would never cause them to do such a thing.

There is nothing wrong with this, but if you want to have a deep discussion of local politics, you would be much better served by having a conversation with community leaders like ministers, government employees, volunteers, party officials, and, for that matter, people that work at the courthouse, than the guys and gals that read news scripts about which they really don't understand.  They are great at entertaining you and if you want to know what the mayor said yesterday, they will repeat it for you, but don't pretend any of them really have more knowledge than you about the subject.

[Scott5114]

I'd like to know who created a rule that says local TV stations can only hire anchors from their town/region.

Next time you're getting tornadoes you should flip on the Weather Channel and see Atlanta meteorologists try to pronounce Oklahoma town names. It's hilarious.

Don't forget us Wisconsinites!

Mike

Even Utah has Hurricane and South Dakota has Pierre, so most states have oddities.

I think what makes the Atlanta-trying-to-pronounce-Oklahoma thing particularly hilarious is that Georgia and Oklahoma both have lots of Native American place names. But Georgia was Cherokee territory, and a lot of the languages in use in Oklahoma (outside the northeast part of the state anyway) are Muskogean (in addition to Muskogee itself, Chickasaw and Choctaw are in that family). Cherokee, on the other hand, is Iroquoian. So there's a lot of pronunciation attempts which feel like the Georgian earnestly thinks should be correct but which are way off base.

[kphoger]

One of my favorites is Neodesha (Kansas).

[Scott5114]

One of my favorites is Neodesha (Kansas).

I put a town called Neodesha in my D&D world, pronounced the same way as the one in Kansas, and I think that was the closest to being overthrown as DM as I've ever got.

[bing101]

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2026/4/12/nexstar-sidelining-traditional-networks-to-force-feed-newsnation-to-viewers

Here is more at Nexstar on why they merged with Tegna.

Nexstar Media Group is orchestrating a massive overhaul of local television by systematically purging content from established national networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS to clear the way for its own NewsNation product. As the nation's largest owner of local stations, the Irving, Texas-based giant has already begun severing ties with NBC's news-sharing services, forcing local producers to abandon the deep reporting resources of legacy networks in favor of segments produced within the Nexstar corporate family. CEO Perry Sook has made it clear that this is only the beginning, stating his intention to let agreements with the remaining major broadcast networks expire without renewal. This shift positions NewsNation as the ultimate and exclusive national news partner for all Nexstar stations, effectively replacing the diverse array of third-party wire feeds that local newsrooms have historically relied upon to maintain a broad editorial perspective.

[vdeane]

Nexstar Media Group is orchestrating a massive overhaul of local television by systematically purging content from established national networks like ABC

Well, they're certainly doing that.  Just last week they preempted ABC's coverage of the Artemis return and 20/20 in favor of a baseball game broadcast by WPIX on WTEN.  And this sounds like a good enough reason to block the merger.  Especially since the promos I've seen for NewsNation are quite politically biased, on the same level as a certain cable channel.

[Bobby5280]

It is actually totally different.  You miss the point entirely, which is not surprising, as believing in conspiracy theories requires that one ignore a lot of actual facts.

Nothing I said in my previous response to you was wrong. Conspiracy theories? What the hell are you talking about?

TV news people are celebrities.  They are the next thing to actors.

That doesn't apply to local TV station news anchors. They're not celebrities unless they're working in a major, top 10 sized market, such as New York City, Dallas, etc. In smaller markets the only way a local TV news anchor becomes any sort of local "celebrity" is if they stay at that local station for a long time and are pretty involved in the local community.

I worked at a TV station in Albany, GA and I know people at our ABC affiliate in Lawton. I have some experience with the reality of working in a local TV station. Have you worked at a local TV station before? Your blanket statements about local news anchors make me think you don't know what the hell you're talking about. It sounds like you have an axe to grind about local TV news.

[Scott5114]

Especially since the promos I've seen for NewsNation are quite politically biased, on the same level as a certain cable channel.

those bastards at HGTV will get their hooks in everything

[MikeTheActuary]

Especially since the promos I've seen for NewsNation are quite politically biased, on the same level as a certain cable channel.

those bastards at HGTV will get their hooks in everything

I think vdeane was referring to a far more sinister broadcaster:  the Hallmark Channel.

[kphoger]

I think vdeane was referring to a far more sinister broadcaster:  the Hallmark Channel.

Oh, geez.  Carrie recently started re-watching Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.  Talk about some unashamedly left-wing propaganda!

[/sarc]

[vdeane]

Especially since the promos I've seen for NewsNation are quite politically biased, on the same level as a certain cable channel.

those bastards at HGTV will get their hooks in everything

I think vdeane was referring to a far more sinister broadcaster:  the Hallmark Channel.

Well, Grandma's dementia did get worse whenever she spent all day watching it...

[hbelkins]

And? I'd like to know who created a rule that says local TV stations can only hire anchors from their town/region. This is no different from professional sports teams hiring the best talent they can get. The New York Yankees would not have won all their championships if they could only hire players from the NYC metro.

It is actually totally different.  You miss the point entirely, which is not surprising, as believing in conspiracy theories requires that one ignore a lot of actual facts. 

Athletes are, well, athletes.  Whether they play for the Yankees, or the Pirates, and whether they were born in NYC, or the middle of nowhere, their BASIC INTEREST is the same.  To do the best they can at athletics, which is the center of their existence.  From childhood they have dedicated themselves to excelling at sports.

TV news people are celebrities.  They are the next thing to actors.  They are all about looking good and reading the material well.  From childhood they have learned a skill not that different from acting.  They really don't care about who the county clerk is.  They really don't care, or understand, what a county clerk even is.  They have only a vague understanding of what a county is.   This is not to say they are dumb, actually anybody of reasonable intellect can learn the ins and outs of how the government works in a particular place in short order, if they wanted to do, its just that TV news people aren't paid for that and have a personality type that would never cause them to do such a thing.

There is nothing wrong with this, but if you want to have a deep discussion of local politics, you would be much better served by having a conversation with community leaders like ministers, government employees, volunteers, party officials, and, for that matter, people that work at the courthouse, than the guys and gals that read news scripts about which they really don't understand.  They are great at entertaining you and if you want to know what the mayor said yesterday, they will repeat it for you, but don't pretend any of them really have more knowledge than you about the subject.

There is some truth to this.

By far, most of my interactions are with the staff at WYMT-TV in Hazard. It's a tiny-market Gray TV station. The evening news anchor/news director is a Hazard native, but most of the rest of the reporters/anchors are from elsewhere (mostly Tennessee). For some reason, HR at WYMT seems to like hiring University of Tennessee grads who put their two years in at WYMT and then move down to WVLT in Knoxville. Some are content to stay there, but others have moved on. One recently left a gig in New Orleans for Baton Rouge, another left a job in Columbus for San Francisco, another has settled in at a station in her hometown of Cincinnati.

All are local celebrities in the WYMT viewing area while they're on the air there. They're recognized wherever they go, people try to have their pictures taken with them, and so on. I've interacted with enough of them to know that they're just normal people, but others can't differentiate between the person they see on TV every night and someone who is just trying to dine out, buy groceries, and so on.

Definitely not saying I know how they feel, but I've had people I've known for years and perfect strangers alike approach me and tell me "I saw you on TV" after I do an interview.

Most of the reporters I've dealt with are pretty good at picking up on how local government operates. And if there's something they really don't understand, they're quick to ask.

[SP Cook]

Yes, actually, within his or her bailiwick, the news, and yet more the weather (old ladies love the weather guy, who is often the highest paid guy in the building) guy on the top rated station in town is among the 10 or 15 best know people in town.  Yet more so than in big markets, where there is more competition.  This is why you see them riding in convertibles in hokey parades in small towns outside the core city.  This is why you see them do appearances at used car lots.  Etc. 

This is what they are.  Celebrities.  That's all fine.  Expecting them to uncover that the county misapplied Section VII money on a Section VI project, in violation of the standard accounting practices and GSA standards is foolish. 

Because they neither know, nor care to know, what any of that means.

[hotdogPi]

Especially since the promos I've seen for NewsNation are quite politically biased, on the same level as a certain cable channel.

those bastards at HGTV will get their hooks in everything

I think vdeane was referring to a far more sinister broadcaster:  the Hallmark Channel.

Whichever network it is, it's lost 77% of its market share.

[vdeane]

This is what they are.  Celebrities.  That's all fine.  Expecting them to uncover that the county misapplied Section VII money on a Section VI project, in violation of the standard accounting practices and GSA standards is foolish. 

So, if local news is doing anything less than that, it doesn't matter?  Also, there's a difference between anchors and reporters, although around here, many of the anchors are promoted reporters (and/or still do reporting work part of the time).

[bing101]

https://apnews.com/article/nextstar-tegna-merger-lawsuit-antitrust-ec9f2def13e1b31b0e2c0437b635a932

Here is more on the Nexstar lawsuit here in Sacramento

[bing101]

Yes, actually, within his or her bailiwick, the news, and yet more the weather (old ladies love the weather guy, who is often the highest paid guy in the building) guy on the top rated station in town is among the 10 or 15 best know people in town.  Yet more so than in big markets, where there is more competition.  This is why you see them riding in convertibles in hokey parades in small towns outside the core city.  This is why you see them do appearances at used car lots.  Etc. 

This is what they are.  Celebrities.  That's all fine.  Expecting them to uncover that the county misapplied Section VII money on a Section VI project, in violation of the standard accounting practices and GSA standards is foolish. 

Because they neither know, nor care to know, what any of that means.

OK there's the wire services like AP and Reuters if you don't like where Nexstar or local TV News is going.

In some areas there's a local wire service like CalMatters, Bay City News, San Francisco Public Press, Mission Local, if that's easy to access in your area.  But I agree commercial local TV News is viewed as overrated depending where you are.

[Road Hog]

I'd like to know who created a rule that says local TV stations can only hire anchors from their town/region.

Next time you're getting tornadoes you should flip on the Weather Channel and see Atlanta meteorologists try to pronounce Oklahoma town names. It's hilarious.

Don't forget us Wisconsinites!

Mike

Even Utah has Hurricane and South Dakota has Pierre, so most states have oddities.

I think what makes the Atlanta-trying-to-pronounce-Oklahoma thing particularly hilarious is that Georgia and Oklahoma both have lots of Native American place names. But Georgia was Cherokee territory, and a lot of the languages in use in Oklahoma (outside the northeast part of the state anyway) are Muskogean (in addition to Muskogee itself, Chickasaw and Choctaw are in that family). Cherokee, on the other hand, is Iroquoian. So there's a lot of pronunciation attempts which feel like the Georgian earnestly thinks should be correct but which are way off base.

Forget Native American names, you'll start to live once you see a non-Okie attempt to pronounce Wynnewood.