The Lasting Impact of Local TV News

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TRANSCRIPT:

DOUG: Ken, were there any surprises for you in the 2025 TV News Producers Report?

KEN: For a long time now, everybody’s thinking that we live in the era of the influencer. So, if you want your story to be heard or told, especially on TV, that automatically requires that you go spend the money on some third-party respected expert, or celebrity, or influencer. So, what jumped out when I read the report is how many news directors were saying to the contrary. Who we really want is the internal expert who works inside the brand, who can tell us what’s really happening in the sector with, you know, real detail and transparency. And an outside expert really can’t do that. And so, that was a huge takeaway and I think a shift that caught my attention.

DOUG: Yeah, that has been shifting. And that’s been surprising for a lot of people. And that gap was there, but when Covid happened it really accelerated it because they wanted to hear the news from the people who actually know what’s happening and what’s going on. And, you know, we always like the trust but verify approach. So, the margin was 85%, preferring an in-house spokesperson of 15% for a third-party person representing a brand. We actually did an analysis of the 200 media tours who did last year. The ones with internal spokespeople garnered 12% more bookings than the ones that didn’t have it. So, it actually matched. And, you know, that averaged out to about three extra hits for a media tour, but it was pretty consistent and we were quite surprised. Are there other things PR people should take into account? Obviously, one is who you choose and select to be your spokesperson, especially as authenticity is increasingly valued. What were some other things that you noticed?

KEN: A best practice that too many people in the business forget and that’s the old acronym, you know, act glocal, global, but think local. And I think as part of the dynamic of sort of news deserts happening across America and people saying local journalism is dying, I think maybe some have taken their eye off the ball of the importance of local media, especially local TV media. And I read a study last month that the folks at the Pew Research Center did that said that people trust their local TV news outlet more than national news or newspapers like the New York Times. And yet when I read that data, I sat back in my chair. I said, I wonder how many heads of communications are saying, let’s make sure we’re investing and telling our story on local TV news. And I’d say that number’s probably pretty low. So, we’re missing the ball there. And especially if you’re a brand or even a B2B enterprise where you’ve got employees and other stakeholders that are in local markets. Well, those stakeholders are turning on their local news at night. And if they’re not hearing from you, who are they hearing from? And I think that’s a big problem. So, that jumped out at me as you know, an aha moment of strategically thinking about where we want to take our story. And the importance of local TV news and why that should really matter.

DOUG: Yeah, and that was actually another finding. We had done a survey at the end of 2023. More than 1000 people across the country and asked them, what do they trust? More local TV news versus social media, local TV news versus national news. And one of the interesting findings was on social media. It was again 85% to 15%, which seems like the magic number these days. But Republicans and Democrats agreed to the percentage point on that. And where can you find things that Republicans and Democrats agree on these days on network news, it was still a significant majority, 67% trusted local news to 33% the other way. Democrats were much more trusting their than Republicans, but it was still close. So, that is important. And with local news gaining more trust, how do you think PR strategies need to evolve to better connect with these local audiences that are so important?

KEN: I think they could use the keyword there, that’s audience. And the way we think of every strategy. We have a model that we call the ABCDE model, which is actually, I think, came out of the Pentagon at some point, and it was in a book called Crafting Persuasion, but communication strategy, media strategy can be that simple, but it has to start with audience. It’s the A and the B is behavior, and the C is the content, the D is delivery and the E is evaluation. So, understanding your audience and where they are. And what channels media channels influence them on a trusted level is the first place to start. I think too often it becomes the last place to start. The notion of local media takes a backseat if it has a seat at all. And when you look at where national news has come or has gone in America, the concept of tribalism, where every national news is like, oh, you’re the progressive channel or you’re the conservative channel, or you’re the bias channel just because somebody told me so that’s what I think. I don’t think that that label has affixed itself to your local TV anchors. They’re still the people you trust to tell you what the weather is and what’s happening in my community. And that dynamic hasn’t gone away, and it’s so important it should be to connect with the audience. And when we sit with clients, the first thing we’ll say is audience, audience, audience. And if you don’t have a good sense of your audience and how to reach them, don’t even go to content yet.

DOUG: You got to figure out where the audience is, and then build the content that goes to the right channels to connect with them. Yeah, and the messaging has got to be authentic for the brand and also a fit that it resonates with the audience. Now, those of you watching obviously are impressed to know Ken’s tremendous history in the public relations industry. But he’s also sharing information as a professor at NYU of graduate students. I happen to be a guest lecturer, one of his classes, and I, frankly was super impressed with how incredibly engaged the students were. Ken, you also are in touch with a younger generation through your teaching, and what kind of perspective are you seeing from them that might be helpful to your practice as a practitioner in the industry?

KEN: Yeah, that’s a great point and thank you for being a guest lecturer. For those watching, I can confirm Doug was extremely loved by the class and a huge hit, but it’s interesting to me. So, I’m in my 12th year on faculty at NYU, and when I joined, there was that ongoing conversation out there. Does PR still matter? There was a book that somebody who used to be at Edelman wrote called Trust Me, PR Is Dead. And I think had just been published when I signed my agreement to be a faculty member. So, I went in with that curiosity. Do students still care about this, or are they getting in the business to do social media and digital activation, and entertainment PR, and connect with social influencers on platforms like then Facebook was all the rage and that’s obviously changed, but maybe replaced by TikTok today. And what I found is they weren’t at all. And in my first night, if I can tell the story, my first night in class, I was teaching a media relations class, and I surveyed the room and I said, you know, introduce yourself and, you know, and a couple sentences, tell me why you’re here. I wasn’t sure what to expect at all. And one student said, you know, I’m from Turkey, and my parents, you know, emigrated to New York, and we run an Islamic center. And every day, you know, I go to the office with my parents, and there’s always somebody outside protesting, calling us terrorists. So, my dad hired a firm you probably know called Burson-Marsteller. No, just Burson. And I said, yeah, I know who they are. She said, my dad’s paying them out of his own pocket every month to defend my family from false accusations. So, I decided to go to grad school and study this thing called PR, so my dad doesn’t have to do that anymore. I want to do what they do for my own family. And that was the moment where I was sitting on literally on the edge of my desk listening where I said, wow, maybe out loud, and said, I gotta rethink the syllabus and do more because she’s not the only one there. There are students that are here for a reason and they’re here to make a difference. And all of us in this business who have been around for a while, I think it’s on us to help lead the next generation as change agents. Not everyone wants to make a difference to defend their family against accusations of terrorism. Maybe an extreme case, thank God, but there’s a whole crop of future leaders out there who are looking to make a difference and to be guided, and they’re not in it for the paid aspect and the social fund. That’s nothing wrong with that. They’re in there to make a difference, and we have to help them do that, including my own daughter, who has just started her career in PR. And she’s in it to do good things for her clients. And that’s I I’m excited about where this business is going for that reason.

DOUG: Yeah. I mean, that’s so just illuminating and uplifting to say it would almost be a borderline. I should end it there on such a high note, but I think you’ll be able to still continue a high note, but different note, because I did want to speak to how, with your work at your agency, what did you see that aligned with what was in the report and what you’re experiencing from the students in your classroom? And was a lot of it something that was reinforcing, or were there some things that were a bit different?

KEN: It’s reinforcing the importance of media and, you know, and full transparency. I think The Bliss Group, like other agencies, maybe over-indexed a little bit in the last few years to really build out robust content creation and digital and analytics capabilities, which I would say rival any agency around, but in doing so eased off the gas a little bit. And when it came to storytelling through traditional media channels, we’re now aggressively like course correcting the wrong phrase, but aggressively equalizing.

DOUG: We saw that across industry, and on one hand that was helpful to our business because obviously we have teams that are pitching the media every day, and there’s a lot of agencies sort of de-emphasized that portion of it because of course there’s a risk. What happens if no one wants your story? Then people get upset if you keep doing that a number of times where other aspects might have been safer territory. But, you know, realizing the value, I think that pendulum has swung back. And even with the latest election where people talked about podcasts there, it was really also the messaging and getting it out in all of these different places. And that includes the trusted sources of information. And, you know, the powerful message will win in the end that resonates. And your team does a great job of doing that. Thank you. This has been fantastic. Any final thought to leave our audience with?

KEN: We’re in the storytelling business. You can call what you do communications. You can even call it integrated marketing, or you can call it PR, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the story. And if you can figure out what the story is for your client that’s authentic and resonates with the audience, and then figure out the right channel to ensure that that story is not only heard, but shared and acted upon, you’re going to win. And if you have an agency partner, including firms like yours, that could help make that a reality, you’re going down the right road.

DOUG: Thanks so much. And as much as I’d like watching this video, it doesn’t necessarily qualify you for credits at NYU, but hopefully you look at what they’ve got to offer because it really is a fantastic program.

KEN: I’ll look into that. Yeah, you could sign up. We also have an executive education program for those who are established practitioners to look into, but appreciate the plug for the school.

DOUG: Cool. That’s awesome.