Local TV News Project 1999

One difference this year was that a good many C stations -- those in the middle -- succeeded in ratings, 42% compared with only 30% a year ago. Why?

This year many C stations shared some of the winning qualities of good and bad stations enjoying market success. C's rising in ratings were more local than those falling, even more local than earnest stations. Rising C's scored higher on our index of covering local core concerns -- infrastructure, institutions, business, etc. -- earning a collective 35%. This was nine points higher than C's falling, eight points higher than earnest stations and almost equal to master. Rising C's also avoided those out-of-town feeds, just like master stations.

Not all the patterns hold up. Rising C's did more crime than falling C's, but, like master stations and even rough and ready, they avoided out-of-town crime stories and stayed local.