For decades, Texans would have a limited range of choices for finding out what was going on in the world around them. At 5:30 p.m. five nights a week, folks would religiously tune in to watch Walter Cronkite (or one of those other guys) and maybe stay tuned for the local news-weather-sports at 6. The next morning, they might read the local or regional newspaper and perhaps catch the five minute radio news at the top of the hour throughout the day.

For many, those habits continue, but recent trends in the media business are having an impact on how the various outlets treat the news. For officials who need to get the word out about county services, awareness of what’s going on in media land can be insightful.

There is no denying the growing impact of the Internet. According to a study that tracked changes in media usage for news during a threeyear period from 1997 to 2000, the average weekday audience for using “the Internet for news” has risen from nine to 24 percent. During the same time period, weekday newspapers, local TV news, world/national TV news and even radio all declined in usage – with the average loss generally about five percentage points. In the study, weekday newspaper readership had in fact shrunk more sharply among Internet users than among non-users of the Internet. This suggests that perhaps the Internet is contributing directly to its decline.

But even with the growing appetite for online news, county officials should not discount the importance of getting the word out via their local newspaper just yet. Marc Flake, Tarrant County public information officer, finds that newspapers are still his number one source for getting the county story told, followed by radio then television.

“(The local) newspaper has the resources to assign reporters to cover the county,” said Flake. “It is the only news organization I know of where half a person’s job is covering the county beat. They are expected to turn in stories on a weekly basis.”

Even in smaller newspaper markets, county officials with a story to tell should track down the reporter or editor who normally covers the county to explain the significance of what’s happening at the courthouse. It’s not uncommon for TV or radio assignment editors to check the morning paper to find out what’s going on.

Regardless which media gets the story first, more than half of all Americans turn to TV for their news.

“If you’re running for office, would you run TV ads or a banner ad on a website?” asked Bob Buckalew, former executive producer for Austin’s KVUE-TV and Houston’s KPRC-TV. “You still can’t beat coverage in the tried and true media. The Internet will play an increasingly important role, but radio and TV still will be major players for years to come.”

While television is still the vehicle of choice, the way consumers use TV for news has changed dramatically due to proliferation of specialized cable channels such as CNN, MSNBC etc. While there has been serious erosion in network news, the good news for county officials is that local TV news programs are stronger than ever, and with it greater opportunity to get the word out.

“What television stations have found is that if they can expand their schedule to include more local news, they tend to make more revenue,” said Buckalew. “It’s easier to sell advertising time in a local newscast and furthermore, local newscasts also have more commercial breaks. There’s quite a bit of competition so if one station expands its news, you can almost bet the others will also because they watch each other closely.” In addition, while networks are losing the evening schedule to cable, this doesn’t hold true for morning shows. The Today Show has a larger audience than ever before and this success has trickled down to local programming. Most morning newscasts range anywhere from one hour to two hours in length and so producers are frequently looking for material.

“You may not have as large a number as evening but what you do have is an audience that is focused on news,” explained Buckalew, who now heads his own television and radio production company. “Local newscasts in the morning offer an excellent opportunity to get your message out.” But he cautioned that officials will have to be prepared to show up as early as 5 a.m. to be interviewed.

Although county officials have more opportunity to get coverage for their programs, it varies depending on the size and location of market, he said. In metropolitan areas, a lot of newsworthy events are going on every day, which means there’s plenty of competition to get a county government story to fit into the “news hole.”

“What works in Dallas is not what works in the Valley,” he said. “The smaller the market, the fewer the resources, so the larger the opportunity (for county officials) to provide information for newscasts. There are certain advantages in the Valley or Beaumont that (you may not find) in a larger metro area.”

“You have to work harder to get on television,” said Flake in Fort Worth. “News requirements are much more demanding. You have to have a visual and that’s something that kills about half the stories pitched to them. They don’t want (to show pictures of ) shaking hands or folks behind a podium. They really want to personify a news story so that it has some kind of meaning to the average citizen.

“One thing you have to keep in mind is that you’re pitching a story to a business and it’s there to sell advertising. People are sitting in their chairs with remotes and if a story starts to get boring, they will change channels. The more interesting you can make the story, the more likely it will be broadcast.”

Although television remains the dominant news medium, most people have greater contact with radio throughout their day, according to a recent study that explored the American public’s use and perception of news on the radio.

For example, about one-third of adults turn to radio for their news when they get up and are getting ready for their day and more than three-quarters of commuters rely on radio for news while traveling to and from work. In the study, news ranked second – after music – as a reason why people tune into a radio station.

While consumers may enjoy getting news while on their way to work, chances are that they are not hearing much in the way of local news programming.

A relaxation of ownership rules in the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has led to unprecedented consolidation of the commercial radio industry. An industry that was traditionally local in nature is now dominated by 10 parent companies that control two thirds of both listeners and revenue nationwide.

With consolidation, management decisions are made on a larger scale, often resulting in smaller local radio staffs. During this same time period, there has also been a growth of computer-assisted radio programming. The result, industry analysts say, is a monolithic approach to programming for larger geographic areas; creating a loss of localism, less competition, fewer viewpoints and less diversity.

“Besides some small stations, there are not many locally owned and operated radio stations in Texas anymore,” said Buckalew. “Radio is the oldest electronic media and is more listened to and utilized than any other media source so while it is still very much a part of the media landscape, it has moved to entertainment and not much news. The implications are, if you want news coverage there are not that many opportunities to be on the air outside a few small markets.”

In the Metroplex area, Flake is fortunate to have two news-oriented stations where he regularly gets information on the air but says their market share is limited. His airtime on music stations is practically non-existent, he said.