Local news has been one of the fastest-growing areas in TV recently. Now though, it seems that Sinclair, one of the largest owners of broadcast TV, is cutting back on how many stations offer local news.
This week Sinclair announced that several of its smaller TV station’s local news efforts, including NBC 24 in Toledo and CBS 10 KTVL in southern Oregon and Northern California.
Now Sinclair will replace local news broadcasts with a national show. This new program called The National Desk will feature national and regional news but no longer local news.
Both of these stations have struggled in rating recently, and now it seems that Sinclair has decided the cost of the local news effort was not worth it.
NBC 24 posted this statement on its website:
NBC 24 is changing the way we produce news in Toledo to ensure our long-term success.
Beginning May 15, The National Desk, which provides real-time national and regional news from Sinclair’s television stations across the U.S., will air during our regularly scheduled news time periods.
TND, which offers an alternative choice for news and provides an opportunity for local news cut-ins, has grown exponentially over the last year, reaching nearly 3 million viewers per week across all dayparts.
Sadly this means both stations will see news staff laid off as part of the shutdown of their news operations.
For now, if you live in one of these markets, you will need to turn to one of the other TV stations in the area to find local news.