State of the News Media (Project)

Data and trends about key sectors in the U.S. news media industry

Two paths diverging would be one way of putting it. A glance at the finances of cable news in 2010 would leave one feeling outright bullish. All three major news channels were projected to have increases in operating profits — Fox News by 27%, CNN (and HLN) by 7% and MSNBC by 8%, according to the market research firm SNL Kagan.1

After a couple of difficult years, finally there was some good news for local television. Thanks to the economic recovery and a busy election year, revenues rose sharply in 2010. As more stations continued to add newscasts in new time slots, the overall audience for local TV news actually held steady and new delivery platforms, including mobile, raised hope for the future.

After two difficult years, the magazine industry in 2010 managed to significantly slow its decline.

Traditional AM and FM radio still dominates the audio landscape, and for the last decade it has been among the most stable traditional media. But heading into 2011 there are growing signals that raise questions about its future.

The African American media in 2010 mirrored the kinds of challenges and changes that mainstream news organizations also faced. Most African American media outlets either began or planned to upgrade their digital enterprises in an effort to reach new audiences. But beyond that, it was a mixed year for the sector.

What do today’s newspaper and broadcast news executives think about the economics of their industry? Are they optimistic for the future? A new survey by the Project for Excellence in Journalism in association with the American Society of News Editors and the Radio Television Digital News Association offers answers.

Never before has so much information been available to so many people. But what role will media play in its dissemination? Can legacy media adapt so that legacy doesn't come to mean extinct? A panel of experts discuss PEJ's recently released "State of the News Media" report.

Inside news companies, the most immediate concern is how much revenue lost in recession the industry will regain as the economy improves. Whatever the answers, the future of news ultimately rests on more long-term concerns: What are the prospects for alternative journalism organizations that are forming around the country? Will traditional media adapt and innovate amid continuing pressures to thin their ranks?

The biggest question facing online journalism today is how to pay for it. With revenue declining both online and in legacy platforms, news organizations say they are intensifying the search for new models. What kind of new advertising options are out there? How will users respond? And would consumers in the marketplace accept pay walls?

Poynter Institute ethicist Kelly McBride was visiting former colleagues at the Spokane Spokesman-Review last summer, when the conversation slid into the how-bad-is-it? mode. It has gotten so bad, one journalist said, that the independent contractors who deliver the paper are complaining that the Monday edition doesn’t have enough throw-weight to get all the way up the porch.