The answer is simple. It's in the best interest of the people served by those stations.
Healthy ownership groups don't abandon news. In fact, they embrace it. Since its creation ten years ago Nexstar Broadcasting Group, KTAL’s parent company, has brought news to eight stations that previously had no news product and increased news production in 25 other markets.
Thomas makes the case that companies like Nexstar can save local news:
If the FCC doesn't do something soon, more Americans will begin to see less local news. Currently, there are 15 TV markets that only have one news station and 113 markets that only have two news stations.
Why is local news at risk? The FCC is regulating it to death. Television news production is a very expensive proposition. In a medium sized market like ours, we invest well over two million dollars a year with over 40 employees to put a quality product on the air.
We can do that because we're part of a financially healthy television group. Many weaker stations across the country have simply given up and gotten out of the news business.
Nexstar Broadcasting owns KSNF in Joplin and KSFX in Springfield and is de facto owner of KODE in Joplin and KOLR in Springfield.
Nexstar financially healthy? More like on life support.
ReplyDeleteSince when has quantity equalled quality. They share stories, video, reporters, point of view...it's like stereo. We are all better off with totally different points of view.
ReplyDeleteLets see is there another group just like this in the same market?
ReplyDeleteCould it be KOAM & K somethign X
something yea FOX let see they share the same building same cameras same mastercontroll same set and even the same talent well what ya know seems to be the way to go but damn those nexstar people
I guess I haven't seen KOAM or KFJX lobby viewers on this subject as KSNf's General Manager. I swear I also heard him on KODE, sayin g he was their General Manager also, making exactly the same pitch. Didn't they take two independant operations and merge them together as one with the same news cats except for the faces. My recollection is KFJX came from nowhere and did add, important note add, a local news. In summary there were once three independant voices. Nexstar turned that into two. KFJX came along later and didn't add a voice but didn't remove one. Come on Nexstar employee, surely you're aren't in News because these facts just don't hold up.
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