ABSTRACT

This chapter reviews what we know about local television news content with an eye on public affairs content in particular. It examines the relative attention devoted to different topics before turning how local TV covers public affairs and elections more specifically. The chapter also examines how campaigns rely on local television by examining the placement of their political advertising. If local television news becomes more ideologically slanted, its political content is likely to become even further focused on national politics and even more likely to focus on strategy. In fact, media reports in 2017 suggested that Facebook, recognizing the appeal of and strong potential for engagement in local news, was actively working with local news organizations to bring more local news information to its platform. Local news is produced by news stations operating under a variety of different structures and the individuals they employ.