Some interesting stats from new study that examines the relationship between local TV news and the web. While 75 percent of internet users watch a local newscast at least twice a week, many of them aren’t relying on TV websites for the same information. “Local weather is the most sought-after information online, yet web users are much more likely to turn to other sources than to local television web sites to find it,” reports the study, conducted by Crawford Johnson & Northcott Inc. Just 26 percent of web users say they go to a local TV site for weather information — 40 percent go to “other” sites like Weather.com and Google. “Many stations spend a lot of resources building a strong local weather brand, yet they don’t deliver on the web,” said Jill Johnson, CJ&N partner. “It’s time to get more proactive.” Full press release below…
PRESS RELEASE — People who seek news and information on the internet also watch local television news and do not see it as a substitute according to a new study from Crawford Johnson & Northcott Inc. The study, designed to examine how news consumers use the internet and local television, found that 75% of internet users watch a local newscast at least twice a week. In addition, 52% said they try to watch at least one local newscast per day.
“Web users as a group watch as much local television news as anyone else,†said Bob Crawford, Ph.D., partner and head of the company’s research division. “I think we’ve heard a lot of talk about how the web is replacing television as a source for news. This indicates that’s not the case at all. They don’t see the web as a substitute, just another source.â€
That’s good news for local television managers, who also might be glad to know that the elements information seekers on the internet are most likely to seek out are the elements for which local television is known — weather, news, video. However, the not-so-good news is that web users don’t necessarily turn to local TV web sites for this information. In fact, according the study, local weather is the most sought-after information online, yet web users are much more likely to turn to other sources than to local television web sites to find it.
This should send up a warning flag for local television according to Jill Johnson, CJ&N partner.
“It’s time to get much more proactive,†said Johnson. “Many stations spend a lot of resources building a strong local weather brand, yet they don’t deliver on the web. In fact, their web traffic counts are misleading them and masking the problem. It’s time to pay attention to what web users want, because as this study indicates, online users are local television viewers too.â€
Another significant finding is that as a source of local information, local television web sites are on par with local newspaper sites.
“Web users are just as likely to turn to a local television station web site as a local newspaper site when it comes to finding local news online,†said Crawford.
In addition, local television stations have the power to drive people from their newscast to their web site. According to the survey, 68% said they have gone to a station’s web site after hearing a local story on a newscast.
“The key is what they find when they get there,†said Crawford. “Is the information easy to find? Is it easy to use? Some of the findings in this study suggest that local television isn’t giving web users what they want. That’s a real concern.â€
The survey was based on a random sample of 861 respondents living in the United States. All respondents were between 18 and 64 years old and answered the survey via a web-based interview. A stratified sampling procedure based on gender and age was used to obtain a representative sample.
â – ª 75% of internet users watch a local newscast at least twice a week; 52% said they try to watch at least one local newscast per day
â – ª 85% are very or somewhat likely to seek out local weather information on the web.
â – ª 26% said they would go to a local television web site for local weather; 9% would go to a local newspaper site; 13% to a national news site (such as CNN or FOX News); and 40% said they would go to some “other site.â€
â – ª 37% said they would go to a local television web site for information on local news stories; 35% said they would go to a local newspaper web site
â – ª 68% said they had gone to a local television station’s web site for more information after hearing a story on a local newscast
â – ª Web users in all age groups older than 25 are about equally as likely to have ever watched news or weather video on a web site, with those ages 35-44 the most likely (53%). About one third of those 18-24 have turned to the web to see news or weather video.
â – ª 72% say their home page is a site that provides news and information.
â – ª Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) keep the same home page on their computers for more than a year. Another 17% change their home page just once or twice a year.
For more information on the complete study, contact Bob Crawford at 319.377.0846 or email him at bcrawford@cjni.com.