We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
A series of myths dominates the world of local TV news. These myths are among the most influential forces in local TV. They are a set of long-held beliefs so ingrained that nearly every station operates by them unquestioningly. They explain why local TV is so similar from city to city, and why the “hook-and-hold” mentality and the X-Structure permeate local TV news. And they are manifestly, and provably, false.
Myth No. 1: It is more important not to lose audience than to attract one.
Myth No. 2: A newscast should emphasize stories that shock or amaze.
Myth No. 3: Immediacy is the most important value in local TV news.
Myth No. 4: Flashing police lights, yellow tape, and other “hot” visuals are “eyeball magnets.”
Myth No. 5: TV is an emotional medium in which pictures are more important than words (or ideas).
Myth No. 6: Every lead story must have a live shot from the scene.
Myth No. 7: Viewers are voyeuristic and like to be titillated.
Myth No. 8: Viewers care only about local news.
Myth No. 9: Some stories are more important as promotion than as news.
Myth No. 10: Viewers won't watch long stories about issues.
In our five-year study of local TV news, we statistically catalogued the impact these myths have on the medium, as outlined in the previous chapter. In this chapter we will look at these 10 myths more closely – where they come from, how endemic they are – and take them apart.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
