History of Local news in Timeline

Local news focuses on events within a specific geographic area, distinct from national or international news. It caters to the interests and concerns of the local community, covering topics like regional politics, local business developments, weather forecasts specific to the area, and human-interest stories about local residents. The content is tailored to be relevant and engaging for people living in the region, addressing issues and events that directly affect their daily lives.

1927: Radio Act

Like the Federal Radio Commission under the Radio Act of 1927, the FCC promulgated various public interest programming guidelines and regulations through the 1970s, but these were rescinded or relaxed in the 1980s.

1934: Communications Act

The 2023 GAO report also noted that the FCC has no regulations or guidelines for broadcasters that define what constitutes public interest programming and allows broadcasters wide discretion in determining how to fulfill their public interest obligations under the Communications Act of 1934.

1946: Generational Cohort

Before 1946, Americans reported deriving belongingness from local newspapers at more than twice the rate of those born after 1964.

1964: Generational Cohort

Before 1946, Americans reported deriving belongingness from local newspapers at more than twice the rate of those born after 1964.

2000: Bowling Alone Published

In 2000, political scientist Robert D. Putnam noted in the first edition of Bowling Alone that differences between generations in the United States regarding civic association membership, civic engagement, and political engagement were associated with differences in news consumption and newspaper subscriptions.

2000: Decline in Newspaper Revenue

The 2023 GAO and CRS reports noted that the reduction in subscription and advertising revenue for the newspaper industry from 2000 to 2020 was not being offset by digital circulation or online advertising.

2003: Staff Reduction in Statehouse Reporters

From 2003 to 2014, there was a 35% staff reduction in full-time statehouse reporters at 220 newspapers surveyed.

2008: Increase in Staffing at Digital-Native News Websites

From 2008 to 2020, increases in staffing at digital-native news websites were not offsetting cuts in newsroom staffing among newspapers, as reported in a 2023 GAO report.

2010: Revenue Growth

From 2010 to 2018, despite rising total revenue due to rising retransmission consent fees, the number of local television stations that originated news fell by 5%.

2011: FCC Report on Public Affairs Networks

In 2011, the FCC report noted that state public affairs networks (SPANs) were not covered under the agency's must-carry rules.

2011: FCC Report on Advertising Spending

In 2011, the FCC report noted that the share of total U.S. advertising spending received by television and cable did not exceed the share received by newspapers until the 1990s, and that paid circulation by newspapers did not begin to consistently decline until the 1980s.

2011: FCC Report on Unbundling of News Content

In 2011, the FCC report noted the unbundling of soft news and hard news content on the internet that formerly provided cross subsidization for newspaper beats.

2011: FCC Report on Media Outlets

In 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a report that concluded that growth in media outlets had not offset reductions in local news reporting with public interest, civics, or investigative journalism coverage.

2014: Pew Research Center Study Release

In 2014, a Pew Research Center study estimated that 54% of statehouse reporters were employed by newspapers, newswires, or college student publications.

2015: Decline in Cable and Satellite Subscriptions

In 2021, the Pew Research Center released a survey that found that the percentage of American adults that reported having a cable or satellite television subscription fell from 76% in 2015 to 56% in 2021.

2016: CRS Report on FCC Definition

Reports issued by the CRS in 2016 and 2020 noted that the FCC had not expanded its definition of multichannel video programming distributors to include online video distributors.

June 2017: SVT Regional News Update

In June 2017, SVT's morning regional cut-ins stopped featuring an in-studio presenter and instead started showing compiled short reports from correspondents across the region.

2018: Decrease in Number of Local Television Stations

From 2010 to 2018, despite rising total revenue due to rising retransmission consent fees, the number of local television stations that originated news fell by 5%.

2018: Facebook Stole the News Business

In 2018, Tech Crunch journalist Josh Constine reported that Facebook was exploiting its sponsorship of news outlets to turn many news publishers into its "ghostwriters," effectively stealing the news business. Constine highlighted Facebook's long-standing focus on local news sources.

January 2019: Zuckerberg Invests in Local News

In January 2019, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced a $300 million investment in local news over the next three years.

2020: Online Advertising Spending

By 2020, almost two-thirds of total U.S. advertising spending was online and that more than half of online advertising spending was received by Google and Facebook alone.

2020: Impact on Newsroom Staffing

From 2008 to 2020, increases in staffing at digital-native news websites were not offsetting cuts in newsroom staffing among newspapers, as reported in a 2023 GAO report.

2020: Streaming Services

The 2021 Pew survey also noted that previous industry research released in 2020 found that 55% of American households subscribed to multiple streaming services.

2020: Newspaper Revenue Trends

2021: Pew Survey on Streaming Services

In 2021, a Pew survey noted that previous industry research released in 2020 found that 55% of American households subscribed to multiple streaming services.

2021: FCC Working Paper on Television Markets

In 2021, the FCC's Office of Economics and Analytics released a working paper that found the market size of Nielsen DMAs was the key factor affecting the number of commercial television stations with local news operations.

September 2022: Podcast content analysis

From April through September 2022, the Pew Research Center analyzed the content of 451 podcasts listed on the daily top 200 most popular charts of Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The report was issued in June 2023.

2022: Newsroom Staff Employed

In 2022, a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report found that newspapers and television still employed the majority of payrolled newsroom staff in the United States while online-only news websites employed less than 10%.

2022: USCO Report on News Industry Traffic

In 2022, a United States Copyright Office (USCO) report noted that the news industry and Big Tech companies do not dispute that news aggregators and the web feeds of social media websites drive significant traffic to news sites.

2022: USCO Report on Copyright Protections

In 2022, the USCO report found that the effectiveness of copyright protections for the news industry were undermined by an inequality of bargaining power between the news industry and Big Tech companies.

June 2023: Pew Research Center Report on Podcasts

In June 2023, the Pew Research Center issued a report that analyzed the content of 451 podcasts listed on the daily top 200 most popular charts of Apple Podcasts and Spotify from April through September 2022.

2023: GAO Report on Newsroom Staffing

In 2023, a report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that increases in staffing at digital-native news websites from 2008 to 2020 were not offsetting cuts in newsroom staffing among newspapers.

2023: USCO and CRS Reports on News Aggregators

In 2023, the CRS report noted that Big Tech companies, the largest providers of advertising technology to the news industry, had been alleged to have engaged in anti-competitive conduct.

2023: GAO and CRS Reports on Unbundling of News

In 2023, the GAO and CRS reports noted the unbundling of soft news and hard news content on the internet, and the unbundling of news content from advertising due to the rise of classified advertising websites and search engine and social media marketing.

2023: GAO and CRS Reports on Newspaper Revenue

2025: Pew Survey on Streaming Services

A 2025 Pew survey found that 83% of American adults watched streaming services and that 55% watched streaming services and did not subscribe to cable or satellite television.