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 local communities, covering topics like regional politics, weather, local business developments, and human-interest stories relevant to the area. The scope of local news is intentionally limited to matters that directly affect the local population and would not typically be of interest to broader audiences.

1927: Radio Act of 1927

Like the Federal Radio Commission under the Radio Act of 1927, the FCC promulgated various public interest programming guidelines and regulations and a process for ascertaining local programming of interest to the communities that the stations were licensed to serve through the 1970s.

1934: Communications Act of 1934

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: News Consumption of Americans born before 1946

Americans born before 1946 reported in a Yankelovich Partners survey at the end of the 20th century that they derived belongingness from local newspapers at more than twice the rate of Americans born after 1964.

1964: News Consumption of Americans born after 1964

Americans born after 1964 reported in a Yankelovich Partners survey at the end of the 20th century that they derived belongingness from local newspapers at less than half the rate of Americans born before 1946.

2000: Decline in newspaper industry revenue

From 2000 to 2020, the newspaper industry experienced a decline in subscription and advertising revenue that was not being offset by digital circulation or online advertising, according to the 2023 GAO and CRS reports.

2000: Robert D. Putnam publishes Bowling Alone

In 2000, Robert D. Putnam published the first edition of Bowling Alone, noting differences in civic engagement between generations in the United States and associating it with news consumption habits.

2003: Staff reduction in full-time 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, there were increases in staffing at digital-native news websites, but this did not offset cuts in newsroom staffing among newspapers.

2010: Rising total revenue for local television stations

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

2011: FCC issues report on media outlets

In 2011, the FCC issued a report concluding that growth in media outlets had not offset reductions in local news reporting, particularly in public interest, civics, and investigative journalism. The report noted the reliance of broadcast and internet news on newspaper reporting and the limited growth of local cable news channels.

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 even though the share of total U.S. advertising spending received by newspapers had been falling since the 1950s, the share 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.

2014: Pew Research Center study on statehouse reporters

In 2014, a Pew Research Center study estimated that 54% of statehouse reporters were employed by newspapers, newswires, or college student publications. The study also estimated that 53% of statehouse reporters did not cover the beat full-time and that 71% of newspapers and 86% of local television stations had no statehouse reporters.

2015: Percentage of American adults with cable or satellite subscription

In 2015, 76% of American adults reported having a cable or satellite television subscription, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey.

2016: CRS reports on video distributors

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's morning regional cut-ins change format

In June 2017, SVT's morning regional cut-ins no longer featured an in-studio presenter but instead showed compiled short reports from various correspondents across the region.

2018: Rising total revenue for local television stations

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

2018: Tech Crunch report on Facebook and news outlets

In 2018, a Tech Crunch journalist, Josh Constine, reported that Facebook was exploiting its sponsorship of news outlets, effectively turning many publishers into "ghostwriters". Constine pointed out that Facebook had been focusing on local news sources for several years.

January 2019: Zuckerberg announces Facebook investment in local news

In January 2019, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced a $300 million investment in local news initiatives, to be distributed over three years.

2020: Advertising spending by Google and Facebook

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

2020: Decline in newspaper industry revenue

2020: Industry research on streaming services

In 2020, previous industry research found that 55% of American households subscribed to multiple streaming services.

2020: GAO report on digital-native news websites

In 2023, a GAO report found that increases in staffing at digital-native news websites from 2008 to 2020 were not offsetting cuts in newsroom staffing among newspapers.

2021: FCC working paper on television market size

In 2021, an FCC working paper found that the market size of Nielsen designated market areas (DMA) was the key factor affecting the number of commercial television stations with local news operations. Also, in 2021, 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.

2021: Pew survey on streaming services

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

September 2022: Podcast analysis by Pew Research Center

The Pew Research Center 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. The report was released in June 2023.

2022: Majority of payrolled newsroom staff employed by newspapers and television

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 aggregators and web feeds

In 2022, a United States Copyright Office (USCO) report noted that while 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, the news industry disputes the extent of the traffic and its economic value.

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 the 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, finding that only 15% had a news or current events focus.

2023: GAO and CRS reports on the news industry

Along with the 2023 GAO and CRS reports, a 2022 USCO report noted that while 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, the news industry disputes the extent of the traffic and its economic value since aggregators and feeds direct users to articles rather than home pages and because of a substitution effect from aggregators and feeds featuring headlines and portions of article lead paragraphs. The 2023 CRS report noted that the Big Tech companies that receive the majority of online advertising revenue and compete with the news industry for such revenue are also the largest providers of advertising technology to the news industry, and that the Big Tech companies had been alleged to have engaged in anti-competitive conduct in the provision of advertising technology, news aggregators, search engines, social networking services, and app stores.

2023: GAO and CRS reports on newspaper industry revenue

In 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.

2023: GAO report on digital-native news websites

In 2023, a GAO report found that increases in staffing at digital-native news websites from 2008 to 2020 were not offsetting cuts in newsroom staffing among newspapers.

2023: GAO and CRS reports on market dynamics

In 2023, the GAO and CRS reports noted the unbundling of soft news and hard news content on the internet that formerly provided cross subsidization for newspaper beats, and the unbundling of news content from advertising due to the rise of classified advertising websites and search engine and social media marketing.

2025: Pew Survey on cable or satellite television subscription

In 2025, a Pew survey found that only 36% of American adults reported having a cable or satellite television subscription.

2025: Pew survey on streaming services

In 2025, the 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.