An old news Case Study

As some of you may have figured out, Hal enjoys reading scholarly journals. I stumbled onto a study from 1998 that was particularly interesting, especially here in Wichita. The study by Tom Rosenstiel, Carl Gottlieb and Lee Ann Brady of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, ranked the quality of over 60 stations in 20 cities. It says it found audiences will not punish stations in ratings for producing quality local news as defined by a group of professionals. However it also says the lowest scoring stations as defined by its professionals are just as likely to succeed as the best stations. One of its 4 stations that it describes as being, "model" is KAKE. For KAKE it was all about doing in-depth pieces and less crime in 1998 as described by the authors. Hmmmm. And today they lead off with a murder trial. Now those reading this who were in this town back then and remember their newscasts in the late 90's, will not find this all that surprising. However, those who didn't, will find this as a reminder that just as a station may rave about their formula, they can change it and not even be near where they once were. So lets open up the time vault to 1998. Here's a link to the study in full. I encourage you to read it.
http://journalism.org/node/377

I will now post an excerpt from the study that offers an interesting glimpse into KAKE in 1998.

"A few stations prove there is an alternative to this processed news product - and it can still attract viewers. Over the past three years, each of the four stations profiled here has been trending up in ratings while most of the industry is down. What's going on at WEHT in Evansville, WLKY in Louisville, KARE in Minneapolis and KAKE in Wichita is thoughtful, old fashioned, and emphatically local. The formula is a straight-forward approach to writing and reporting. None of these stations is dumbing-down its news, or hyping it up. Crime is not blown out of proportion, and technology is merely a tool, not an end in itself. Most important, viewers are treated like citizens rather than consumers. It's back-to-basics newscasting, and it's working."

Here is the excerpt about KAKE as a model station.

"Not surprisingly, weather is often big news at KAKE, the ABC affiliate in Wichita, in the heart of the tornado belt. In the springtime, when storms can turn deadly, a meteorologist leads the show each night, followed by stories on various aspects of approaching fronts. The comprehensive coverage lasts all night with updates every half-hour until morning. "Weather is the number one thing that we do," says KAKE News Director Jim Turpin. "If it's really severe weather, we just take over the station." KAKE's coverage of fast-changing local weather and its impact on the community is one of the reasons a station in the 63rd market is ranked number two in quality in the study. Its busy consumer unit is another. Consumer reporter Deb Farris isn't doing formula pieces from consultants. Viewers call her with problems and she does her best to solve them. One day it's plumbers falsely claiming to be available 24-hours a day. The next it's helping a family get a refund for a vacation gone awry. She even vacation gone awry. She even tackles local examples of national problems, informing people that those with car insurance can end up paying more for broken windshields than those without it. "If we feel like it's a valid concern or if it affects a lot of people, we'll do it," says Farris. And like other stations profiled here, KAKE tries to find stories that are unique as well as local. To help them, the entire staff is invited to participate in the daily editorial meetings. KAKE reports the local angle on national stories frequently and leads the market in using multiple sources. It also focuses less on everyday crime. "Over the years we've just stopped covering crime," says reporter Farris. We are much more interested in stories that "help more people in their day-to-day lives."

Farris's quote in the study from 1998 is very interesting, "Over the years we've stopped covering crime," and that they are interested in stories that help people. Once again they led with a murder trial today. However, I must say their murder trial story on Thursday was interesting. A lot happened in the court room that was interesting to watch, but to me that's an exception rather than the norm. So in 9 years (eternity in the TV world) KAKE has clearly adapted a new philosophy. Someone in the know, please help me out, I think their ratings or rank has improved since then. So I ask you (TV professionals and those who aren't), although KAKE has changed, have what people want in local news changed in those 9 years? Is KAKE a "model station" today? Is there a "model station" in the market? -Hal