Genachowski speech: what about the other local news stations?

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After we published FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s NAB 2011 speech on spectrum issues where he mentioned a lot of over-the-air stations do not provide much in the way of local content (noting there are 28 OTA stations in the New York DMA, but only six provide any appreciable amount of local news), we had to take note that we count at least 12 stations carrying local news there—including Univision, Telemundo, and WNJN-TV.


We’re not sure who compiled the list for the Chairman, or if he counted them himself, but here’s our count:
1. WABC-TV
2. WNBC-TV
3. WCBS-TV
4. WNYW (Fox)
5. WWOR (My Network)
6. WPIX (Tribune)
7. WNET (PBS-also airs NJN News)
8. WNYE-TV (NYC-owned—note its NYC Gov. multicast channel)
9. WXTV-TV Univision
10. WNJU-TV Telemundo
11. WRNN-TV (Regional News Network)
12. WNJN-TV (NJ Network)

Editor’s note: A reader later mentioned: “On the subject of New York stations doing news, you can add another one: WMBC-TV, Newton, NJ.  That station broadcasts daily local news programs in both English and Korean.”

This does not include news from multicast networks like LA TV or Azteca’s National News. There is also Mega TV, but we doubt there is appreciable news on that station.

In Los Angeles, he said only eight out of 23 are doing local news. We also have to say with the huge commitment of LA Spanish stations that are headquartered there, there are more like 11-13 doing local news.

RBR-TVBR observation: This could just be an unintentional oversight, as we doubt the Chairman would build his case with spurious facts. But with these types of messages, these figures, do not paint an accurate picture of the local news available in many markets via OTA television and do not accurately represent the broadcasters’ side of this fight.