A new study from the Radio Television Digital News Association and Hofstra University finds that more TV stations are now turning their websites into a profit center. At the same time, radio station websites making money or breaking even suffered a slight decline.
The number of television stations turning a profit increased by 4.3%, according to RTDNA. That may be partly explained by the fact that the number of television news staffers helping out on the website picked up by 10%.
RTDNA said that radio websites suffered a “modest” decline in profitability, and on the other end, the number suffering losses increased.
“These numbers suggest that, more and more, stations are deciding that certain web elements aren’t working that well for them — or aren’t worth the effort — and they’re either scaling them back or not bothering with them at all,” said survey director, Bob Papper, professor and chair of the Department of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations at Hofstra University.
RTDNA mentioned what seems to be working and what not, writing, “The survey found TV web sites maturing. Text, still pictures and news video are now essentially universal on all TV web sites. The use of audio, live cameras, recorded newscasts and blogs are increasingly being utilized. However, streaming audio, podcasts and assembling your own newscasts have each leveled off or declined.”
RBR-TVBR observation: Forgetting that we report on broadcasting, and speaking strictly as a consumer, we are amazed anytime we go to find information about a local business and their web presence is minimal or, worse, nonexistent. Nine times out of ten if we don’t find the information we want, the business is out of our plans. We cannot stress this enough: Radio stations – you’d best figure out what TV is starting to do right and do it as well.
