By Frank Macek
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| WKYC's Russ Mitchell & Cle Mayor Justin Bibb |
There’s no denying the numbers. Local television viewership isn’t what it used to be. The days when families gathered around the 6 p.m. newscast as part of a nightly routine have largely faded, replaced by streaming platforms, social media feeds, and an endless scroll of national headlines competing for attention.
The audience has splintered, habits have shifted, and the metrics we once relied on to define success have changed dramatically. But if you look beyond the ratings charts and into the real impact of what local journalism does every day, a different story emerges—one that underscores just how essential it remains.
At WKYC, that reality is visible in ways that can’t be measured solely by Nielsen or Comscore numbers. It’s in the phone calls from viewers who need help navigating a confusing situation. It’s in the tips that come in at all hours, often from people who don’t know where else to turn. It’s in the trust built over decades, one story at a time. Local journalism has never been just about viewership. It’s about service. And that mission hasn’t changed, even as the platforms delivering it have.
The decline in traditional TV viewing is often framed as a crisis, and in many ways, it is. Advertising models have been disrupted. Younger audiences consume content differently. The competition isn’t just the station across town anymore—it’s every app, every influencer, every algorithm curating information in real time. But what often gets lost is this: while consumption has evolved, the need for reliable, local information has not diminished. If anything, it has grown more urgent.
Consider the role local journalism plays during moments of crisis. When severe weather threatens Northeast Ohio, viewers aren’t turning to a national outlet for hyper-local forecasts. They rely on familiar faces like 3News meteorologists Betsy Kling, Mark Johnson, and Matt Wintz—people who understand Lake Erie’s impact, regional microclimates, and the communities most at risk. That level of specificity isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. When the stakes are high, people want information grounded in local expertise.
The same holds true beyond weather. When a major story breaks—a public safety concern, a school closure, a developing investigation—people want information that is immediate, accurate, and relevant. A national headline may tell you something happened, but local journalism tells you how it affects your neighborhood, your commute, your family. It provides the context that turns information into something actionable.
At WKYC, that responsibility is taken seriously every day. The investment in weather, investigative reporting, and community storytelling isn’t just about filling a rundown—it’s about fulfilling a promise. Whether it’s digging into issues that affect neighborhoods or amplifying voices that might otherwise go unheard, the goal remains the same: inform, empower, and connect.
What makes local journalism uniquely powerful is proximity. National outlets can cover broad trends, but they can’t sit in on a Parma city council meeting or track policy changes in Akron schools the way a local newsroom can. They don’t have the same relationships, institutional knowledge, or accountability. Local journalists live in the communities they serve. They experience the impact of the stories they report and feel the responsibility of getting it right.
That accountability builds trust, and trust is the currency that matters most today. In an era where misinformation spreads rapidly, local journalism serves as a counterbalance. It provides vetted, fact-based reporting people can rely on. At WKYC, that trust has been earned over generations—and it must be reinforced every day.
Trust, however, is fragile. It can erode quickly if standards slip or audiences feel disconnected. That’s why consistency, accuracy, and transparency matter. When mistakes happen—and they do—owning and correcting them is essential. Local journalism isn’t just about telling stories; it’s about maintaining a relationship built on credibility.
The challenge is reaching audiences where they are. The decline in TV viewership doesn’t mean people have stopped consuming news—it means they’re doing it differently. That’s why local journalism has expanded beyond television to digital platforms, streaming, and social media. At WKYC, that evolution is evident in WKYC+, mobile alerts, and a growing digital presence. The mission remains the same, but the delivery is more dynamic.
This shift has created new opportunities. Digital platforms allow for deeper storytelling, real-time updates, and direct engagement. Stories that once lived in a two-minute package can now become multi-platform narratives with video, text, and interactive elements. Local journalism is not shrinking—it’s expanding into new forms.
It also creates a more conversational relationship with viewers. Feedback is immediate. Questions can be answered in real time. Viewers can contribute through tips, photos, and firsthand accounts. In many ways, local journalism has become more collaborative, reflecting a community that is actively participating in the news.
Still, challenges remain. Monetizing digital content is difficult. Maintaining standards in a fast-paced environment requires discipline. Competing with the sheer volume of unverified information can make credible reporting harder to distinguish. But these are challenges worth navigating because the alternative—losing strong local journalism—comes with far greater consequences.
Communities without robust local news coverage are more vulnerable to misinformation, less informed about local issues, and less engaged in civic life. When fewer reporters cover local government, accountability suffers. Decisions that affect daily life can happen with little scrutiny. That’s not just a media issue—it’s a civic one.
Local journalism helps bridge that gap. It brings transparency to processes that might otherwise go unnoticed. It asks questions on behalf of the public. It ensures important issues don’t slip through the cracks simply because they don’t rise to national attention.
At WKYC, that role is woven into the newsroom. Investigative reporting isn’t just a segment—it’s a commitment. Whether uncovering inefficiencies or following through on viewer concerns, the goal is impact. And impact doesn’t always mean headlines. Sometimes it’s a small change that improves someone’s life.
What happened at Park 85 Apartments shows exactly why local journalism matters. When residents were living without water or heat and felt ignored, WKYC stepped in. Jay Crawford listened. Sia Nyorkor and photojournalist Bailey Lustic exposed the conditions and demanded answers. The result—city leaders acted and repairs began. That’s local journalism making a real difference and demanding the truth.
There’s also an emotional dimension to local journalism that often goes overlooked. It’s not just about hard news; it’s about storytelling in its fullest sense. Celebrating achievements, honoring milestones, and capturing defining community moments all matter. From high school sports to local festivals and Heartstrings features, these stories create connection.
That connection has long been recognized by broadcast professionals. As Walter Cronkite famously said, “Journalism is what we need to make democracy work.” That idea plays out every day at the local level, where the impact is immediate and personal.
Tom Brokaw echoed that responsibility: “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.” Local journalism is rooted in that difference. It’s not about filling airtime—it’s about doing work that matters.
Ask anyone in a newsroom like WKYC why they do the job, and the answer often comes back to impact. It’s about helping someone get answers, shedding light on issues, and being there when the community needs information most.
Even Ben Bradlee emphasized journalism’s core purpose: “The truth is, journalism is not about what you say, it’s about what you find out.” That discovery—of facts, accountability, and untold stories—is where local journalism proves its value every day.
In a fragmented media landscape, that purpose becomes even more important. National stories can inform, but local stories resonate. They reflect shared experiences and remind people they are part of a community.
The people behind those stories matter. Local journalists aren’t distant figures—they’re neighbors. They’re seen at community events, in stores, on the same streets. That visibility creates relatability and accountability that national outlets can’t replicate.
That connection also brings responsibility. It means understanding the community’s nuances, respecting its diversity, and reflecting its voices accurately. It means listening as much as reporting and recognizing that every story deserves care and context.
Despite the challenges, there is reason for optimism. The forces disrupting traditional viewership have also created new ways to engage audiences. Innovation is happening in local newsrooms every day. At WKYC, that innovation is guided by a simple principle: meet viewers where they are, but never compromise the journalism.
That means balancing speed with accuracy, depth with accessibility, and innovation with integrity. Technology may change, but the fundamentals of good journalism do not. The future of local journalism will look different, but its core purpose will remain. It will still inform the public, hold power accountable, and strengthen communities. Platforms will evolve, but the mission endures.
It’s easy to focus on what has changed—the decline in viewership, the rise of digital, shifting business models. But what hasn’t changed is the need for trustworthy, local information.
In the end, the value of local journalism isn’t measured by ratings. It’s measured by impact—the stories that lead to change, the information that keeps people safe, and the connections that bring communities together.
At WKYC, that impact is felt every day. The numbers may fluctuate, habits may change, but the need for strong, reliable local journalism remains constant. And as long as that need exists, the work will continue—on air, online, and wherever the audience chooses to engage.
Because in a world of endless information, what matters most isn’t just access to news. It’s access to news you can trust, news that understands your community, and news committed to serving it.
That’s the role local journalism plays. And that’s why it still matters—now more than ever.
**EDITOR NOTE: "Frank's Take" articles are the expressed written opinions of the blogger and not necessarily those of WKYC-TV or TEGNA Media.