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Robert Eckelman

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What’s Killing Local TV? It May Not Be What You Think.

Local TV stations are losing relevance as experienced talent disappears, management becomes regionalized, sales teams move away from their core product, and commercial break structures erode advertiser trust.

What’s killing local TV? You might be surprised.

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The people.
Top talent is disappearing. Top management is being regionalized. We’re slowly losing the local in local television.

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The sales model.
Great TV sellers once specialized in selling their core product: local television. Today, everyone is a multiplatform expert (really). Somewhere along the way, the core product became an afterthought.

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When sales organizations treat their core product as if it has little value, eventually advertisers will believe them.

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The product.
Not the programming, but the commercial break structure. Schedules struggle to post for a reason. Eventually, advertisers will find a medium they trust more.

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I spent most of my career in local TV. I hope it succeeds.

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But sometimes the biggest threat isn’t coming from the outside. It’s coming from within.

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