TYSONS, Va.—Tegna is embarking on a notable expansion of its already substantial local news programming by launching live and on-demand local newscasts from 7 to 9 a.m. daily in more than 50 markets through streaming, connected TV apps and station websites.
Overall, the expansion of local news programming will deliver over 100 hours of daily breaking news, weather and traffic to more than 100 million viewers.
Stations in 35 markets will be actively delivering live, local programming from 7 to 9 a.m. this summer, with 50+ markets expected to have live, local programming in that window this fall, the broadcaster reported.
“Local news drives daily decisions,” said Adrienne Roark, chief content officer at Tegna. “With the debut of our new programming, our audiences will now have the option to watch live news produced by their trusted stations during a time of day when local coverage has been largely unavailable. In addition to serving our viewers, it will also create new opportunities for our advertisers to reach audiences regardless of where they are and how they consume our content.”
Tegna stations across the country, including KGW Portland, Oregon, WCNC Charlotte, North Carolina, and WKYC Cleveland, began testing the live digital news stream in the 7 a.m. time slot earlier this year. In some markets, viewership increased by nearly 50% month-over-month, spiking even higher during severe weather or times of breaking news.
“This content expansion reinforces our companywide commitment to local news and we’re confident that it will further strengthen our newsrooms, enhance the viewer experience, support our communities and deliver value to all stakeholders,” Roark added.
To access the new digital content, Tegna said, viewers can download and open the Tegna station’s Plus app on a streaming device such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, or visit their local station’s website to access the livestream directly from a web browser. In select markets, this new programming will also be available on Tegna's secondary broadcast channels.
