A record 94% of local TV news producers are open to being pitched for stories by PR people representing brands and non-profits. That’s the highest total in the 25 years D S Simon Media has been conducting its TV News Producers Study.
The report “Understanding the Evolving Media Landscape,” also includes news about local television news. While there has been much coverage about newsroom staff being cut, there has been less coverage of the fact that there is more local TV news content than ever before. “There are not only more hours of local TV news, but that programming is being formatted for the web, social media, and YouTube, which means more work,” says Doug Simon, CEO at D S Simon Media. “PR is now a staff extension of the shrinking newsroom.”
Local TV news remains the most trusted media source according to the firm’s research. 85% of the public find local TV news more trustworthy than social media and 67% gave it the trust advantage over network news.
The report had additional good news for brands trying to earn media to improve AI discoverability. 90% of producers prefer to interview in-house spokespeople compared to third-party experts. “This allows your brand to become associated with the answers to questions people are asking across the large language models,” says Simon.
Among its additional findings:
“The pace of change in the TV newsroom is unprecedented,” said Simon. “For brands looking to build trust, authenticity and GEO, local TV news is an opportunity that can’t be overlooked.”
About the Research
The survey was conducted by D S Simon Media in April 2026. The results were submitted through SurveyMonkey. It was sent to reporters and producers at local TV news stations nationwide. The results were compiled from the responses of 51 producers and reporters who had the option to reply anonymously. Tellingly, more than half requested to see a copy of the results.
If you are interested in reviewing or downloading the full report, please click HERE.
Image courtesy of D S Simon Media
