Local News Animation and Storytelling

June 2021

These results capture the significant appeal, impact, and efficacy when effective animation and graphics are incorporated into local news coverage

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• Local news consumers watched a total of 4 news stories from their respective DMA.
• Half of the news stores were crafted to reflect a Conventional Approach (without graphics) and half included graphics and animation as a fundamental component of the storytelling.
• The first two stories allowed for a head-to-head comparison for the two distinct versions of the same story, with order randomized.
• Animated news stories outperform the conventional across a broad range of metrics, including story affinity, brand differentiation and content retention.

Local News Consumer Profile

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What We Did

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The Design Logic

Local News Volatility and Affinity

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3 Key Insights

1. Attributes of Story Telling and Appeal:�Animated and Graphics stories outperform conventional stories

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2. Impact on News Behaviors and Attitudes: �Graphics and Animation > Conventional for reasons to watch local news, story relevance and quality of story telling

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Well Crafted

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Visually interesting

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Innovative

Direct and to the point

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A reason for watching local news more often

News has more relevance

Tonality is more resonant

Likelihood to watch the station

Increased interest in following the station on social media

Social media Frame: facts in animated stories are more memorable

3. News consumers recognize the value of the enhanced Graphics and Animation

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Significant payoffs are derived from graphics:

• Help to explain data and statistics
• Explain the timeline of events
• Shows how a story unfolds over time
• Show me exactly where news is happening
• Enhance local stories
• More inclined to trust the coverage

Exposure to the graphics sets a new expectation:

• Makes a local news story more interesting
• I expect local news stories to illustrate facts with graphics and animation

News consumers become less satisfied with the more conventional way of delivering news stories

News Reliance, Trends, and Equity

Daily News and Information Sources

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S5: There are now lots of different ways to access news and information, on TV, on the web, on your smartphone, and on social media. What are some of the different ways you are getting news and information every day?

Daily News Sources

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Q2: About what percentage of your daily news and information comes from each of the following news sources?

Average Share of Daily News Reliance

Younger news consumers are most reliant on social media, older on local TV news

Weekly Local News Platform Usage

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S6: What are some of the different ways you are getting news and information from a local TV station at least once a week?

35-to-44 year olds are the most likely to reside in a multi-platform world, reliant on both linear and digital platforms

News Drivers

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Q1: What are some of the things that are most important to you when you consider which sources to rely on for news and information?

The top news drivers include coverage elements that capture the facts, delivers unbiased and transparent coverage, and conveys information in a clear and easy to understand fashion – all attributes that are effectively reinforced through enhanced graphics and animation.

Local News Programs on TV

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Q3: What comes to mind when you think about local news programs on TV?

What comes to mind when thinking about local news programs on TV?

Local News Programs

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Net Strength

Q4: Please indicate if each of the following is a strength of local news programs on TV, a weakness of local news programs on TV, or neither a strength nor a weakness?

Strengths and Weaknesses of Local News Programs

Timeliness, Clarity, Impact, and Local Knowledge are all strength of local news

Graphics represent a secondary strength

Tune-In Drivers

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Q5: How important is each of the following elements in your decision to watch local news programs on TV?

Local News Tune-in Drivers

Prior to exposure, graphics and animation are perceived to play a less critical role.

Effectiveness of Local TV

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Q6: Overall, how effective are your local TV news stations in delivering the kinds of news coverage that are important for you?

Q9: How effective are your local TV news stations in delivering the following elements of news coverage?

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What are the three things you dislike most about local television news?

Dislikes About Local Television News

Q7:What are the three things you dislike most about local television news?

Local News Coverage and Reporting

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Q10: What if anything is missing from the local news coverage and reporting you currently get on TV?

Anything missing from local news coverage and reporting currently on TV?

Local News Story Descriptors�

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Q8: How well does each of the following words and phrases describe the news stories and reports you see on local news today?

The Power of Animation and Graphics

Video Insights: Graphics Resonate

The Inclusion of Graphics and Animation in Local News Stories Outperforms Conventional Storytelling

Local news consumers respond more favorably to storytelling attributes�

• Initial Impression of the story
• Interesting to watch
• Relevance of the coverage
• The overall tone of the story
• Visually interesting
• The depth of coverage and getting all the details you need

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Significant Impact on Local News Choices

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• Make a point of watching this station for local news in the future
• Trust (in Boston, and among 18- to-24-year-olds in both markets)
• More innovative
• Higher quality story telling
• A reason for watching local news more often

Greater Efficacy and Retention of Facts�

• Stories are more memorable
• Greater retention of facts in a social media environment

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Video Insights

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The right amount of detailed information

Very Interesting

Very Favorable

News Video Descriptors – Boston

“It was detailed and authentic in helping people in very unusual situations.” ̶ Lobbying

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Q19: How would you describe the news video you just watched?

Animation

“…An in depth look at health care lobbying in Massachusetts, including what lobbying is, and how it impacts individuals access to affordable healthcare.” ̶ Lobbying

“Very clear, overuse of graphics though. The first few were great at helping to clarify things. The last few were just kind of ridiculous.” ̶ Tax Fight

“Impactful. It affects my state and how my state contributes to the controversy in other states.” ̶ Tax fight

“Visually appealing, good graphics, informational.” ̶ Lobbying

“…Fast paced, direct and to the point.” ̶ Contact Tracing

”More on the entertaining side than factual listing.” ̶ Contact Tracing

Conventional

“Very informative, but still simple to understand for average everyday people. I liked how the video described what contact tracing is and how it helps.” – Contact Tracing

“…A reliable source of information, it is very truthful and allows me to be aware of current events.” – Tax Fight

“…Displayed information about contact tracing in the state of Massachusetts and how this will benefit preventing the spread of COVID 19.” ̶ Contact Tracing

“A segment describing the issues people have with pharmaceutical companies and legislature, as well as exploring how lobbyists can influence bills that affect citizens.” ̶ Lobbying

“…The lack of graphics & animation makes it less visually appealing & memorable. Reminds me of a traditional broadcast that I currently see on local news.” ̶ Tax Fight

Based on respondents who live in Boston and saw each video

News Video Descriptors – Chicago

Animation

Conventional

“Really well done as I love how it showed actual footage of the crash, the individual involved and interviews with locals who knew him and saw what happened.” ̶ Plane Crash

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“Very true to real images of people in community.”

– Super Spreader

“Well crafted, competent reporter, good integration of video.”

– Investigative Police Stops

“Investigates the disparity between white and black drivers being pulled over. It also indicates that these stops are not resulting in a ticket or citation so there must be another reason [to why]

officers are pulling over black drivers more than white.”

̶ Investigative Police Stops

“It described how quickly and easily COVID-19 is spread if you are not practicing safe social distancing.”

̶ Super Spreader

“Very comprehensive of the timeline of the accident and presenting the place where it took place.” ̶ Plane Crash

Q19: How would you describe the news video you just watched?

“I like this more than the previous one. It’s more clearly state what happened during incident. The pictures more clearly showed how many people are infected.” ̶ Super Spreader

“The graphics did offer more information. Places familiarity when location is mapped.”

̶ Plane Crash

“It is an investigation into the frequent police stops of African Americans in the city of Chicago.”

̶ Investigative Police Stops

“Very informative with graphics showing timeline of events, easy to follow story.” ̶ Plane Crash

“Informative and simple analysis that makes understating easier.”

̶ Investigative Police Stops

”Informative, visually helpful to understand the statistics and how it all occurred.”

̶ Super Spreader

Based on respondents who live in Chicago and saw each video

Video Descriptors

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Q27: How well does each of the following words and phrases describe the news video you just watched?

Describes perfectly

Video Ratings

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Q28: How would you rate the news segment you just watched in each of the following areas?

Exactly what you want from a news segment

Video Ratings

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Q28: How would you rate the news segment you just watched in each of the following areas?

What you want from a news segment

News Video Appeal – Boston

“The explanation used was easy to understand and I liked the people being interviewed.” ̶ Lobbying

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Animation

“It felt too long and kind of dragged. Almost like they were trying to fill time.” ̶ Lobbying

“All of the silly child-like graphics and animation. It was over the top and a distraction from what was being reported.” ̶ Tax Fight

“The information itself. The voice and clarity of the reporter that shared the information is more appealing than the image.” ̶ Tax fight

“The graphics were really good and helped to illustrate key points.”

̶ Lobbying

“No anchor. I don't want the animations to replace them, but to enhance the entire production.” ̶ Contact Tracing

“The graphics work well because it was slow and took things step by step.” ̶ Contact Tracing

Conventional

“Very informative and concise about the topic.” – Contact Tracing

“I liked how this topic was explained, how this problem is approached, and the information provided in general.” – Tax Fight

“Dry presentation nothing popped nothing snapped.” ̶ Contact Tracing

“Few graphics and illustrations in the reporting.” ̶ Lobbying

“A bit confusing. Needed to be a bit longer.” ̶ Tax Fight

Q23: What did you find most appealing and least appealing about the video you just watched?

Based on respondents who live in Boston and saw each video

News Video Appeal – Chicago

Animation

Conventional

Q23: What did you find most appealing and least appealing about the video you just watched?

“I liked seeing the visuals. It made the story and facts clearer and easier to understand.” ̶ Super Spreader

“I liked the visual of the planes flight path to give an understanding of what occurred.” ̶ Plane Crash

“The use of graphics was a great way to help follow along with the data.”

̶ Investigative Police Stops

“I would say the way the reporter gave out the information was really interesting. It for sure captivated my attention.” ̶ Super Spreader

“It was quick and to the point with just the information I needed to know.” ̶ Plane Crash

“It brings to light the issues we face in the city and locally. People need to know about this issue. The man they interviewed is relatable.”

̶ Investigative Police Stops

“The scenes jumped around a lot and showed just a bunch of random stuff.” ̶ Super Spreader

“It would have been nice to see graphics of the general area and the highways for people not familiar with the area.”

̶ Plane Crash

“Gives no context as to why these minority drivers were stopped other than giving their race as the sole factor.” ̶ Investigative Police Stops

“Way too many graphics for such a simple concept. Unnecessary.” ̶ Super Spreader

“Too many graphics for this type of story. Graphics should be reserved for statistical purposes.” ̶ Plane Crash

“I would like to have them go a little further on the stats. What are the demographics in Chicago and the ratio of black to white.” ̶ Investigative Police Stops

Based on respondents who live in Chicago and saw each video

Video Information Detail

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Total

Core �Loyalists

Roving �Loyalists

Seekers

Surfers

Q25: How would you rate the amount of detailed information in this news story?

You wanted to see less detailed information

It was the right amount of detailed information

You wanted to see more detailed information

Animation stories deliver the right amount of detail for all local news segments

Enhancement Of Local News Stories

Q34: What are some of the specific ways graphics and animation enhance local news stories for you?

Reasons Graphics and Animation Enhance Local News Stories

Reasons Graphics and Animation DO NOT Enhance Local News Stories

Q35: Why did you say graphics and animation do not enhance local news stories for you?

“Can help simplify complicated or complex stories with detailed information.”

“There's times when graphics and animation helps to reinforce important points in a story that viewers might miss or not pay attention to.”

“Graphics and animation enhance local news stories for you, makes it very interesting and entertaining to watch.”

“Visually appealing, gets the viewer interested.”

“They make it easier to conceptualize the data.”

“When graphics are used its easier to understand the story…It seems much cleaner to use graphics and animation.”

“Graphics and animation take away the human aspect of stories, if you want to get people invested, they have to connect; you cannot connect with a graphic...”

“It just makes the stories longer. Just give me the facts and move on.”

“If done right they do enhance stories however when done wrong it causes confusion.”

“Most graphics are poor quality and are used too often.”

“Live footage is what enhances stories for me. Animation seems fake, I prefer real visual images.”

“It's not the graphics but the childish way they're employed, it becomes a visual distraction rather than adding to the story being presented.”

Based on respondents who do not find graphics and animation helpful

Video Interest

34

Total

Core �Loyalists

Roving �Loyalists

Seekers

Surfers

Q22: How interesting to watch was the news video you just saw?

Somewhat interesting

Very interesting

T2B Interesting

BB �Not Interesting

Animation stories are more interesting than Conventional for all local news segments

Trust In News Video

35

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

Q26: How much trust do you have in the news video you just watched?

Trust mostly

Trust completely

T2B �Trust

B2B �Distrust

Total

Animation stories are more completely trusted than Conventional for younger news consumers

Overall Story Preference

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Q30_1: Which of these two stories did you prefer?

Reason for Video Preference

Q31: What are some of the reasons why you prefer the video?

“It was more focused on the facts and not so much on the alarming tone.” ̶ Super Spreader, Animation, Saw Second

“The graphics and animations helped me to better understand the area of where this crash occurred.” ̶ Plane Crash, Animation, Saw Second

“It was more visually pleasing and engaging.” ̶ Investigative Police Stops, Animation, Saw First

“The way information was presented in the second video was more attractive and more informative.” ̶ Investigative Police Stops, Animation, Saw Second

“The animations and infographics made it easier and more attractive to follow.” ̶ Lobbying, Animation, Saw First

“It was more comprehensive and thorough.” – Contact Tracing, Animation, Saw First

“It's most understandable about what goes on with commuters and the Massachusetts tax.” – Tax Fight, Animation, Saw Second

“I feel that this visual is more eye catching and provides a better example of what is being discussed.” – Contact Tracing, Animation, Saw Second

Chicago

Boston

“The biggest reason was the use of graphics and animations to help drive the points being made.”

̶ Lobbying, Animation, Saw First

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“It felt more connected seeing the use of real people images vs animations.” – Contact Tracing, Conventional, Saw Second

“It had more substance and evidence to back up its story and claims.” ̶ Investigative Police Stops, Conventional, Saw Second

“Fewer graphics, more straightforward, showed more of the actual individuals involved.” ̶ Lobbying, Conventional, Saw First

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“It did not have the silly graphics and made the information seem more real.” – Tax Fight, Conventional, Saw Second

“It illustrated better how quick the virus spreads.”

̶ Super Spreader, Animation, Saw Second

“It seemed to give a better idea of the entire scope of the situation.” ̶ Plane Crash, Animation, Saw Second

“I liked the first version the best because it told the whole story and I was able to follow what the reporter was saying, to be able to visualize how it occurred.” ̶ Plane Crash, Conventional, Saw First

“I prefer the video over infographics because it feels more human and less silly.”

̶ Super Spreader, Conventional, Saw First

Based on respondents who live in Boston and saw each video

Based on respondents who live in Chicago and saw each video

News Video Differences – Boston

“The first one had more graphics in it making the information more memorable.”

̶ Lobbying, Saw Animation First

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“The use of infographics makes more memorable and understandable to me.” – Contact Tracing, Saw Conventional First

“The number of animations in both. The first didn’t use enough but the second used too much.” – Tax Fight, Saw Conventional First

“The first one oversimplified with too many animated graphics. Use them for complicated concepts, not the simple stuff. I found the second far preferable without the excessive animation.” ̶ Contact Tracing, Saw Animated First

“The second one had more animated graphics and I did not like it; I liked the first one better. It was too short; I want more information.”

̶ Tax Fight, Saw Conventional First

Q30: The last two videos you just watched show two different ways of covering the news. What was most noticeable or distinctive between these two versions of covering the news?

“The version one was more favorable. More graphics; graphics are like a refreshment of news since you don't see it too often.” – Tax Fight, Saw Animation First

“The second story used better animation but found it was a little too long for me. The first one had a good length.” ̶ Lobbying, Saw Animation First

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“The animated graphics in the first one were more effective than the images of the second.”

̶ Contact Tracing, Saw Animated First

“The use of animation in the second video made the news more compelling to watch and made it easier to understand.”

̶ Lobbying, Saw Conventional First

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Based on respondents who live in Boston and saw each video

Video Insights: Contact Tracing (Boston)

Video Descriptors: Describes Perfectly

Story Preference:

12% prefer Animation over Conventional

Video Insights: Tax Fight (Boston)

Video Descriptors: Describes Perfectly

Story Preference:

13% prefer Animation over Conventional

Video Insights: Lobbying (Boston)

Video Descriptors: Describes Perfectly

Story Preference:

10% prefer Animation over Conventional

Items Covered in News Story – Boston

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Q24: Which of the following items were covered in the news story you just watched?

Contact Tracing

Tax Fight

Lobbying

42% of Conventional viewers and 37% of Animation viewers agree that if they tested positive for COVID-19, they would definitely cooperate with the contact tracing team

News Video Differences – Chicago

“I liked the animation included in the first video. It helped to illustrate more clearly the numbers of people affected by one COVID-19 spreader. Although I liked seeing more community photos of people wearing masks and social distancing that were in the second video.” – Super Spreader, Saw Animated First

“The way information was presented in the second video was more attractive and more informative.”

– Investigative Police Stops, Saw Conventional First

“I like the first video more. It had graphs while the newscaster was talking. Using graphs and other visuals helps me to remember things better.” ̶ Investigative Police Stops, Saw Animation First

“The 2nd video was more focused on the information and less emotional and had a less alarming tone to it.” – Super Spreader, Saw Conventional First

“The animations and maps were the biggest difference; hence my takeaway was different for both. The first one was more memorable and the interesting.” ̶ Plane Crash, Saw Animation First

Q30: The last two videos you just watched show two different ways of covering the news. What was most noticeable or distinctive between these two versions of covering the news?

“The graphics shown more on the 2nd video, they were not needed, seemed like fillers for time.” ̶ Plane Crash, Saw Conventional First

“Second version felt more personal – both were a little confusing with all the numbers of people being rattled off but visually I preferred the second one. The first one I was wondering if I was even watching the news as those stick people animations felt like an educational video.” – Super Spreader, Saw Animated First

Based on respondents who live in Chicago and saw each video

Video Insights: Plane Crash (Chicago)

Video Descriptors: Describes Perfectly

Story Preference:

42% prefer Animation over Conventional

Video Insights: Super Spreader (Chicago)

Video Descriptors: Describes Perfectly

Story Preference:

39% prefer Animation over Conventional

Video Insights: Investigative Police Stops (Chicago)

Video Descriptors: Describes Perfectly

Story Preference:

32% prefer Animation over Conventional

Items Covered in News Story – Chicago

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Q24: Which of the following items were covered in the news story you just watched?

Plane Crash

Super Spreader

Investigative Police Stops

43% of Conventional viewers and 44% of Animation viewers agree that they are committed to practicing social distancing at all times

Story Preference by Coverage Element

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Q32: Please indicate which of the 2 different stories you prefer for each of the following attributes.

Prefer Animation minus Prefer Conventional

Facebook Video Execution Examples

Conventional

Animation

Conventional

Animation

Boston

Chicago

Significant Differences For Facebook Animation Vs. Facebook Conventional

Initial impression of the news story

Provided all the details I need

Animation outperforms conventional in a broad range of metrics

Interesting to watch

Well crafted

A reason for watching more often

Memorability and recall of factual information*

*When aggregated, people viewing animated videos answered significantly more post-video story questions correctly than those who saw conventional videos , with more correct attribution of facts that were mentioned in the story and fewer false positives

Video Insights

Post-Video Trends

Likely Actions After Seeing Video: Definitely Would

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Q29: How likely would you be to do each of the following based on the news story you just watched?

Would Minus Would Not

Conventional

Animation

Likely Actions After Seeing Video

54

Q29: How likely would you be to do each of the following based on the news story you just watched?

Video Impact on Attitudes Towards Local TV News

55

Pre-Video to Post-Video Shift

Total

Men

Women

Female Switchables

Green/Red = +/-5 points or more

Q17_1/Q33: How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements as they refer to local news programs on TV?

* Base on respondents who prefer a specified station for local news | ** Based on respondents who saw videos

Post-exposure Impact:

• Graphics more valued
• Graphics effectively explain
• Graphics = trust

Northeastern Recommendations

Video Insights: Graphics Resonate

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2

3

Cultivate a More Engaged News Consumer

• So much local news coverage is married to the news cycle at a time when audiences are also expecting insights, context, impact, and an understanding of stories as they unfold
• Depth of coverage (in an individual story or in a series over time) affords a deeper understanding of complex issues
• The current news cycle demands a pivot from reacting to the news cycle to managing a protracted coverage cycle with an emphasis on context, trends, and outcomes
• Graphics and animation assist in the understanding of more complex issues
• Capture timelines, deliver a sense of place, and connect the dots
• Enable a deeper understanding of the facts and a higher level of retention

Video Insights: Graphics Resonate

1

2

3

Cultivate a More Engaged News Consumer

• Local news consumers are taking a more active role in their news consumption, flowing between brands and platforms to get the content they need
• The fragmentation of news and the decline in allegiance is as much a response to frustration as it is to motivation
• Younger audiences are responding to strong visuals
• Strong preference for the animated approach, especially for the younger demographics (ages 18 to 24)
• +11 very interesting for animation vs. conventional
• +9 right amount of detail
• +6 completely trust the coverage
• +18 visually interesting
• +7 memorable

Facilitate Audience Acquisition and Expansion, Especially With Younger News Consumers

Video Insights: Graphics Resonate

• Allegiances are softening with the bulk of local news viewers now falling into the Switchable category, with lower affinities and higher levels of sampling
• Increasingly, local news audiences see “all of the stations as about the same”
• This commoditization of local news attenuates audience commitment, loyalty, and frequency
• Animation and graphics infuse a meaningful point of differentiation into the news landscape
• Significant benefits for animation vs. the conventional approach:
• +14 the usage of animation to tell the story
• +11, A refreshing change from other local news stories (ages 18 to 24; +6 coverage driven News Seekers)
• +8, A reason for watching the local news more often (among high affinity Core Loyalists; +5 News Seekers).

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Facilitate Audience Acquisition and Expansion, Especially with Younger News Consumers

1

2

3

Cultivate a More Engaged News Consumer

Create

Brand Differentiation Between Stations

The Graphics and Animation Road Map

• Graphics and animation have been demonstrated to be effective story telling elements, specially in stories that unfold over time and complex stories with multiple elements and story lines
• Bring facts to life with bold graphics that are clearly sourced and effectively advance the story
• Timelines
• Mapping and locators
• Trends and data journalism
• Focus on issues of personal relevance and news impact: quality of life, safety and security, investigative reporting, health and medical, including the pandemic, trends and a focus on “are things getting better.”

Relevance

1

2

3

Reinforce the Facts

Impact

Order Effects

Overall Story Preference

62

Q30_1: Which of these two stories did you prefer?

Saw Conventional First

Saw Animation First

Story Preference by Coverage Element – Saw Animation First

63

Q32: Please indicate which of the 2 different stories you prefer for each of the following attributes.

Prefer Animation minus Prefer Conventional

Story Preference by Coverage Element – Saw Conventional First

64

Q32: Please indicate which of the 2 different stories you prefer for each of the following attributes.

Prefer Conventional minus Prefer Animation

Media Consumption

Technology and Subscription Profile

66

S3: Which of the following kinds of devices and services do you currently own or use?

S4: Which of these following services do you currently use or subscribe to?

Local News TV Daypart Reach

67

S8: How many weekdays do you typically watch at least part of a local television news program at each of the following times on any station?

Thank �You!

April 2021