Digital broadcasting and internet news opportunities for Denver media

Denver Newscasting

Denver Broadcasting/Newscasting

What new opportunities are there for Denver Newscasters?

The transition to digital broadcasting has created many new jobs on the technical side of news broadcasting, but the role of the journalists and newscasters has not really been affected. As in most industries, the recent economic downturn and current recession have led to some serious cutbacks in budget, and many news outlets have suffered more than other business due. Most of these losses have occurred with newspaper journalism, which tends to lose out to free media like radio and television during tough economic times, so most televisions broadcast jobs in the Denver area have been retained, but there is little to no growth. Though the news industry as a whole is undergoing a re-evaluation, television news media remains rather static.

That being said, a changing world always provides new opportunities for journalists and those that report the news. Internet news broadcasts are becoming popular with national networks, but have not caught on in many localities -- including Denver. This is one area in which the Denver media needs to catch up with larger cities. some of the local television stations do provide videos of their former television broadcasts, but there is no news feed or live Internet broadcasting in the area, and the complete lack of such broadcasting provides ample opportunity.

How have the changes in media affected advertising?

The basic television advertising format (twenty-two minutes of programming and eight minutes of advertising) has not changed, though of course the advertisements have kept up with the times. This is all handled by the station owners and managers, however, and direct commercial advertising has not affected television broadcasting to a large degree, especially in the news department. There has been a slight increase in the number of local news stories covering local business, however, and this could be seen as a sort of hidden advertising.

News stations have strict rules regarding the ethics of monetary compensation for stories (i.e. It isn't allowed), however, and this is likely an effort to bolster local sales by highlighting certain local businesses. This also provides a way for Denver news organizations to remain connected -- and appear connected -- to the community. internet advertising has found a fairly steady pattern, and the television stations that have news websites have employed the same types of banners, though often in more muted tones, that are found on most commercial websites.

What is the projected growth of the news broadcasting industry in the next 3-4 years in Denver?

Unfortunately, growth foes not seem very likely in the area of television news broadcasting in the Denver area for some time. Even assuming that the economic troubles end within the next year, the broadcast industry in the Denver area is largely saturated. Though there is certainly news that goes uncovered everyday, as mentioned above, there is also a large number of television broadcast stations with local news programs. There are at least ten television stations that deliver some combination of business, society, and entertainment news on a daily basis, most of them several times a day. There are also several radio stations that provide regular local and national news updates, all of which are available for online audio streaming. Public television and NPR are also quite strong in the Denver area.

This non-exhaustive list of news media outlets, which is restricted purely to broadcast news, reflects the saturation level of the Denver broadcasting market. Due to this level of saturation, the likelihood of any growth in the area within the next few years is very low. The change in population of Denver will have a lot to do with the future of broadcast media in the area, and these numbers do not paint an especially promising picture, either. As of 2008, Denver was behind the national average in population growth, and was growing at less than half the rate of most of the state of Colorado. Though the city is expanding, it isn't doing so fast enough to create a greater demand for the already well-established broadcast journalism in the area.

How will changes in broadcasting/newscasting affect the Denver community, and vice-versa?

The interplay between locally-focused broadcast journalism and the community it serves is complex and not always discernable. In the Denver area, there has always been a large and vocal advocacy for independent journalism, but (as mentioned above) many of these local outlets are simply no longer able to compete in the current economic times, and with available free media on television, radio, and the Internet. Coverage is likely to follow recent trends in sensationalism and human interest, with a reduction in coverage of local politics and other issues.

Te affect that this will have on the Denver community remains to be seen. There could be a backlash and reduction in viewers -- the opposite response that media outlets are hoping for -- but Denver might prove itself to be more gullible than it wants to believe. Independent or no, the almighty dollar usually wins out.