Telling More Than News: Commercial Influence in Local Television Stations

Abstract

This article reports on content analysis of evening newscasts from a nationwide sample of commercial television stations in large, medium, and small markets. The study focuses on the frequency of air time consumed by four types of commercial influence (most often involving station advertisers) on ostensibly noncommercial newscast content. Results indicated that newscasts by 90% of the 294 network-affiliated stations studied contained at least 1 instance per newscast of "stealth advertising" (commercial messages outside regular commercial blocks). Small-market stations in the #76-210 rankings by Nielsen Media Research showed the greatest proportion of such materials. This study suggests paths for future research into broadcasting's responses to consumer avoidance of traditional commercials. Commercial TV stations are businesses. Many have become extensions of large corporations, and almost all depend on advertising dollars from local businesses to survive. This doesn't mean stations often cover business: In one large city, economic news totaled only 7% of all TV stories (Stoll & McManus, 2005), and a

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