Hurricane Milton Coverage Proves Local TV’s Value Despite Challenges, Senior CBS Exec Jennifer Mitchell Says

Jennifer Mitchell, President, Stations and Digital, CBS News and Stations, pointed to Hurricane Milton coverage as a “great example” of the value of local stations.

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“Local news is so incredibly important and remains important,” she said during a panel Wednesday at NAB Show New York. “Today is a great example, with Hurricane Milton coming in. Local journalists know how to cover that story better than anyone else. That will not change. It’s just, OK, how will we distribute that information? How will viewers consume that information? It’s important for us to be in all of those different places and serve the consumer.”

Milton is the most severe storm measured in the Gulf of Mexico in 20 years and poses a major threat to the west coast of Florida, which was recently hit hard by Hurricane Helene.

Weather events have long been a calling card for local stations, but Mitchell and her fellow panelists addressed a host of challenges facing local operations. Declines in linear viewership and corresponding downturns in distribution and advertising revenue are key concerns, along with retaining a connection with viewers as fewer of them are connected to pay-TV.

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Mitchell was asked about the role of general manager, which was recently shifted at CBS into regional hubs led by a single leader, remains vital. Responding to the same question about the outlook for the GM position at stations, Mike Hayes, President of Hearst Television, cited Hurricane Milton. “We think GMs are vitally important,” he said. “I spoke with the GMs in our four Florida markets this morning between 5:45 and 6:30. Two of them slept at the station last night. They’re connective tissue between what we’re doing and the service we provide to the community.”

Andy Alford, President, Broadcast, Nexstar Media Group, agreed. “I spoke with the GM of our station in Tampa this morning,” he said. “I can’t imagine leading an organization like that without a strong GM as the leader of that station there.”

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