Local News Close-Up: Florida’s Gulf Coast Has Reasons To Boast

Tampa-St. Petersburg is, by all accounts, a booming market. New arrivals are flocking in and cranes dot the landscape, building places for the newcomers to live, work and shop. “Tampa is growing up nicely into a major city,” Mark Higgins, WFLA-WTTA-WSNN VP and general manager, said.

Fox owns the market leader, WTVT. Nexstar Media Group holds NBC outlet WFLA, The CW outlet WTTA and MyNetworkTV affiliate WSNN. Tegna owns CBS affiliate WTSP. Scripps has ABC outlet WFTS. NBCUniversal Local owns Telemundo station WRMD and Entravision holds Univision affiliate WVEA. CBS News and Stations owns independent WTOG.

Charter Communications’ Spectrum is the primary pay TV operator in Tampa-St. Petersburg (Sarasota), which is Nielsen’s No. 13 DMA.

The stations are hustling to connect with the new arrivals. Connect is a key word at WTVT, which goes by Fox 13. “People connect with the talent as well as the content,” John Hoffman, VP and general manager , said of the station’s success.

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Jeff Maloney, WTVT senior VP and general manager, expanded his role in mid-June . When Mike McClain, WOFL-WRBW Orlando senior VP and GM, announced his retirement, Maloney took on a regional role at Fox Television Stations, with oversight not only of Fox’s Tampa station, but those in Orlando and Gainesville, too.

Fox 13 cranks out 12 hours of news on weekdays and is focused on reaching users on the go. The mindset is, “Let’s meet the consumer in the Tampa Bay market where they are,” Maloney said. “The company is really committed to that. We think it’s additive to our product and it has helped us develop a deeper relationship with viewers.”

With the UEFA Euro 2024 soccer tournament on Fox, users can find Fox 13 news on the secondary platforms. “Now we have an option on alternative streams,” Maloney said.

WTVT and WFLA are engaged in a ratings battle, with WTVT holding the upper hand. WFLA, with “On Your Side” branding, is hustling to draw even. Last year, Nexstar acquired Suncoast News Network (SNN) from Citadel Communications. The low-power station covers Sarasota and Bradenton.

“It’s a way for us to strengthen our southern presence,” Higgins said. “We think it was a good strategic move for us.”

In September WTTA became the CW outlet in Tampa-St. Pete, with WTOG going independent. Suncoast News, call letters WSNN, aligned with MyNetworkTV.

WTOG added a nightly newscast two years ago.

In May ratings, WTVT easily won the 6 a.m. race in households and the 25-54 demo, according to Nielsens provided by a market source. WTVT won the 5 p.m. battle in both races. WFLA had the top score in 6 p.m. households, with WTVT on top in demos. On to late news, where WFLA had a 1.5 in households at 11, and WTVT a 1.4. WTSP scored a 1.3, WFTS a 0.6, WRMD a 0.5 and WVEA a 0.4. In the 11 p.m. demo, it was WTVT at 0.6, WRMD at 0.3, WFTS and WVEA at 0.2 and WTSP at 0.1.

WTVT has a weeknight late news block going from 10 p.m. to midnight. The station also has a new political show called Battleground , which is produced in Philadelphia and focuses on the election this fall. “It uses the depth and strength of all the owned and operated stations,” Hoffman said.

WTSP will slot in a new 3 p.m. weekday program when Daily Blast Live ends in September . Kari Jacobs, president and general manager, called it “an opportunity to explore new programming.”

Speaking of new programming at WTSP, the station debuted its Community Connection segments in the fall. Station staffers were pushed to come up with something “that is truly distinctive, unique and hyper-local,” and the weekly segments, focusing on the people and issues in a specific community, run in morning and evening news on Wednesdays. There’s an investigative component, and WTSP spotlights a non-profit organization in that slice of the market.

“We identify the problems there, and try to find solutions,” said Jacobs.

WTSP brought Jamison Uhler into the morning team in January. Jacobs called him “a leader in the newsroom.”

Upfront Gets Up Close

Jose Suarez has a regional role in Tampa, similar to what Maloney is taking on. Suarez is president and general manager of WRMD Tampa (Telemundo 49), along with WTMO Orlando (Telemundo 31) and WWDT Fort Myers.

Telemundo had an upfront event for the three stations, and their clients, earlier this month. “It was a good way to really personalize the information they get in May,” said Suarez. “It’s a good opportunity to get up close and personal with them.”

WRMD produces weekday news at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m., and contributes to, and airs, regional news at noon weekdays and 6 and 11 p.m. weekends. Miguelangel Lopez, WTMO Orlando VP of news, was named regional VP of news and content for WTMO, WRMD Tampa and WWDT Fort Myers in April.

WRMD saw a big boost in prime viewing, thanks to La Casa de los Famosas , which Suarez likens to a celeb-rich Big Brother .

In April, Telemundo 49 anchor Cristina Puig announced her retirement.

WFLA is working to connect with Spanish speakers. The station runs TampaHoy.com, and WTTA has a Spanish-language newscast, Noticias Tampa Hoy, weeknights at 10:30. Pre-season Tampa Bay Buccaneers games in Spanish.

“We found a void in the market and we wanted to fill that void,” said Higgins.

A Lot to Like

The United States Central Command, known as Centcom, is based in Tampa, giving the market a substantial military presence. The Tampa stations made a point of covering the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

The general managers here said they like the good weather, beaches and other outdoor activity, the diverse population, and run of pro sports championships, giving the market the moniker Champa Bay. “What’s not to love about Tampa?” wondered Suarez.

Jacobs noted the variety of locales, including downtown Tampa, Ybor City and St. Petersburg, that make up the market. “It’s a bunch of small cities, packed into one region, surrounded by the beautiful Gulf of Mexico,” she said.

As the market continues to grow, the metropolitan offerings continue to multiply. “It has all the advantages of a big city, in terms of things like sports and restaurants, without the big city hassles,” Higgins said.