Coronavirus Upended Local TV News Overnight. It may Never be the Same Again
By Adam Noyes
One of the most interesting outcomes of social distancing has been it’s effect on the entertainment industry- specifically television.
Many productions need to occur every day, or at least every week- including the news. Of course, production from inside a studio is no longer possible, but the show must go on.
At home live streaming has taken a new place in television, as news, tv shows and more turn to these solutions to keep their projects going.
For more than two years, Rita Garcia has co-hosted KTTV Fox 11’s “Good Day L.A.” from the station’s vast set in West Los Angeles, delivering headlines and news while engaging in breezy banter with the rest of the team providing updates on weather and traffic.
That dynamic turned upside down last Monday.
While most Angelenos were sleeping, Garcia and a few other members of the news operation were scrambling to set up an impromptu studio in an upstairs bedroom of her Mid-City home, where she was planning to co-anchor the three-hour newscast, which airs weekdays at 4 a.m. It was part of the station’s move to incorporate social distancing and other preventive measures into its operation in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
There were some tense moments. Garcia’s neighborhood had been hit by a power outage a few days earlier, and the internet needed to connect wireless hookups was still spotty. But aided by personal “hot spots” from smartphones and computers, Garcia was able to host from the bedroom while fellow anchor Dan Cohen hosted from the “Good Day L.A.” set.
“It felt like the first day of school,” an excited Garcia said in a phone interview a few hours after the broadcast. “There were three phones, two laptops, an iPad and a camera. It was a historic moment. I always say teamwork makes the dream work, but in this case, the hot spots did.”
The broadcast was just one example of how Los Angeles stations have had to adapt quickly to the new normal of programming news while adhering to government mandates designed to stop the spread of the virus. While TV audiences continue to tune in to CNN and MSNBC for the latest national updates, they are also relying on broadcasters closer to home to apprise them of what’s going on specifically in their communities.
Tracking similar growth in ratings for the networks’ nightly news broadcasts, those audiences have grown sharply in the last two weeks, compared to the first two weeks in March. According to Nielsen, the combined viewership of the 5 p.m. newscasts on KCBS, KNBC, KABC and KTTV has increased 42%, with the 6 p.m. newscasts of KCBS, KNBC, KABC and KTLA up 44%. KCAL’s three-hour evening block has seen a viewership bump of 36%.
The on-air talent at these stations are on the front lines just like first responders, and they must deal with their own vulnerabilities, personal difficulties and safety while projecting authority, calm and poise in front of the camera.
Even for a local news scene familiar with and accustomed to covering riots, earthquakes, floods and wildfires, the coronavirus outbreak is uncharted territory. TV newsrooms are traditionally frenzied hubs of activity filled with writers, reporters, producers and others in close quarters. Most of those hubs have now gone eerily quiet.
In addition to social distancing, TV journalists are working remotely, wearing gloves, using extended mikes to conduct interviews and concentrating on stories closer to their residences. Fewer people and technicians are working in the studios and newsrooms. Meteorologists are doing weather reports from their living rooms. Instead of commuting to stories together in a news van, reporters and news crews now travel separately.
Makeup and hair people who are still at the stations are wearing gloves and masks as they prepare anchors for the camera. Reporters are permitted to turn down an assignment if they feel it’s unsafe.
Said Tara Finestone, vice president and news director of sister stations KCAL and KCBS: “The number one priority is the health and safety of our employees. That’s always been a 24/7 job, but it’s even more so now. This is an uncertain time, and we’re dealing with a new normal of working remotely. It’s changed dramatically how we work, how we gather and how we present the news.”
KTLA Channel 5 general manager Janene Drafs said: “Our people are just like our viewers. They’re going through their own personal situations while also trying to adjust and deal with their professional requirements.”
Though there have been some rough spots, several news directors and executives so far have been encouraged by the transition. Some have even speculated that the shift might revolutionize local news.
“I believe this is actually going to change our industry in terms of how news is gathered, reported and assembled,” Finestone said. “Even if the order is lifted, I don’t know if we’ll go back to working the same way. We’re finding out that a lot of what we’re doing at home in some respects is more efficient. We’re forced to be present and talk to each other.”
Bill Lamb, senior vice president and general manager of KTTV Fox 11 and KCOP, said the transition has been “like changing a tire in the middle of a highway. It’s moving at 140 miles per hour. We’ve done a 10-year acceleration in two weeks. It proves we can be extremely flexible when there is a need. Morale is very high. It’s a very energizing time for us considering how serious this situation is.”