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| THE FUTURE OF LOCAL NEWS | |
 February 2001 
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Richard
Kuenneke of Carbondale, Illinois asks: What role should PBS stations fill in terms of local television news? Carl
Gottlieb responds: Why not get PBS into the fray? It would be healthy from a competitive standpoint, providing an alternative to overly commercialized and targeted fare available in most markets. I live in Maryland where we can watch NewsNight Maryland presented by MPT. The broadcast offers a more localized look at state news. It is presented without the flash and hype of traditional local broadcasts. I'd like to see more news like this.
Marty
Haag responds: Most PBS stations don’t try to do local news in the traditional sense. It’s expensive to do well. Local PBS stations rely on occasional documentaries to fill a void left by their absence on commercial stations. Many PBS stations define local public affairs as two boring persons sitting in front of a black drop cloth. The best local TV news on a PBS station was “Newsroom” in Dallas in the 1960’s. The anchor, who sat in the slot of a desk that looked like a newspaper copy desk, was Jim Lehrer. I have always been fascinated by that format -- even though it was somewhat dull visually -- and still think stations should return to it.
Carol
Marin responds: PBS has often considered doing nightly local television broadcasts in markets across the country. Chicago's WTTW is one example, and in fact it is doing more than ever. Still, the money and staff required have often been daunting for public television operations.
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