I am hearing this phrase by many of the youngins’ – some maybe as old as me, but I feel older than them to request this phrase being banned.
The phrase “Local News Station” implies either the station a) is news-dependent (ala KCAL or KRON4 or WSVN or WHDH on my end of the coast) b) the station airs news all the time or worse c) the station can’t produce anything outside of news.
The latter is true, most of the content on local TV stations is mostly news. But there are a handful of stations that produces “local-interest programming” (read: local shows.) Where I live, WCVB-TV and WMUR-TV produce their own editions of Chronicle, a long time daily news magazine. Others, like WHDH’s sister station in Miami produces their own gossip show called Deko Drive since celebs frequent or live in Miami. The ABC/Disney owned stations the only other “chain” of stations where non-news programs are produced, whether it being local talk shows, or news magazines on weekends. Live with Kelly and Ryan is technically produced and staffed by WABC-TV – the flagship station in the company, since the people behind that program had worked there since it was a local show, before 1988. Also it’s important to note it’s aired at WABC-TV because currently the ABC Network is next door, but separated by a firewall, the building is technically separated from the network headquarters next door on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Sister station WLS-TV in Chicago does not produce a national talk show, but a local one called Windy City Live. The show was discontinued when former host Oprah Winfrey went national in 1986; her national show took place of WCL and the title and format didn’t return till 2013, when they gave up the midday newscast.
By banning this phrase, your language encourages the industry to focus on investing in other programs other than news.
Being a news geek myself, I find it irritating when I watch the same story of the verbatim copy from the same live shot position from the previous newswheel is considered to be breaking news or new developments.
Lets Make Local Media Great Again™!