When it comes to TV news, winning viewers’ trust is out, and making them passionate about what they watch is in.
A media consultancy that had a hand in creating the format that ultimately became “Good Morning America” is warning TV-news organizations that they need to blow up their old models as soon as possible, or risk saying “good night” to audiences and ratings.
Magid, a media consultant that has worked for decades with TV networks and stations, believes local and national TV-news organizations need to start giving viewers more context, depth and emotional reassurance, rather than relying on breaking news and dozens of star anchors and correspondents.
“We’ve fully arrived in the ‘context’ era, and we are completely out of the ‘breaking news’ era,” says Jaime Spencer, Magid’s chief operating officer, during a recent interiview. “It doesn’t mean that breaking news isn’t important. It’s an expectation. It’s just become a completely functional attribute that doesn’t drive brand loyalty or consumption.”
Instead, the executive says, news broadcasters need to think about what will keep viewers they’ve already acquired watching for longer periods of time, rather than trying to get as many people to watch as possible. That means focusing more intently on new kinds of attributes.
“The brands that are succeeding and the brands that will succeed are aligning around these sort of attributes of ‘insightful,’ ‘thoughtful,’ ‘reassuring,’ ‘timely,’ ‘calming,’ ‘innovative,’” he says. Words that have less relevance to viewers include “’balanced,’ ‘explanatory,’ ‘trustworthy,’ ‘essential,’ ‘substantive,’ ‘reliable,’ ‘confident,’ ‘accurate,’ ‘clear.’ I mean, some real tenets of journalism,” says Spencer. “It’s not that they’re not important as fundamentals, but brands built around those things are going to be really unlikely to break through” in the future.
Magid delivers its recommendations as TV-news grapples with some severe challenges. Advertisers remain wary of the format, worried that appearing alongside a vociferous anchor or a scene tied to news about war or climate change will turn off potential customers. Younger viewers, meanwhile, are turning more readily to digital venues like TikTok or YouTube and spending more time with influencers who don’t always have a formal journalism background or understand the ethics of newsgathering or reporting.
Others say TV news retains its power. A new report from VAB, a trade organization that represents TV networks in discussions with Madison Avenue, says more people from key consumer niches — people between 35 and 54, people who make over $100,000 a year and adults who are employed full-time — are watching more TV news than they did last year. The report is based on the findings from a December 2025 survey of 2,319 U.S. adults. The report suggested these niches are more likely to go to TV news first over social media for breaking news coverage.
Indeed, TV news is poised for a pick up. Consequential elections like the 2026 midterms are typically catalysts for broader viewing of news programs.
Over the longer run, however, news organizations need to promote themselves as places to get more understanding and reassurance, says Spencer, not as backers of trustworthy, reliable information. “If you’re just looking to monetize and grow an audience, trustworthiness isn’t really a part of that anymore. In fact, those that are more confirming of my personal beliefs are more likely to get attention to get consumption, to have brand connection.”
More major news outlets are working to create communities out of current viewers. Fox Nation, the streaming service backed by Fox News, spotlights lifestyle programming, documentaries, even stand-up comedy, along with the news programs from its flagship cable outlet. Versant’s MS NOW has unveiled plans to launch a new streaming service that aims to play to fans of its personalities and programming.
In such a moment, Spencer says, viewers put more faith in individual anchors, influencers and creators than in news brands, and polarizing perspectives drive more passion from audiences. He points to examples such as Brian Tyler Cohen, a progressive political host, and MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow, as well as conservative host Dan Bongino and Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
Just as digital influencers can gain massive audiences without well-appointed studios and dazzling visuals, so too can news outlets, Magid suggests. “There is no correlation between overhead costs and perceived quality,” he says, and traditional broadcasters can gain by emulating that model. Magid has begun recommending that local news organizations try to bet on one main “quarterback” rather than developing dozens of different news stars.
And news outlets need to think about bringing in a devoted audience, rather than the largest. “The goal is to get one more of something, right? One more commercial break, one more minute of consumption, one more page view, one more episode of this seres.” says Spencer. “Creating that emotional connection and trying to hold you longer through that one thing is likely a better path to monetization than to try to get more.” In a dikfferrt era, the idea was that :”if we have something for everyone, then surely everyone will come, right?” he asks. Today, he says. “It just doesn’t stand up.”
