Local TV stations know where their bread is buttered. These days, many stations are running up to three hours of news in the morning and in the evening. Stations have also expanded their news reporting to their websites and mobile apps. People are paying attention. So are advertisers.

A new report by the Knight Foundation highlights Nielsen data regarding TV news viewing. Marketers may assume nobody’s watching the news anymore, but that’s not true. The viewing time has been increasing since 2015. What has changed in recent years is how people are getting their news. Certainly, some consumers are watching their in-​home TVs. To get a sense of who these viewers are, check out the Morning News Show Watchers profile at AudienceSCAN from SalesFuel​.com.

Increasingly, people are going to their TV station’s website, especially to get breaking stories. Station websites form the basis for another ad revenue source for TV stations. Analysts believe local TV stations can count on $1 billion in local mobile video ad revenue and $2 billion in online video ad revenue in 2018.

These ads will get served up when consumers go to the local station sites or use their apps. For many, the content will be the draw. The Knight Foundation data suggests TV stations can profit from making changes in how they report the news.

Innovate: Viewers are accustomed to TV news being delivered in short clips and pretty much covering the same stories. What if your station chose to go in-​depth on a certain type of coverage and provide the story behind the headlines? This kind of shift in strategy could attract more viewers and advertisers.

Expand: Viewers have shown their interest in local crime and mayhem headlines. Maybe it’s the fast action and sense of excitement that draws them. Knight Foundation analysts suggest expanding coverage to other topics. Your station could use nonfiction storytelling techniques to interest viewers in what’s happening with important transportation and education topics. A different kind of coverage could expand your station’s appeal to viewers and marketers.

If your station is changing its news reporting, talk with advertisers about how they can reach viewers on more formats.