One in Three Don't Tune into Trimmed News Outlets

I admit, I do not pay for news online. Some weekends, though, I do buy two newspapers — they have different ad inserts and the coupons pay for themselves several times over.

1 in 3 don't tune into trimmed news outlets: -- Local TV stations are a top news source for Americans, but viewership fell in every key time slot last year. Local affiliates of the four major broadcast networks lost, on average, about 6% of viewers. The report questioned the strategy of steering more of the newsroom budget to sports, weather and traffic when such content is readily available online.

-- About a third of the 1,380 daily newspapers now charge or plan to charge readers for stories on their websites, somewhat offsetting the loss in advertising revenue. The New York Times' circulation revenue, including its website, exceeds its advertising sales. Small and midsize papers "are seeing success as well," the report says.

-- Cable stations are turning to cheaper ways of creating content, inviting pundits to fill airtime. CNN cut its prime-time story packages and live event coverage by about half between 2007 and 2012. Opinion filled 85% of MSNBC's newshole for the days studied. On Fox News, opinion accounted for 55% of its content.

Newspapers fell first, now local news. Cable news is also starting to lose audience — and cable rightfully deserves to lose most of its viewership. When you don't deliver the "news" you cannot call yourself a journalistic enterprise.

When I buy newspapers on the weekend, I do not buy the local paper, the one paper published in my county, in a town only minutes from our house. I purchase and read the two "Pittsburgh" papers. Why? Because they have actual news… and more than one viewpoint on the editorial pages.