TVB Analysis: Local TV Stations’ Online and Mobile Sites Are Essential Sources for Winter Storm Vital Information Updates

11 Feb 2016, 00:00 AM EST

Local Residents Seek Emergency Weather Information from Local TV
Stations’ Digital Platforms in Record Numbers during Recent East Coast
and Midwest Blizzards

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB)
today released an analysis of recent East Coast and Midwest blizzard
news coverage consumption. The analysis reveals local broadcast
TV digital platforms experienced dramatic online and mobile traffic
spikes from viewers seeking emergency weather information.

As documented in Keller Fay’s recent, “American
Conversation” study, people seeking local and regional news visit
local TV station websites more frequently than social media platforms,
national TV websites and all other Internet sites. This research was
validated recently when winter blizzards barreled through the East Coast
and Midwest and local residents relied on their local TV station digital
sites as a vital source of weather emergency information.

Representative East Coast results for Winter Storm Jonas:

In the Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, PA market:
- WGAL’s website reached nearly 10 million page views and 1.7
  million sessions, five times their normal traffic.
- WBAL doubled its app users, tripled its total online sessions and
  quadrupled page views.
- WYFF doubled its app users and reached 10.7 million page views on
  its website.
Representative Midwest results for February 2, 2016 winter storm’s
peak:
- In the Duluth, MN market:
  - KQDS’s mobile site experienced a 400% increase in page views from
    the previous day.
  - WDIO’s website visits doubled the daily average in January 2016.
  - KAAL’s site and app traffic more than doubled compared to the
    previous day, and was six times higher than the daily average in
    January 2016.
  - KSTP experienced three times the number of visits to its app,
    mobile site and website, combined, compared to the daily average
    in January 2016.
  - KDLT’s mobile page views more than tripled compared to the daily
    average in January 2016.
  TVB President and CEO, Steve
  Lanzano, said, “Data confirms that when vital information is most in
  demand, local residents not only predominantly rely on local broadcast
  TV for local and regional news updates, they are also utilizing local TV
  station websites as a primary source for timely updates and information,
  especially during weather emergencies. Local TV stations and their
  online and mobile sites are essential providers of urgent and up-to-date
  information that residents consistently rely upon.”
  About TVB:
  TVB
  is the not-for-profit trade association of America’s local broadcast
  television industry. Its members include television broadcast groups,
  advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters,
  associate members and almost 700 individual television stations.
  Contacts
  Media:
  TVB
  Angela Sundstrom
  (212) 891-2274
  angela@tvb.org
  or
  JCIR
  Joseph
  Jaffoni, Jennifer Neuman
  (212) 835-8500
  tvb@jcir.com