Local TV was Primary Source of Hurricane Information, New Hearst Television Survey Finds

Local TV was Primary Source of Hurricane Information, New Hearst Television Survey Finds

NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A newly completed survey finds that adults in selected communities impacted by Hurricane Irene were extremely engaged with tracking the storm's path, impact and aftermath - and local broadcast television was by far their preferred source for news updates and other information.

The survey, conducted for Hearst Television Inc. by Marshall Marketing, included respondents in three television markets, served by Hearst stations, which were significantly impacted by flooding and other damage from the hurricane: Baltimore, Boston and the Burlington, Vermont/Plattsburgh, New York TV market.

In terms of adults' sources of information on Irene in the impacted markets:

-- Local TV ranked first - at 39% - among news sources selected by
respondents when asked "Where did you first learn Hurricane Irene was
approaching your area?" The Internet ranked a distant second, at 16%;
all other news sources were cited by 11% or fewer respondents.
-- When asked, "While tracking Hurricane Irene, where were you getting key
or critical information about the storm or weather?" 66% cited local TV
news.
-- The Hearst television stations - WBAL-TV, Baltimore; WCVB-TV, Boston;
and WPTZ-TV/WNNE-TV, Burlington/Plattsburgh - were most often cited by
respondents in these markets when asked "While tracking Hurricane Irene,
where were you getting key or critical information about the storm or
weather?" and "Which local television station did you watch most often
for Hurricane Irene coverage?"
-- Similarly, these stations' websites were cited as the most-used local-TV
sites. Additionally, an average of more than 95% of viewers responded
that they were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with the Hearst
stations' coverage.

Households losing power (40% of all respondents) continued to track the storm via means other than local TV and returned overwhelmingly to local TV when power was restored:

-- A large portion of respondents indicated that, while they were without
power, they turned to the radio for information;
-- In Baltimore, Hearst's WBAL-AM was by far the most popularly used radio
station in that market, more than doubling the response rate of the #2
station;
-- In total among all the markets, 16% listened to a TV broadcast on the
radio;
-- Once power was restored, 50% said they returned to local TV news as
their information source, followed distantly by the Internet (14%).

Mobile technology played an important role in keeping communities informed:

-- 30% of adults received an alert on a mobile device, led by use of
weather apps;
-- When asked, "If you received an alert from a local TV station, which
station was it?" the Hearst station was cited by the most respondents in
each market, by a significant margin.

Among the broader findings, 85% of all adults in these markets were tracking Irene as it impacted their region; 54% said they were "very prepared" for the storm; 42% said they were "somewhat prepared." When asked, "What would you do differently the next time a hurricane or storms are headed for your area?" the #1 and # 2 responses were "Nothing" (44%), and "Make sure I have more batteries in the house" (24%).

The survey was conducted September 19-22 and included 1,400 respondents - 500 each in Baltimore (the nation's #27 TV market, as ranked by market size by Nielsen) and Boston (the #7 TV market), and 400 in Burlington/Plattsburgh (the #95 TV market). It was conducted for Hearst Television by the marketing intelligence firm Marshall Marketing & Communications, Inc., which was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with regional offices in Washington State, Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina.

The complete survey results can be found here: http://www.hearsttelevision.com/misc/hearst_tv_2011_Hurricane_Irene_survey.pdf

Hearst Television, a national multi-media company, owns and operates 29 local television stations and two local radio stations, serving 30 U.S. cities and reaching approximately 18% of U.S. television households. The TV stations broadcast 60 video channels, featuring local and national news, weather, information, sports and entertainment programming, and local community service-oriented programs. The stations also host and operate digital on-line and mobile platforms that extend the company's brands and content to local, national and international audiences.

Hearst Television is recognized as one of the industry's premier companies, and has been honored with numerous awards for distinguished journalism, industry innovation, and community service. Hearst Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Corporation. The Company's Web address is www.hearsttelevision.com.

SOURCE Hearst Television Inc.

Hearst Television Inc.

CONTACT: Tom Campo, Campo Communications, LLC, +1-212-590-2464, Tom@CampoComm.com

Web Site: http://www.hearsttelevision.com

-------
Profile: intent