Tegna Kills Local Show in Scranton

I have said for years, the best thing that local TV stations can do is offer up more local programing.

Having local newscasts is a big part of the puzzle, but with streaming and on demand taking control, local TV stations need to give viewers a reason to watch.

If networks are taking their hot shows directly to streaming, viewers need a reason to tune into a local station.

At Tegna’s WNEP in Scranton, they had a great local show, but they decided to kill it off.

WNEP aired its final episode of the treasured Sunday evening show PA Outdoor Life. Tegna is gutting and canceling a lot of local programming across the board.

PA Outdoor Life was a unique Sunday night show that highlighted the natural treasures of northeast pa, including hunting, fishing, boating, camping, hiking, biking and other adventures. At its peak, PA Outdoor Life had its own cabin used as a studio on the WNEP property. The cabin is toast, and the helipad sits bare with no chopper.

A beloved show that showcased local and regional treasures, even with pay for play spots forced in and high ticket ATV sponsored giveaways couldn’t survive Tegna.

It was a revenue driver that people actually watched and cared about. The unique and special things that made WNEP one of the few memorable powerhouses outside the big station groups, and it doesn’t even look recognizable these days.

Insiders say that morale is down, and they wonder how many hits they can keep taking before the Nexstar duopoly ends up closing in on their decades long ratings dominance.

“If a beloved once a week show with a bare bones staff that knew how to draw eyeballs and revenue can’t make the cut, what the heck does that mean for the newsroom!?” said one WNEP insider to FTVLive.