Dak’s Take: The fractured future of broadcast and local media in 2025

The idea of local media getting its swagger back in 2025 is an inspiring narrative. It’s a hope many in the industry share, especially after years of disruption and uncertainty.

Fran Wills, CEO of the Local Media Consortium, recently outlined her reasons for optimism in the Nieman Lab’s predictions for the new year, citing successes in content diversification, digital innovation and evolving revenue models for media organizations.

There’s no doubt that her arguments resonate—particularly for newspapers, which have shown resilience in their ability to grow digital subscriptions and re-engage local audiences. This has been further exemplified during a fraught election year with a deluge of information hitting nearly every week. 

However, the broader landscape of local media, particularly for broadcast outlets, paints a far less unified picture. The challenges facing broadcasters and media—from declining ad revenues to increased consolidation—suggest that 2025 may not be the comeback year for everyone.

Ten trends defining broadcast and media in 2025

Media’s fractured reality

Wills highlights impressive progress for newspapers, innovating with niche content and expanding distribution formats like podcasts and video. These efforts have helped many newspapers stem subscriber losses and build sustainable digital audiences. But let’s be honest: broadcast media operates in a completely different reality.

While newspapers have carved out a pathway to reinvention, broadcasters remain stuck navigating turbulent waters. Non-election years bring predictable declines in ad revenue, often leading to rounds of layoffs and further consolidation within the industry. The relentless drive to meet shareholder expectations means cost-cutting often takes precedence over community-focused innovation.

While newspapers create niche content to serve diverse local communities, broadcasters are battling shrinking budgets and thinning newsrooms. It’s hard to regain your swagger when you’re fighting to stay afloat.

The importance of distribution remains

One area where Wills and I align is the importance of distribution diversification.

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The ability to produce and distribute content across platforms—whether streaming, FAST channels, podcasts, social media or the “must-have daily briefing” newsletter—represents a lifeline for local media. But for broadcasters, this innovation comes with significant hurdles.

The pivot to digital isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.

Building workflows to support digital-first content is resource-intensive and, for many legacy broadcasters, disruptive to traditional operations. Meanwhile, competition from digital-first creators and national outlets often dilutes the impact of these efforts, leaving broadcasters with a fraction of the audience they once commanded.

The reliance on retransmission fees and traditional advertising—coupled with declining viewership for live TV—creates a precarious situation. Without election-year boosts or major sports contracts, many broadcasters are left scrambling to make up the difference. 

Wills points to the evolution of digital subscription models as a bright spot, with newspapers finding creative ways to monetize content through paywalls, advertising and even donations. For broadcasters, however, revenue diversification from new distribution models remains a more elusive goal.

AI as the savior or the job killer?

Wills makes a strong case for the role of AI in supporting local journalism. There’s no denying that AI platforms rely on high-quality, localized content to train models to further deliver accurate and relevant information to users. This dependency could open doors for partnerships and new compensation models, especially for newspapers with well-maintained text-based content archives.

But for broadcasters, the relationship with AI is far more complex.

Unlike newspapers, broadcasters face significant hurdles in licensing video and audio content for use by AI platforms. Negotiating these agreements requires time, resources and a level of stability that many broadcasters simply don’t have.

Meanwhile, broadcasters are looking to supercharge their operations with the very AI tools they may also want to license content to.

Large station groups on the “leading edge” are already testing ways to remove the producer from the newscast, driven by AI-generated scripts and further broadcast automation technology. This means that, for broadcasters, AI isn’t just a potential partner—it’s also a potential job killer.

AI isn’t the savior it’s often made out to be—it’s more of a disruptor. While it promises efficiencies, it also risks stripping away the human touch that defines local journalism. This paradox makes AI a challenging tool to wield effectively in an industry already grappling with mistrust and resource drain.

The elephant in the room: Trump’s FCC to reshape local airwaves

No discussion of local media’s future in 2025 can ignore the significant shifts in the regulatory landscape following Donald Trump’s re-election.

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Brendan Carr’s appointment to FCC Chairman signals shifts in broadcast regulation. His pro-M&A stance and focus on “news distortion” could reshape the industry. Carr describes broadcasters as “differently situated than other speakers,” citing their unique access to public airwaves while pledging to “reinvigorate” public interest obligations.

For an industry already struggling with reduced margins and political polarization, the prospect of intensified scrutiny over “news distortion” could deepen existing fractures.

This new regulatory direction aligns with major broadcast groups, who want to see cross-ownership restrictions removed, potentially accelerating consolidation. While supporters argue this provides struggling outlets needed resources, critics warn of prioritizing shareholder returns over local coverage.

Carr’s recent comments regarding CBS’s “60 Minutes” and its coverage of the Trump administration are even more concerning. By linking a “news distortion complaint” to the FCC’s review of a major media transaction—the proposed Skydance-Paramount deal—Carr is treading perilously close to politicizing the regulatory process. Critics argue that such moves could set a dangerous precedent where accusations of bias are used as leverage against broadcasters during license renewals or transaction approvals.

While Carr insists he has no intention of censoring news operations, his rhetoric has undeniably heightened tensions between broadcasters and the administration. For local broadcast outlets, which already face shrinking revenues and a competitive digital landscape, the added burden of navigating a politicized FCC is the last thing they need.

A more nuanced comeback

So, will 2025 be the year local media gets its swagger back? Maybe. But it won’t be a universal experience.

While newspapers may see some positive signs on the horizon, broadcast outlets will likely continue grappling with the harsh realities of a fractured landscape.

For broadcasters, 2025 won’t just be about diversification and innovation; it will also be a battle to maintain their autonomy and relevance in an increasingly hostile environment. In this context, swagger may be less about confidence and more about resilience—a quality local media will need in abundance as it navigates the times ahead.

A comeback for local media will require more than individual success stories; it will need a shared vision addressing the complexities of the moment.

Swagger is great—but survival, growth and innovation are better.

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Dak DillonDak Dillon is the Editor in Chief of NewscastStudio, where he has been covering broadcast technology, engineering and design for over 15 years. With practical industry experience, Dak's broadcast work has earned a Promax Gold Award and multiple regional Emmy nominations.

A journalism graduate from the Missouri School of Journalism, Dak has also been recognized by the Hearst Journalism Foundation.