over 60 Million per Week Through 8,000 Media Outlets
Now offering "seamless delivery" via legacy, new and digital media, Tennessee News Service content is used at the local and national level by print, radio, TV and online outlets, from local newspapers, community broadcasters and blogs to national networks like Huffington Post, Clear Channel (now known as News Talk Network), CBS, Sirius Satellite Radio and Native Network News. We distribute to 10s of thousands of media outlets and over 8,000 are regularly using our content, reaching individuals and thought-leaders seeking information and solutions.
Last year, Tennessee News Service produced 151 stories and 1 Spanish news stories, which aired a minimum of 4,343 times on 88 radio stations and used by 45 print/online outlets and 11 television stations for a total of 144 media outlets in Tennessee and border states and 747 regionally/nationwide. An average of 21 media outlets broadcast or ran each story in their paper and/or on their web page.
About 1/3 of this content was picked up by national networks, like (formerly known as Clear Channel’s) News Talk Network, Sirius, CBS and Native News Network.
More on Social Media
Each story is Tweeted and shared through other social media channels, reposted on hundreds of websites and often included in our daily national news podcasts for mobile devices through iTunes, Stitcher and others, as well as our own public website.
This broad reach does not happen by accident, and it doesn't happen with PR.
Why Solution-Focused Journalism Matters (More Than Ever)
There is a 'new normal' as journalism reinvents itself. Gaining access to the dominant media is increasingly dependent on being able to relate to journalists in time-saving ways.
Often this expertise comes with a hefty price tag, and those with fewer resources have a harder time being heard and taken seriously in the public arena. In fact, annual spending in the U.S. on PR services (already at $4 billion) is expected to grow 55 percent (to $8.3 billion) from 2009 to 2013 (view the complete article here.)
The public officially owns the airwaves, but the companies that run them sell that airspace, and in general media outlets see any space under their control as "real estate" with financial value. Larger corporations and charitable institutions have the resources to underwrite content in return for branding and advertising. Public broadcasting allows small donors to vote for the specific programs they like. Our model allows anyone to fund, or help fund, independent reporting on any issue.
This is a new model that allows anyone or any organization to be a philanthropist. Our content has to be extremely useful for other outlets to give up their "real estate" for it. Otherwise, you can see below how much they charge for advertising. (There is no way to compare news to advertising, but we don't have any other models to compare to help show the value of our work.)
- a 1/6 page ad in Nashville Tennessean can run $2,028
- a 30 second radio ad on WSM-FM can be as much as $220
- booking a 30 second spot on WSMV-TV (NBC) costs at least $475
- the average minimum for an Audio News Release (ANR) is $2,000 to produce and distribute one radio actuality statewide
Tennessee News Service is an independent public-interest news service and what we do is not advertising or PR, but goes beyond anything that PR can regularly achieve. With news, we're providing a highly valuable product that other journalists and media outlets need. And, as new platforms are created, our content adapts easily and supports the rapidly changing news and information environment.
Overall, TNNS is part of a network reaching over 24 million people weekly through over 8,000 other outlets.
Market Share Coverage in Tennessee
Last year our stories got picked up by a significant share of radio stations in the top media markets of Tennessee - the graph below illustrates the pickup in each market. We would love to get the same great coverage for issues you care about now!
| Media Market | Print Online |
Radio | Television |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green KY | 2 | 9 | 1 |
| Chattanooga TN | 1 | ||
| Clarksville TN | 3 | ||
| Cookeville TN | 1 | ||
| Jackson TN | 3 | 4 | |
| Johnson City-Kingsport TN | 3 | 16 | |
| Knoxville TN | 2 | ||
| Laurel-Hattiesburg MS | 1 | ||
| Memphis TN | 1 | ||
| Nashville TN | 1 | ||
| Non-Major Markets | 25 | 57 | 10 |
The Issues We Cover
The graph below illustrates the coverage of funded issues from last year in Tennessee. A well-rounded news service helps ensure the greatest media outlet pickup. Counter to what one might think, the more stories we send out, the more they are all picked up and redistributed.
| Issue | Number of Stories | Media Pickup |
|---|---|---|
| Budget Policy & Priorities | 5 | 156 |
| Children's Issues | 14 | 294 |
| Civil Rights | 9 | 346 |
| Consumer Issues | 23 | 688 |
| Criminal Justice | 4 | 97 |
| Education | 8 | 319 |
| Endangered Species & Wildlife | 4 | 130 |
| Energy Policy | 2 | 32 |
| Environment | 14 | 373 |
| Family/Father Issues | 2 | 91 |
| Health Issues | 31 | 903 |
| Hunger/Food/Nutrition | 3 | 98 |
| Immigrant Issues | 4 | 78 |
| Juvenile Justice | 5 | 155 |
| LGBTQIA Issues | 2 | 35 |
| Livable Wages/Working Families | 7 | 237 |
| Senior Issues | 6 | 139 |
| Teen Pregnancy Prevention | 1 | 32 |
If you don't see stories on topics you care deeply about...
that means the funds aren't there yet! Download a list of issues that your funding can help support today! Our "orphan issues" do not receive any funding at all - would you consider "adopting" coverage on what is most important to you?
Join the Tennessee News Service now to make sure issues you care about are covered!