Twenty-Four-Hour Television News Cycle: Overview

Introduction

Prior to 1980, network television stations broadcasted news programs in thirty- to sixty-minute blocks, once or twice daily. But once the Cable News Network (CNN) launched its twenty-four-hour television news station in 1980, the American public no longer needed to wait for hours to see television reports of significant national and international events. Instead, they could watch these events live as they unfolded, from the safety and comfort of their own homes. By the mid-1990s, additional twenty-four-hour news television stations appeared, competing with CNN and each other for viewership.

Public and expert opinion is split on the effect of the twenty-four-hour news cycle on television journalism. Some believe that twenty-four-hour coverage provides more airtime for in-depth reporting and outlets for alternate viewpoints, thus fostering better dialogue and creating a more knowledgeable society. Proponents also believe that ubiquitous news crews create accountability in fellow journalists and public officials. By contrast, critics believe that competition for viewership and the need to fill airtime leads to sensationalist reporting and politically biased editorializing. Psychologists express concern that constant exposure to mostly negative news may negatively affect the public's mental health.

Understanding the Discussion

Investigative journalism: A type of journalism in which the reporter engages in detailed investigation and reporting about one specific subject or event. Often includes interviews with involved individuals and relevant experts, as well as fact-checking and on-scene reporting.

Network television stations: Television stations broadcasted over-the-air (rather than via cable or satellite) that belong to a larger regional or national network of affiliated stations. Major television networks in the United States include ABC, CBS, and NBC.

Twenty-four-hour news cycle: A term describing around-the-clock investigation and reporting of news to the public twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This term often refers to television news, but can also include Internet and radio information sources.

History

Prior to 1980, televised news in the United States was broadcast primarily by the three major network stations, ABC, CBS, and NBC. Once or twice per day, these stations produced a thirty- to sixty-minute news segment that reported on the important headlines of the day. News anchors updated viewers on any developments in ongoing stories since the last broadcast and provided information about emerging situations. Time permitting, reporters might cover certain stories in greater depth, interview key individuals, or engage in investigative journalism. Culturally or historically significant issues might receive in-depth reporting, and immediate crises might interrupt regularly scheduled broadcasts to provide live coverage. However, television news largely remained limited in scope and confined to specific times of day.

Cable television began in the United States in 1948 and expanded slowly over the next three decades. By 1980, cable television had twenty-eight channels and approximately sixteen million subscribers, representing about 23 percent of American households. At that time, the majority of television viewers still watched on-air broadcasts rather than paying for subscription cable service.

In 1980, media mogul Ted Turner identified an opportunity to establish a cable television channel dedicated to twenty-four-hour news coverage. Such continuous coverage already existed via radio broadcasts, but Turner believed the powerful visuals of television would capture and captivate large audiences. Idealistically, he hoped that providing in-depth news coverage for current events around the world would promote global understanding and foster peace. More practically, he believed the station would succeed because people would be drawn to watching important events unfold live from the comfort and safety of their own homes and the venture would be financially profitable.

Other television media groups had shied away from the twenty-four-hour news model because of its expense, and the start-up costs of a twenty-four-hour station would be enormous. Nonetheless, Turner moved forward with his plan. On June 1, 1980, he established the Cable News Network (CNN), which broadcast news twenty-four hours a day from its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, CNN established a reputation for providing live and detailed coverage of current events in a way that networked news stations could not achieve with their limited broadcast time and personnel. In January 1986, CNN was the only station to live-broadcast the launch—and tragic explosion barely one minute later—of the space shuttle Challenger. In October 1987, CNN broadcast around-the-clock coverage of the 58.5-hour process to rescue eighteen-month-old Jessica McClure from a backyard well in Midland, Texas. Some criticized the "media circus" that ensued from the constant coverage, but audiences were glued to their screens for days wondering what would become of Baby Jessica. Fortunately for Jessica, she survived with few injuries, and at age twenty-five, she gained access to a trust fund worth almost $800,000—largely donated by strangers who never would have known of her plight if not for the continuous broadcasting of her dramatic rescue.

A pivotal moment for the station occurred in January 1991: CNN's Bernard Shaw, Peter Arnett, and John Holliman were the only news team reporting live on the ground in Baghdad when the United States attacked Iraq at the beginning of the Persian Gulf War. Other news stations soon followed into the Gulf region, but CNN's crews remained closest to the action for the duration of Operation Desert Storm. Audiences were hooked as CNN broadcast live from a war zone twenty-four hours a day. According to Shaw, CNN reported an audience of more than one billion viewers on the first night of the Gulf War. Traditional news programs were unable to compete with the cable station's extensive network of journalists and reporters around the world. Significantly, CNN did not only captivate audiences following along at home: as Cincinnati Enquirer reporter John Kiesewetter observed, "U.S. military leaders chose their words carefully during televised press briefings, knowing that Sadam Hussein [sic] was watching CNN, too."

Regulatory changes in television broadcasting, such as the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996, paved the way for further expansion of cable television offerings. Meanwhile, since Turner had proven that a twenty-four-hour news station could be profitable, other companies started to follow suit. In 1996 Microsoft and NBC established the cable news channel MSNBC, and News Corporation founded the Fox News Channel. Some earlier competitors had been driven out of business by CNN—most notably Headline News, a joint venture between broadcaster ABC and publisher Westinghouse established in 1982. But cable subscription had expanded rapidly in the intervening years, to about sixty-five million subscribers—or about seven out of ten television households—by the end of the 1990s. This dramatically increased viewership could support a growing number of news channels, but competition nonetheless became fierce.

Twenty-Four-Hour Television News Cycle Today

Today, television broadcasts dozens of twenty-four-hour news stations. Some channels address a variety of national and international current events, including CNN, MSNBC, and the Fox News Channel. Other stations focus on specific topics, such as Bloomberg Television, which primarily covers news that affects financial markets. Still others are local stations that provide around-the-clock coverage of news affecting their community or metropolitan area. Increasingly, the Internet and social media outlets, such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), are also part of the twenty-four-hour news cycle.

Opinion is divided about the effect of multiple twenty-four-hour news stations competing for viewership. Some believe that more news coverage means greater accountability from journalists and government leaders. Others worry that the sensationalism used to capture viewer attention is harming journalistic integrity and damaging the public's mental health.

Experts explore how constant exposure to mostly negative news affects the public's mental well-being. Studies conducted by British psychologist Graham Davey suggest that exposure to violent media can contribute to the development of stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Davey found that the more a person is exposed to negative news, the more they view the world around them in a negative way. The effect is even more pronounced when the news elicits an emotional response, as many news reports are designed to do. According to psychologist Steven Pinker and international studies professor Andres Mack, the emphasis on negative, attention-grabbing news subconsciously leads people to conclude that the world is becoming a terrible place. However, they note that violence has actually decreased and quality of life has improved for millions of people across the world. Furthermore, in 2022, the American Psychological Association reported that many teens and young adults are experiencing stress related to heightened news consumption from both traditional mediums and social media.

To combat these effects, some groups are creating outlets for good news. Seán Dagan Wood, editor in chief of the Positive News newspaper and website, believes that encouraging journalists to report on good news will "not only benefit our well-being; it will engage us in society, and it will help catalyze potential solutions to the problems that we face." He believes that focusing on the bright spots encourages people to work together and look for solutions to problems, rather than conditioning people to focus their awareness on society's failings.

Finally, some experts question the continued relevance of twenty-four-hour news television stations in the Internet age. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik observed that most people tune into twenty-four-hour news stations during times of crisis but otherwise largely ignore them. For example, CNN reported 1.05 million viewers during the week of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, a substantial increase from 365,000 viewers during the previous week. Richard Sambrook and Sean McGuire of the Guardian noted that information is available on the Internet in real time, often directly from the people who are experiencing the event, and often faster than it can be re-reported by a television news outlet. Some television news stations such as CBS are responding to this trend by developing streamed news channels that allow online viewers to control their own access to news content. The twenty-four-hour news cycle has also created intense pressure for journalists and broadcasters to be the first to report on an event, leading to the spread of misinformation and to viewer burnout.

These essays and any opinions, information or representations contained therein are the creation of the particular author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of EBSCO Information Services.

Bibliography

Books

Edgerton, Gary. The Columbia History of American Television. New York: Columbia UP, 2007. Print.

Rosenberg, Howard, and Charles S. Feldman. No Time to Think: The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-hour News Cycle. New York: Continuum, 2008. Print.

Journals

Feinstein, Anthony, Blair Audet, and Elizabeth Waknine. "Witnessing Images of Extreme Violence: A Psychological Study of Journalists in the Newsroom." JRSM Open 5.8 (2014): n. pag. Web. 19 Feb 2015.

Sullivan, Margaret. "'Dude Fires People': How the Chaotic Trump News Cycle Confuses and Misinforms the Public." The Washington Post, 14 May 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/dude-fires-people-how-the-chaotic-trump-news-cycle-confuses-and-misinforms-the-public/2017/05/14/9d18073a-372a-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37‗story.html. Accessed 30 May 2017.

Websites and Digital Files

Banikarim, Maryam. “Today’s American News Consumer.” Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 6 Feb. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. <i>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maryam-banikarim/american-news-consumer%5Fb%5F2635289.html</i>.

Hindin, Zach. “The CNN Affect.” Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2016. <i>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-hindin/the-cnn-affect%5Fb%5F5015334.html</i>.

Huff, Charlotte. "Media Overload Is Hurting Our Mental Health. Here are Ways to Manage Headline Stress." American Psychological Association, 1 Nov. 2022, www.apa.org/monitor/2022/11/strain-media-overload. Accessed 29 May 2024.