In an initiative to find the correlation between quality local television journalism and ratings, PEJ brings the practice of benchmarking -- identifying models of quality in an industry--to local TV news. The project's model of excellence, one that is grounded in the reality of the marketplace and the tenets of sound journalism, was formulated by a design team of respected local TV news executives from around the nation.

How the Project Works
In approximately twenty cities a year the highest-rated half-hour of TV news is recorded by PEJ associates or volunteers for two weeks--one week of sweeps and a week of non-sweeps. Those programs are then coded by professional researchers against the criteria of quality determined by our design team. Once a station's quality score is determined it is matched to a three-year ratings trend based on Nielsen Media Research statistics. Results are published annually in Columbia Journalism Review.

Criteria
Broadcasts are graded by simple values: community relevance, focus on the significant, covering a broad range of topics, authoritative sourcing in stories, presenting more than one point of view, citing multiple sources, level of enterprise, professionalism--or understandability of a story-- and level of sensationalism--defined as the repetition of gore, violence, thrilling action or implied disgrace, with the intention of luring an audience to the story rather than to convey information. Stories are not judged for elegance of execution nor other subjective criteria.

2002: On the road to irrelevance, but quality can be the compass to bring viewers back

2001: Local newsrooms beset by sponsor interference, budget cuts, layoffs, and added programming

2000: Quality sells, but commitment — and viewership — continue to erode

1999: Quality brings higher ratings, but enterprise is disappearing

1998: What works, what flops, and why