So long, Tom and Sally?

Could the days of local TV news be numbered?
Maybe. CanWest Global, Canada's big TV-newspaper company, which is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, announced last week (Feb. 5, 2009) it was putting five local TV stations on the sales block, including outlets in Montreal, Hamilton, Ont. and Victoria. All five stations are the only news stations in their respective markets, in English. With the recession in full cry and revenue plunging at all Canadian media companies, it isn't clear who, if anyone, might buy these assets and keep their local news anchors on the air. What it clear is that, without the local news coverage these stations provide, journalism in these communities may be about to take a hit, and that isn't a good thing. The same fate might be in store for numerous communities in U.S., according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. Maybe this is the time for our broadcast regulators to step forward and insist either that journalists with an interest in covering local news be granted space on the cable grids in their communities, on a free basis, or that the cable companies themselves be required to invest seriously in local news coverage as a condition of their holding licenses.