Strategic Thinking with the "Five" Tiers
In 2006, former NPR programming VP Jay Kernis created an editorial evaluation tool called the "Four Tiers of News Coverage." The tiers structure created a new framework to help stations compare the types of stories their newsrooms produce with those our listeners most value. News Directors use the tiers as a tool to better allocate resources and staff time to strengthen the listener service of their local news.
Since the 'Four Tiers" system was created, the J-MEGS training team has identified an important gap in the framework. We describe them as "stories that explore the people, places, and activities that create the cultural fabric of our communities." We have inserted this "cultural resonance" category to the framework as the new Tier 3, placing it at the mid-level of listener value.
THE FIVE TIERSThe Tiers system ranks stories from lowest value (TIER 1) to highest value (TIER 5). Click on each tier for a brief description and audio example. Our thanks to KJZZ, WGVU, Northwest Public Radio, KUOW and KPLU for sharing their work with us!
- Lowest Value: TIER 1: COMMERCIAL - If it bleeds, it leads
- Tier 2: STAGED - It usually sounds like news…
- NEW! Tier 3: CULTURAL RESONANCE - the cultural fabric of the community
- Tier 4: LOCAL IMPACT/NATIONAL - connecting with the nation and the world
- Highest Value Tier 5: LOCAL MEANING - resonance, trends, lasting impact
Listen to the 7-8am hour of Morning Edition across a single week. As you listen, map where your local news falls in the tier structure.
- How much of your total local news time are you devoting to each tier?
- Can we do less of Tiers 1 and 2 and more of Tiers 3, 4 and 5?
To see and hear how public radio listeners hear our work, check out the 2007 LNI study Localism and Morning Edition, the first study to gather real-time listener reaction to local segments airing in Morning Edition.
Maximize Return on InvestmentBy focusing your local news programming on the upper tiers, you will accomplish three goals:
- Differentiate your public radio news service from commercial news media.
- Allocate your people and resources the most effective way possible
- Deliver a greater service to listeners, by emphasizing quality over quantity
The creation of the tiers system was heavily influenced by a number of studies that identify and articulate the fundamental appeal of public radio programming.
- Public Radio's Core Values
- The Core Values of Local News/Information Talk Programming
- Sense of Place: The Value and Values of Localism
