Sustaining Category Leadership for a High-Profile News Program

A high-profile national news program sought to sustain its ratings leadership in the advertiser-preferred 25-54 demographic while staying relevant with viewers in a rapidly evolving media landscape. The challenge was to understand how to connect emotionally with their audience while adapting to a competitive and permanently transformed environment.

Magid stepped in, leveraging its Human-Centered Design framework to retool the program’s mission. The team provided key insights on how to prevent ratings declines, adjust programming execution, and ensure continued success. One major focus was on implementing strategies that aligned the flow between local and national programming to sustain audience engagement.

Additionally, Magid assessed on-air talent positioning, ensuring that personnel changes wouldn’t disrupt the connection with the audience. These recommendations helped the program keep its ratings strong even after a major internal transition.

As a result, the national news program has sustained its #1 position in the 25-54 demographic for 12 consecutive seasons, maintaining a strong connection with viewers despite heavy competition.