Local TV stations turn to TikTok and vertical video to win Gen Z viewers

WCVB Boston investigative reporter Mike Beaudet’s two‑part police investigation attracted about 165,000 viewers on the station’s 6 p.m. newscast, while the same report reformatted as a native TikTok video earned roughly 444,000 views. The disparity highlighted a broader shift: younger audiences increasingly discover news on social platforms before tuning in to traditional television.

Executives at major U.S. station groups are redesigning newsroom workflows, adopting vertical video formats and treating TikTok as a critical entry point for local journalism. Pew Research Center data show the share of U.S. adults regularly getting news on TikTok has risen from 3 % in 2020 to about 20 % today. With an aging core audience and eroding ratings, local broadcasters see TikTok not just as a distribution channel but as a way to introduce younger viewers to trusted local news.

The trend is prompting strategic changes in story assignment, reporter practices, and success metrics, as stations aim to retain relevance and trust among the next generation of news consumers.