Interesting articles, but there are lots of other issues with telco-based TV distribution. Some states have laws that forbid them from being offered. And they really have to be careful how aggressive they are, because the cable company does have the formal relationship with the local government, and the phone company does not. The Verizon and AT&T video operations seem very similar to satellite TV. There are lots of compromises consumers have to make to use them, not just a local news channel. But it makes for good PR. And it's not like the public has choices with other cable providers. That's what I was talking about.
It's very easy to partner with a local station for "hyper-local" coverage. Comcast does it in a lot of areas. So the local news channel you're watching isn't always coming from the cable company.
With regards to a radio comparison, it's very likely that a major radio owner, one with 6 or 8 stations in a market, will dedicate one of them to local content, perhaps partnered with the local newspaper, while using its other stations for syndication and music-oriented content. All a town really needs is one radio station covering the local news. No need for everyone to attend the same press conferences and report the same fires and burglaries.
