A former FOX television news anchor in Central Texas is sharing her “unpopular opinion” on the future of local news. Lauren Petrowski, who has nearly 15 years of TV news experience in Austin and Corpus Christi, posted a video explaining why she believes the industry is changing with the rise of artificial intelligence.
The video begins with a clip from a TV news reporter taking on multiple jobs as her own producer, host, audio director and manager for a show in a newsroom. “Welcome to what the new form of local news looks like,” FOX 26 Houston Reporter Caroline Collins says in her original video.
Former FOX 7 Austin anchor, Petrowski, responded by adding that this appears to be the direction more digital local news stations are turning to, where “news anchors themselves are having to kind of have this one man or woman show…” Although this new format has garnered mixed opinions from TV news reporters online, Petrowski said she thinks what Collins is doing is “pretty cool.”
She expanded on this point to MySA by explaining that she “in no way” supports job loss and has “so much respect for directors, producers and camera operators.
“I was simply giving my initial reaction as a former TV news anchor and someone who very much wants local news to stick around and one way that happens is by adapting and would rather see an actual person on the news than an AI anchor,” Petrowski said.
In her video’s caption she wrote, “these videos have everyone in the news business talking. I know it’s easy for me to add my opinion as someone who doesn’t do this full time any more.. but with declining viewership and a rise in AI, local news has to adapt and this is one way to do that.”
“What she’s learning how to do. Granted, I know it’s so much easier said than done. I am no longer there, and yes, it looks incredibly stressful, and I’m sure it’s a huge learning curve,” Petrowski said on Instagram. “News business is changing, and I truly believe that this is one way that we can save it.”
She went on to say that because more people are “consuming news on their phones, news stations want to meet people where they’re at with limited resources.”
“This is how they’re going to have to do it. I don’t know Caroline, but she seems like a total bad A, and I know that she is getting better and better at this each night,” Petrowski concluded. “If this is saving local news from AI, then [claps her hands].”
Her video garnered 70 comments from TV news reporters and consumers with different opinions like @therealnicole2112 who disagreed commenting, “Nope, don’t like that for the on air talent. Too many hats being juggled. At that point why not just go off and be independent. You’re doing it all anyway!” A Texas TV news producer @crysta_b wrote, “Just another day closer to me being jobless.”
While FOX host @joshbreslow agreed with Petrowski adding, “Been doing it for four years on streaming … and honestly, it’s a cool skill to learn (despite what the comments on my posts about it say).”