Abstract: | An empirical analysis of 3,334 state and local television newsstories in 10 cities clarifies the reluctance of commercialtelevision newscasters to cover state government. Contrary towhat many television news directors assert, television's minimalattention to state government cannot be attributed to an allegednegative relationship between state government and newscastratings. Rather, it appears to stem from the high cost of obtainingfilmed coverage of state government in a timely fashion. |