Rethinking News: Why It’s Time for Advertisers to Embrace the Full Story

Today’s news publishers deliver a wide array of content rooted in community relevance, covering everything from morning weather and traffic updates to local sports, cultural events, and human interest stories. This local focus fosters deep trust and habitual engagement among viewers. Buyers who avoid news altogether miss out on the opportunity to connect with high-quality, brand-safe audiences who turn to local news as a consistent, valued part of their daily lives.

Newsflash: News Is More Than Breaking News

“The foundation of news is local,” explains Manuel Vigo, Chief of Staff at Haystack. “It starts with community – your neighborhood, your city, your weather. It’s not the viral headlines that social media pushes. And advertisers are recognizing that news is a daily touchpoint.”

This focus on everyday utility and local relevance is echoed by Brian Hunt, Corporate Vice President – Head of National Digital and CTV and OTT Advertising Sales at Sinclair: “Our content is much more relevant to the local viewer because it features local interest pieces. Thus, the viewer is much more engaged in what they are watching and thus more engaged in the commercials.”

“It is telling the stories of the community with a holistic lens,” agrees Michael O’Neil, Sr. Director, Programmatic Sales at Scripps, who also spoke to how brands are aligning with that content. “Many brands are leaning towards sponsored content or native advertising that aligns with news stories, making their ads feel more integrated and relevant to the content,” he continued. From feel-good features and entertainment to financial news and sports, these publishers emphasize breadth and relevance, delivering stories that foster trust and habitual viewing.

From a pragmatic perspective, Brian Hunt from Sinclair points out that “Because news is live, it’s a great vehicle for any business that needs to reach viewers today with an immediate message like 50% off sales in store tomorrow only.” However, buyers need smarter tools and clearer signals to navigate news content safely. When properly categorized and understood, both national and local news offer premium environments and high-quality audiences.

Tech and Data Are Making News Advertising Smarter

Today’s advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and contextual signals are transforming how advertisers can confidently buy news content. For instance, Michael O’Neil describes how “Scripps is 100% transparent in our metadata, providing network name, program name, episode name, content category, and genre in the bid request” to help advertisers make better-informed choices.

Haystack has adopted AI-generated local weather reports, using large language models (LLMs), text-to-speech, and automated graphics to create contextual opportunities. “As content becomes more personalized, so will ad creatives,” Manuel Vigo explains. “Imagine serving an ad about a stargazing event tied to a localized weather forecast—a subtle but powerful shift in contextual relevance that feels less like interruptions and more like useful nudges.” Brian Hunt from Sinclair echoed these sentiments, saying that using “AI can help predict when there is a weather event…at which point you may have more viewers, and they will be very engaged.” 

“Scripps is exploring solutions to help advertisers understand content juxtaposition.” For instance, “buyers can look to the meta and contextual targeting to effectively parse their associations of brands with certain news categories. Targeting Tech News, Sports News, Financial News, Travel News, Community News, and others,” continued Michael O’Neil.

These developments mean advertisers no longer need to shy away from blocking “news” related apps and/or content. Instead, they can confidently target brand-safe, relevant inventory through data-enriched supply and AI-enhanced categorization.

How News Publishers Simplify Effective Media Buying

News publishers continue to ensure news remains a viable and valuable space for engaging consumers. For instance, Magnite supports advanced contextual categorization, giving advertisers the transparency and control needed to navigate news with confidence and thereby benefit from the high engagement levels that come with news audiences.

Haystack, Sinclair, and Scripps continue to elevate access to their inventory and highlight the diversity and value of their content, working with the likes of Magnite to ensure news remains not only brand-safe but brand-smart. For example, “Haystack creates pop-up channels around major cultural moments—like the Grammys, Oscars, Emmys, the NFL Draft, and March Madness. These channels curate lifestyle, entertainment, and feel-good stories from across our global publisher network, all under one theme.” Haystack also points buyers to their “channel directory—it shows the full range of what we offer, shifting the focus from just breaking news to the full spectrum of everyday coverage Haystack viewers engage with.”

What Buyers Should Do Next

Advertisers who avoid news entirely miss the bigger story and the opportunity to connect with informed, loyal, and local audiences. Here’s how to move forward:

• Understand the Spectrum: Not all news is bad news. Local news includes weather, sports, human interest, and lifestyle content that audiences trust and return to daily. While national news can provide much-needed scale in quality environments.

• Use Smarter Tools: Leverage contextual targeting, metadata categorization, and AI-driven signals to pinpoint brand-safe inventory. Many publishers are leveraging curation as a tool for better showcasing their inventory for relevant buyers.

• Work closely with SSPs like Magnite and trusted news publishers to identify valuable and relevant content, avoiding outdated brand safety assumptions. Setting up direct deals gives buyers more control, allowing them to align with the content they are comfortable with and reach highly engaging viewers.

As Scripps’ Michael O’Neil notes, “News audiences are high-valued, qualitative audiences that will serve media plans and the advertisers that buy them well.”