TV News Faces New Challenges

The inauguration of Barack Obama is a reminder of how the story that dominated airwaves during 2008 is over, leaving television news organizations to contemplate life without it in the midst of a brutal economy. The campaign gave TV news heaps of stories and advertising revenue. If Tuesday's inauguration is a closing act, broadcast and cable networks took advantage with hours and hours of coverage. CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC now face the inevitable audience erosion that comes when any big story goes away. Obama has tough problems and there won't be a shortage of news as he attacks them, but campaigning is a better TV story than governing.