Since its breakup with NBC, WHDH Channel 7 News in Boston has continued to thrive as a bastion of independent journalism without a network affiliation. Nestled in the heart of the city, 7News has distinctly carved out its space in the competitive Boston media market, delivering snappy and visually compelling stories on a daily basis.  

In January 2017, the landscape of local broadcasting was forever altered when NBC, eyeing the benefits of owning and operating its own station in the nation’s eighth-largest market, chose not to renew its affiliation with WHDH. The ensuing feud between NBC and WHDH’s owner Ed Ansin over the sale price and broadcasting issues led to the birth of a new NBC affiliate, NBC Boston based in Needham, Mass. 

Despite regulatory hurdles, such as ensuring sufficient reach to Boston’s households relying on over-the-air broadcasting, NBC’s departure seemed inevitable. 

“They are trying to steal our station,” Ansin said, after long negotiations over the deal, later suing NBC for violation of federal and state antitrust law. Despite losing the suit, and their network affiliation, WHDH Channel 7 has continued operating as an independent station in a top 10 market to great success. Through their strategic focus on concise reporting and compelling story visuals, 7News Boston has successfully maintained its viewership and its competitive edge with the network-affiliated stations. 

While 7News hopes to stay relevant as it navigates digital and social media platforms, it also understands the importance of staying where people know to find it – on TV. 

“No one watches TV anymore,” said Katie Whitman, a 7News Boston executive. “The only thing they really do watch is the news – they watch all the programs on Netflix, Hulu, streaming – but if they’re looking for what’s going on with this fire right now, people just turn [the tv] on and they know it’s there,” Whitman said. 

Feeling pressures from separating from NBC and losing their lead-ins, 7News was worried about its viewership, but they’ve succeeded by continuing to be a reliable place for information. “I can’t believe how well we have continued to do – the station invested in more employees,” Whitman said. Despite the challenges of being an independent station, Nielsen ratings show 7News regularly in first or second place for viewers in the coveted 25 to 54-year-old demographic.

With a newsroom designed for dynamism and an array of monitors that display compelling video content, 7News Boston differentiates itself from the typical “anchor-on-cam” to voiceover with video format, capturing audience attention with a visually stimulating newscast. “Our bread and butter is making things look cool and highlighting the best video,” Whitman said. Where most newsrooms have one or two shots, 7News has 12 or 13 places to put their anchors to create variety and interest in their broadcast. 

“We were doing it so far in advance of what other stations have done–some of them have changed their newsrooms a little bit to kind of mimic us, but we’ve been doing it for so long and we’ve just kind of stuck with it and I think our audience stuck with us,” Executive Producer Kara Labs said. 

The news reporter packages, between 1 minute, 15 seconds to 1 minute, 30 seconds in length, have become 7News Boston’s sweet spot for storytelling. “People aren’t watching the news the way they used to – they’re not sitting there, they’re not watching a long story – they want to know what’s happening and they want to understand it quickly,” Whitman said. The station’s storytelling is fast, flashy, and somewhat sensational. “Everything is fast, fast, fast – we want our packages to move, we don’t want someone to kind of lose interest in the middle of it and be like, why are they telling me this part?” Whitman said. 

The television grid wall at 7News Boston is the focal point of the newsroom and has been instrumental in enhancing its storytelling. “That wall is giant and we have an open newsroom, so we have all the producers working next to that wall, and when you see a raging wildfire or a wave taking out a community,” Whitman said. 

“It’s like life-size,” Labs added. 

Particularly memorable were their Women’s March and George Floyd protest coverage on the wall. “We put our anchors next to them, and it looks really visually appealing – it kind of just grabs you and makes you wanna watch,” Labs said. Whether showcasing the multifaceted impact of a snowstorm or protest footage from across the nation in their coverage of the Women, the grid wall makes big news feel big.

The fusion of short-form videos and grid wall technology has cemented 7News Boston’s reputation for innovative storytelling. Behind the scenes, a robust team of writers is key to producing these concise, impactful packages that keep the station ahead of the curve. 

“What helps us too, and not all the stations in the market have this luxury, is having writers that can write, churn package after package out, that are not reporter packages,” Labs said. 7News Boston’s team boasts 14 writers, where most of the other stations have a handful, if not a couple. This means that their reporters are freed up for things like traveling for out-of-state shoots and beat coverage. They’ve had reporters cover royal family news in the UK. After going independent, their political reporter even lived in DC as Trump was inaugurated. With reporters on the ground and writers active online, 7News can get their information before they even see it on a network channel. 

Much of the station’s success can be attributed to these changes, as well as Linda Miele, the station’s news director, who, free from network constraints, has steered the station towards success and viewer interest. “We don’t have a network, and you would never feel that way being here – it’s been our benefit to have someone who just knows a lot about the market and knows a lot about news,” Whitman said. 

7News Boston’s innovative approaches could serve as a model for other independent stations looking to stay competitive. As the station continues to invest in its coverage – from political news to local events – it demonstrates the value of agility and proactive reporting in today’s media landscape. 7News runs nine to 12 hours of news daily, providing nearly round-the-clock coverage. 

The station has shifted in many ways to digital, while still focused on its on-air coverage. Their website hosts many of their video stories, and on social media, they are either linking to their full stories or creating new content intended for the platform. “I think because what we do on air is visually interesting and appealing, it works for the web because anything you’re seeing on the web is something that’s aired on television,” Whitman said. With the groundwork done, and their videos already compact, migrating them to social isn’t as much of a challenge. 7News reporters and anchors have also engaged audiences with informal get-ready-with-me type videos, and behind-the-scenes content. 

As the industry continues to embrace technological advancements, 7News Boston stands as a testament to the power of adaptability and innovation, and the freedom to do so as an independent entity. The station’s ongoing efforts to remain relevant – paired with a robust writing team – point to a vibrant future for independent news broadcasters that part ways with their network affiliations.