The Game isn’t Changing. It’s Changed. The State of the Media in 2025.
Whether you wake up for the 5AM news or check the X app the minute you open your eyes, it’s hard to avoid the modern malaise we all face: information overload. The news is everywhere we turn – but the stories are no longer the only thing changing all the time. It seems every day there’s a new source to gather information from, new people on our screen telling us what they think, and new decisions to make about how we digest all this information. It’s hard enough to just keep up with the who, what, when, where and how. It almost makes us forget to wonder why. Why are things always changing? Who is driving the change? And is there any way out of the information overload? In the State of the Media in 2025, the answers may be harder to find (buried under all the other information), but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look for them anyway.
The Times They Are A-Changin’
We’ve reported for years now, and it’s hard not to notice, the way consumers interact with media has changed a lot in the past decade. And it’s safe to say, this trend isn’t changing. As younger generations interact with these platforms in their own way, the norms surrounding our media consumption are shifting.
Gen Z and Cable: While cable TV and satellite were the dominant forces of yesteryear, their street cred is much lower among younger consumers. According to Deloitte, cable and satellite subscriptions are down to 49% from 63% just three years ago. This is mainly due to younger generations shifting to streaming and live on-demand models – 23% of Gen Z plans to cancel a cable/satellite subscription within the year.
And while 43% say they use their cable to watch live news, cable is seeing its own shifting role in the landscape, as Morning Consult reports social media is now the primary daily news source for most Americans. 48% of U.S. adults say they turn to their socials for their daily news, while cable news networks such as CNN have less than 30% of respondents tuning in daily.
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What’s The Reason Why?
“The next big thing” is always changing, and if the Gulf South Index existed 40 or 50 years ago, this report would be analyzing the rise of cable as that next big thing. While the shifts are inevitable and often predictable, the reasons behind them vary. In the 21st century, the perception of media trust has the greatest impact on who rises to the top.
Mass Exodus: There is a max exodus of trust in mass media. According to a Gallup poll from the 1970’s, two-thirds of U.S. citizens had either “a great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in “mass media – such as newspapers, TV or radio.” In late 2024, only 31% of Americans still feel that way. While this stat has been trending downward for years, this is the lowest it’s been in over five decades.
This doesn’t seem to be changing either, as people under 50 repeatedly report less trust in the media than those over a certain age. Whether it’s for worse or for better, young people seem to find more trust and value in their social platforms, since over 50% use it as their daily news source.
And it’s no wonder we ended up here. As Gen Z enters these crucial next phases of their lives, the worlds they build inside their phones become their closest connection. If they spend most of their time with them, and therefore less time on things like traditional TV, it’s no wonder the people they watch on the smaller screen become more trustworthy news sources than those on the outside.
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Finding the Balance
We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: this media-driven, changing landscape is not going anywhere. And we know we need to find a way to live with it. Another point that bears repeating: if we look local, we can find the bright spots.
While mass media trust might be suffering, local news is still a trusted source for many individuals. In the soon-to-be-released 2025 Gulf South Index by The Ehrhardt Group and Causeway Solutions, 35% of Gulf South residents and 40% of national respondents have “a great deal” or “quite a lot of trust” in local news, compared to 19% and 26% trusting cable news, and only 17% and 15% trusting social sites. And the highest trust after local news is our friends and neighbors, at 31% and 27%. In our own backyard, with the people we trust most and spend the most time with, we feel okay.
Living in the real world: It’s hard to stay off our phones when they do everything for us these days. But staying connected to our individual communities and trusting the news from the people closest to us is crucial. Just look at Nielsen’s reporting on January 8, 2025, a day where Los Angeles-area residents spent over 1.1 billion minutes watching local news coverage of the LA wildfires.
***
Amid the never-ending change, there are always enduring constants. Whether it’s local news, voices of friends and neighbors, or the ways we stay connected to the communities that matter most to us, trust remains our guiding force.
Whether you wake up for the 5AM news or check the X app the minute you open your eyes, it’s hard to avoid the modern malaise we all face: information overload. The news is everywhere we turn – but the stories are no longer the only thing changing all the time. It seems every day there’s a new source to gather information from, new people on our screen telling us what they think, and new decisions to make about how we digest all this information. It’s hard enough to just keep up with the who, what, when, where and how. It almost makes us forget to wonder why. Why are things always changing? Who is driving the change? And is there any way out of the information overload? In the State of the Media in 2025, the answers may be harder to find (buried under all the other information), but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look for them anyway.
The Times They Are A-Changin’
We’ve reported for years now, and it’s hard not to notice, the way consumers interact with media has changed a lot in the past decade. And it’s safe to say, this trend isn’t changing. As younger generations interact with these platforms in their own way, the norms surrounding our media consumption are shifting.
Gen Z and Cable: While cable TV and satellite were the dominant forces of yesteryear, their street cred is much lower among younger consumers. According to Deloitte, cable and satellite subscriptions are down to 49% from 63% just three years ago. This is mainly due to younger generations shifting to streaming and live on-demand models – 23% of Gen Z plans to cancel a cable/satellite subscription within the year.
And while 43% say they use their cable to watch live news, cable is seeing its own shifting role in the landscape, as Morning Consult reports social media is now the primary daily news source for most Americans. 48% of U.S. adults say they turn to their socials for their daily news, while cable news networks such as CNN have less than 30% of respondents tuning in daily.
***
What’s The Reason Why?
“The next big thing” is always changing, and if the Gulf South Index existed 40 or 50 years ago, this report would be analyzing the rise of cable as that next big thing. While the shifts are inevitable and often predictable, the reasons behind them vary. In the 21st century, the perception of media trust has the greatest impact on who rises to the top.
Mass Exodus: There is a max exodus of trust in mass media. According to a Gallup poll from the 1970’s, two-thirds of U.S. citizens had either “a great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in “mass media – such as newspapers, TV or radio.” In late 2024, only 31% of Americans still feel that way. While this stat has been trending downward for years, this is the lowest it’s been in over five decades.
This doesn’t seem to be changing either, as people under 50 repeatedly report less trust in the media than those over a certain age. Whether it’s for worse or for better, young people seem to find more trust and value in their social platforms, since over 50% use it as their daily news source.
And it’s no wonder we ended up here. As Gen Z enters these crucial next phases of their lives, the worlds they build inside their phones become their closest connection. If they spend most of their time with them, and therefore less time on things like traditional TV, it’s no wonder the people they watch on the smaller screen become more trustworthy news sources than those on the outside.
***
Finding the Balance
We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: this media-driven, changing landscape is not going anywhere. And we know we need to find a way to live with it. Another point that bears repeating: if we look local, we can find the bright spots.
While mass media trust might be suffering, local news is still a trusted source for many individuals. In the soon-to-be-released 2025 Gulf South Index by The Ehrhardt Group and Causeway Solutions, 35% of Gulf South residents and 40% of national respondents have “a great deal” or “quite a lot of trust” in local news, compared to 19% and 26% trusting cable news, and only 17% and 15% trusting social sites. And the highest trust after local news is our friends and neighbors, at 31% and 27%. In our own backyard, with the people we trust most and spend the most time with, we feel okay.
Living in the real world: It’s hard to stay off our phones when they do everything for us these days. But staying connected to our individual communities and trusting the news from the people closest to us is crucial. Just look at Nielsen’s reporting on January 8, 2025, a day where Los Angeles-area residents spent over 1.1 billion minutes watching local news coverage of the LA wildfires.
***
Amid the never-ending change, there are always enduring constants. Whether it’s local news, voices of friends and neighbors, or the ways we stay connected to the communities that matter most to us, trust remains our guiding force.
President
The Ehrhardt Group