Digital First: The Push to Move Traditional Content Online

The push to digital-first has changed the well-established practices of journalists in all media and genres. Local sports-broadcast journalists are no exception. The purpose of this study was to examine how local sports-broadcast journalists were navigating routines that impacted not only their methods of content distribution but also the nature of the content itself. Thirty local sports journalists engaged in semistructured interviews to provide this unique perspective, which rendered three themes: digital-and social-first as the new norm, a love-hate relationship with social media, and an uneven playing field. These findings highlighted the importance of adaptability to new age journalistic demands.