It's not new news, but a recent article in The Washington Post dealt with news in the news business in its own DC market. More accurately, the shrinking universe of news viewers.

Most news people know Washington is a hard market. It's more like three markets in a market. The challenge? Covering stories that viewers in Virginia, Maryland, and the District can all relate to. Then there is always the pressure to cover breaking national news as local news. On top of that, traffic is rated as one of the worst in the country and the commutes extend into other markets. There is almost no reverse commute. Finding the right mix of stories has driven News Directors in and out of the market for years. Now, layer in the influence of the Internet and cable network news. "The audience from the 6pm News fell by about 37 percent." This past May, "the same four stations were averaging 562,000 viewers among them, a decline of 25 percent in 10 years."