Maryland Moves To Become First To Mandate Ad Spending For Local News.

Some additional advertising dollars may be on the way to Maryland stations after the state legislature this week passed a bill that would require state agencies to spent at least half of their marketing dollars with local news operations. The bill (HB0043/SB0459) has been sent to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk. If he signs it, the requirement is set to take effect on Oct. 1.

The proposal has had the support of the Maryland-DC-Delaware Broadcasters Association, which represents 110 radio and 20 television stations in the three-state region. It sees the measure as a way to support local news. In testimony presented during a February hearing, MDCD explained to lawmakers local broadcast news is an “exceedingly costly endeavor” and the advertising dollars account for virtually all of Maryland radio station revenue that pays for that. But attorney Tim Nelson said that a handful of big tech giants are today dominating the advertising marketplace, including at the local level.

“Advertisers and the critical revenues they provide to local stations have been diverted away from the broadcasters and local news organizations that produce accurate, trusted, objective, local journalism in communities across Maryland,” Nelson said. He told legislators that funneling some state ad dollars toward broadcasters will help soften the blow. “That investment, in turn, will aid local journalism across Maryland, to the benefit of the state’s citizens,” Nelson said, calling it an “investment in local news.”

Using taxpayer-supported advertising to help local news outlets weather the storm is an approach that has been looked at across the country. While cities such as New York and San Francisco have implemented similar targeted advertising policies, the legislation will make Maryland is the first state in the nation to adopt the mechanism statewide.

Supporters say the approach is designed to be revenue neutral by redirecting existing government advertising spending rather than creating new funding streams. And by keeping the dollars within the state’s own news organizations, advocates say it also supports local jobs and strengthens community information access.

“This legislation reflects a practical shift in how we support local news,” said Rebecca Snyder, Executive Director of the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, which represents local newspapers, digital-first outlets, and broadcasters in the region. She says the bill also changes the conversation, showing sustainable support for local media can be built into everyday government operations.

“It recognizes that local news is essential infrastructure for communities and treats it that way,” Snyder says. “By directing existing resources more intentionally, Maryland is strengthening the systems people rely on for timely, fact-based information. It also changes the conversation: sustainable support for local media can be built into everyday government operations.”

Several press groups are now pushing for the bill to be signed into law. The News/Media Alliance is not only lobbying the Moore’s bill in Maryland, but it is also having conversations with other state legislatures urging they adopt similar laws.

Alliance President/CEO Danielle Coffey says supporting local journalism without adding an additional penny to the state budget is a “common-sense model” that could work elsewhere. “Maryland lawmakers are showing the way for other states,” she says.