The Internet, smart phones and tiny cameras are fundamentally redefining how information is disseminated by broadcast and other traditional media.

Is longtime KCRA 3 anchor Lois Hart wistful about exiting amid this revolution?

"Absolutely not. Our timing is good," said Hart, who last week retired along with her husband and co-anchor, Dave Walker.

Like their counterparts in the newspaper business, TV journalists are scrambling to maintain the attention of Americans. Their audience, already fragmented by the entrance of cable, is now being atomized by high-tech alternatives.

And – high-definition notwithstanding – the picture for television is clouded by the economic chill now gripping the nation. Auto manufacturers and retailers, big sources of TV advertising dollars, are especially hard hit.

In a study of the medium, Tom Rosenstiel of the Project for Excellence in Journalism in Washington, D.C., ticked off some telling signs of distress:

• Ratings for local news have declined over the past five to 10 years.

• Revenues are slightly up, but down when inflation is factored in.

• Stations are trying to find ways outside traditional commercials to make revenue, such as sponsored weather maps or traffic reports.

• Stations are cutting back on correspondents and producers.

And, Rosenstiel predicted, "next year's going to be worse."

Although KCRA 3 has often boasted the lead news programming in the Sacramento region, nearly all stations have seen some erosion in their ratings.

They have tried to maintain viewership numbers – and hence advertising dollars – by expanding the number of news shows they produce.

KCRA added 2 1/2 hours of news programming in about 18 months, said Anzio Williams, news director for the station.

However, those kind of additions, Rosenstiel said, "do not make up for all the losses."

Local news has traditionally had big profits, media watchers say. With falling revenue, cuts may be inevitable.

Local station KOVR 13, for example, was among many CBS stations to make cuts in March. Station executives confirmed the departure of only two on-air figures, but others estimated the departures at 10.

Before this year, staff sizes were pretty stable, according to the Project on Excellence in Journalism.

The future, Hart said, looks "leaner and meaner."

That can mean leaner budgets for local news and leaner budgets for anchor pay.

"There is less willingness to pay an inflated salary for that role," said Jill Geisler, a member of the journalism- oriented Poynter Institute faculty and a former anchor and news director.

Stations also won't pay to send reporters on as many out-of-town trips, said Barbara O'Connor of CSU Sacramento's Institute for the Study of Politics and Media.

Gone are the days when Stan Atkinson – Hart and Walker's predecessor – did so many remote anchor stints he was nicknamed "Gunga Stan."

News staff, including anchors, will have to play multiple roles.

"Anyone can write, anyone can edit, anyone can report from a computer," Hart said.

At some stations, a single person may perform reporting and camera roles. The term "mojo," shorthand for mobile journalist, popped up in 2005 to describe this new breed of multitasker.

"We live in a YouTube world where more people are going to be in front of the camera who never thought they would," said Geisler.

Almost anyone can use media techniques to report news in blogs or on video sharing sites.

Despite the fact that such citizen journalists sometimes use these techniques to critique established media outlets, the outlets have turned to newspaper readers and TV audiences to contribute to their news production.

Many local news advocates counter that YouTube can't replace local news.

"In a world of 500 channels and the Internet, what are the things we can bring?" asked Russell Postell, KXTV's general manager. "I would say they (YouTube, etc.) are not relevant to your life in Sacramento."

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá, (916) 321-1987.