The Death Of The Monoculture — And What Comes Next For Local Media

The media world used to revolve around a handful of shared experiences. Today, audiences live in thousands of personalized bubbles. On this episode of In the Vicinity, Tim Hanlon is joined by TVREV Co-Founder and Senior Analyst Alan Wolk to explore his emerging theory of "feudal media"—a fragmented landscape where YouTube, TikTok, Substack, streaming services, and AI-driven recommendations are replacing the monoculture that once defined television and news. Together, they discuss why YouTube may be local TV's biggest competitor, how AI could become the next great curator of local information, why traditional broadcasters are struggling to adapt to a streaming-first world, and what happens when opinion, news, and entertainment all blur together.