It has been conventional wisdom for decades that Americans rely more heavily on television than any other medium for local news and information. A study to be released Monday found that to be narrowly true — but also found ample reason not to count out local newspapers, Web sites and radio stations.

The report, by the Pew Research Center and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, surveyed news consumers and concluded that while television is the main source for three popular topics — weather, traffic and breaking news — newspapers and their Web sites are the main source for 11 other topics, like local government updates, zoning news and crime reports. It also found that word of mouth, most likely including text messages and Twitter posts, is the second most common meansof news distribution on the local level.

“There really is a nuanced ecosystem here with very old and very new sources blending,” said Tom Rosenstiel, the director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, which collaborated with another arm of Pew, the Pew Internet & American Life Project, to conduct the study.

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