Why do FOX affiliates have such good local news while Fox News itself is so bad?

[Recursion]

I've tried to figure this out for a while. I've now lived in 3 markets (DC, San Diego, and southwest VA) where the local FOX affiliate has, hands-down, the best broadcast local news in the market. Yes, there's sensationalism and a tendency to do "special investigative reports" that "just happen" to tie in with the FOX movie of the week, but in general the reporting is head and shoulders above the Big 3 affiliates in the same market.

Is that just coincidence, or are do most FOX affiliates have good local news too? And why doesn't the network do a nightly like all the other networks do? Then again, maybe that's it: the FOX network does really no reporting on its own so the affiliates are forced to fend for themselves, which means they do a lot of their own reporting rather than just taking stuff off the network's wire.

Anyways, I was just curious if other markets had the same story, with the local FOX affiliate doing really good local reporting. Now, if only we could kill the network and let the affiliates keep doing that...

[BeyondGeography]

1. Dunno, but Fox sucks in NYC

the worst of a very bad lot, in fact.

[The Count]

2. I was going to post the same thing. Their memorable report about the

temperature in the subways being a constant 94 degrees all year round has us laughing still....

[C_U_L8R]

7. and they got the worst subway advertising

I can't stand looking at their plastic faces one more time
(and that phoney coffee pour !!!) Anyone got a Sharpee?

[Warpy]

3. The local station runs a lot of video from the cable station

during the national news segment. It's disgustingly biased. There's no way I could watch them more than once.

I'll still watch "The Simpsons." I learn more about what's going on from them than I do from any news broadcast, especially Pox.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Channel 5 in DC

I watch it all the time. I had it on tonight. I've always liked the station, because back in the 60s, they would show "Mothra" in primetime, while the networks showed a bunch of stupid stuff.

Channel 5 started out as a member of the Dumont network.

[TN al]

5. In Nashville I would describe FOX as near the bottom...

...Interestingly, I once had an opportunity to talk to a non-FOX cameraman who had previously worked at the FOX affiliate. It was at a protest of Sinclair showing the swiftboat documentary. The cameraman told me stories about how the working conditions at the FOX affiliate were much more difficult than they were at his present station, the NBC affiliate. He also volunteered that the NBC affiliate was more in line with the working conditions at the CBS and ABC affiliates so it was FOX that was the odd man out. I then told him that I would expect that the FOX affiliate probably paid less then his present job. He laughed out loud in agreement. He said that it was that way in every job down the line at FOX compared to the NBC, CBS, and ABC affiliates.

[ComerPerro]

6. they operate somewhat independently

not sure what the Fox local is like in the KC area. I don't watch local news. Its sick.

[RB TexLa]

8. Fox 4 in the morning (Dallas) is the only place you know you can turn it on

and actually get a weather and traffic report.

[Mojorabbit]

9. The local fox channel

more often than not sends reporters out to cover our protests and does a good story so I do cut them slack. The cable channel is another story all together.

[Canuckistanian]

10. The Fox News editorial board

That's why.

The local producers have no such political connections or the need to pander to the big politicians.

Their daily bread comes from the local community.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Most stations are independant, and...

just take the Fox national/world news feeds like they'd take AP and Reuters-- editorial decisions are local and they pick and choose what they think they're market wants.

Doesn't mean all of them are any good, though, just means they can be good of they want to be.

Around here, the Fox station runs that damn Fox & Friends in the morning, though, which might be some kind of requirement because it's so revoltingly bad I can't imagine anyone watching it by choice.

[Webster Green]

12. The San Francisco Fox affiliate has pretty good news..

I actually prefer them to the others. I have confronted their news crews at anti-war rallies, because I saw the Fox logos on their gear, and they said "Hey...no...we're not Fox News, we're the local channel 2 crew".

[msongs]

13. fox news in LA is fading beauty queens who can't shut up + T & A morons nt

[pettypace]

14. Mostly photogenic anchors

I concur though the local Fox station is top notch. Charlotte has a former Democratic congressional candidate hosting the morning show.

[susanna]

15. I have been asking myself that for years.

You couldn't persuade me to turn on Fox National news, but in the morning, my local Fox rocks. Strange. :-(

On edit: it's Detroit