Nevada Senate Race Puts Fox Affiliate On Guard

If you are a local Fox affiliate, but do not cover the news like Fox News Channel, it can be a bit frustrating at times.

Take KVVU-TV in Las Vegas, also known as Fox5.

The Fox affiliate, while not owned by Fox, is sometimes assumed to be on par with the network's politics.

“We get calls, we get e-mails,” says Adam P. Bradshaw, KVVU news director. “We get a fair amount of people who don't make the distinction. Who don't know that we are not Fox.”

Bradshaw said his station is not as tied to Fox as some affiliates are to networks because there is no nightly Fox network news. But his station still carries the Fox News Sunday program, its signature show.

“Fox has a very firm political slant and they are not ashamed of it,” he added. “As a local affiliate, our job is to remain as unbiased as possible. The network doesn't dictate what we do.”

Asked if the station is sometimes unfairly linked to Fox News' bias, Bradshaw says: “There are always going to be people who suggest that. We are a Fox affiliate, like it or hate it.”

And as the Nevada Senate race heats up, pitting Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid against Republican challenger Sharron Angle, KVVU is seeking to cover the race fairly while Fox News takes an obvious slant toward Angle.

“I know what fair coverage is and that is all I strive for,” says Bradshaw. “It is going to be the spotlight race.”

Managing Editor Jason Latham showed that KVVU is not going to side with the Fox News approach, posting a sharp critique Monday of a Fox & Friends interview with Angle.

“Republican nominee Sharron Angle appeared on the cable news program Monday morning in an interview rife with inaccuracies, softball questions and poor research on the part of the producers and hosts,” he wrote.

The station then posted another item online criticizing Angle for avoiding local reporters, headlined: “Where in the World is Sharron Angle?” “Although Angle hasn't responded to requests from FOX5 News for an interview, she went on Fox News Channel to address some of her issues, including phasing out and privatizing social security,” it said.

Latham told me that the confusion between his station and the network even leads to misplaced phone calls. “People call the newsroom with a comment on the Fox News network,” he said, also adding, “We don't let the position they take affect our coverage.”

Bradshaw said viewers who do not know his station eventually realize they are covering the news differently than Fox: “This is a local race. If people want to know about it they are going to watch us. If they want to watch the national pundits talk about it, they will watch them.”