Local news attacked

The credibility of local TV news is under attack again, but not by critics like yours truly — by network TV.

The Fox network has not one but two prime-time series — one "reality," one fictional — that strike right at the heart of what local television news is. Which, given that the credibility of Fox's local newscasts in markets across the country is somewhat iffy at best, is the ultimate in irony. (Whatever failings the news operation at KSTU-Ch. 13 might have, it's not the sort of circus you see in markets like Los Angeles and San Diego.)

First up is "Anchorwoman" (tonight at 7 on Ch. 13), a so-called "reality" show about an "uber vixen" (Fox's words, not mine) who's hired to anchor the news at a small TV station in Texas. And in September, Fox will premiere the sitcom "Back to You," which features Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton as local news anchors.

The message of both shows is that TV news isn't about the news, it's about show biz. It's all about appearances, not journalism.

In "Anchorwoman," Lauren Jones — beauty-pageant contestant, swimsuit model, "Price Is Right" hostess, WWE diva — is hired by the owner of a TV station in Tyler, Texas, to anchor his newscast. She's utterly unqualified; she dresses as if she thought she'd be working the streetcorner; she's apparently an airhead.

She winks. She blows kisses to the camera.

"You know, I could do this if I was doing this in a bikini," Jones says.

It's not just about Jones, however. The regular anchorwoman she's replacing (who is appalled by Jones) is shown acting less than professionally. And the station's on-air team includes Stormy the Weather Dog.

The scary thing about all this is that, although she's completely unqualified and apparently not all that bright, there's nothing to prevent Jones from becoming a successful local-news anchorwoman. You don't have to be qualified or smart, you only have to be able to read and look good.

Is it any wonder that "Back to You" executive producer Steve Levitan said, "This world ... was extremely ripe for a comedy." He maintains that his show is "very accurate about the way that local news is done." He sends scripts to an old friend who anchors the news at a Pittsburgh station to make certain he has a note of authenticity.

"What's so funny to me about local news is there's this great narcissism pretending to be altruism," Levitan said.