Apr 14, 2017

Boston station dropping "Fox" name from newscast

mroach via Flickr CC

Boston's local Fox affiliate, WFXT (Channel 25) Fox 25 News, will be dropping "Fox" from its newscast name since the national brand name of Fox News has negatively impacted the local station, according to The Boston Globe. It has been independently produced since 2014, when it was acquired by Cox Media Group, and will go by "Boston 25 News" starting April 24.

The liability: It is located in liberal Boston, with a decidedly liberal audience — Massachusetts has gone blue since 1988 — but 41% of Boston-area news consumers believed local Fox 25 was conservative despite running impartial newscasts. Plus, the station has recently reported declining ratings. Other local Fox affiliates in Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Florida will not be changing their names.

WFXT General Manager Tom Raponi said the decision does not reflect the fact that Fox News is dealing with the public perception of sexual harassment allegations against anchor Bill O'Reilly and former CEO Roger Ailes.

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