Fox's news shakeup not as dire as some feared

Local news is losing viewers at an alarming rate, so News Corp. executives during the summer directed the company-owned stations to try something different: roundtable discussions, guests, analysis -- the sort of thing Fox News Channel does.

Left-wing bloggers reacted immediately, saying that the directive -- from Fox Stations Group president Dennis Swanson -- was a nefarious attempt to demand that the stations mimic the likes of Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck on a local level. Keith Olbermann at MSNBC led the charge, crowning Swanson his Worst Person in the World.

But fast-forward three months, and it's hard to find progressive politicos who even remember the controversy, let alone care about it anymore. That's because the news broadcasts of the Fox stations are following the directive, but audiences haven't noticed any sort of new political slant to their local news.