That's the headline atop Jon Friedman's assessment of FNC. Friedman began with a note of candor, and humility, as to his own initial perceptions of Fox:
"The conventional wisdom (which I, among many others, have spouted over the years) is that Fox has ruled the roost because it shrewdly managed to exploit the red-blue state phenomenon in America and attract a very large, loyal and vocal audience of politically conservative viewers."
But, Friedman continued, the reality grew more complicated as he sat in on a taping of a special on FNC--including all the big stars of FNC--which will air Sunday night, October 8:
"What the public may not appreciate is that Fox boasts a ferocious competitive spirit. Its will to win (read: crush CNN) is probably unmatched in TV journalism. For that reason, above all, Fox's rise is a case study which has relevance to a journalism or business school.
"During the taping, I observed a unique spirit among the panelists -- and the dozens of their fellow Fox anchors and reporters in the audience. Their attitude, that we're all in this together, was admirable.
"There is obvious good feeling among the professionals, bordering on affection. Their pride at toppling CNN and remaining No. 1 for nearly five years was evident."
Friedman quoted Roger Ailes as saying that "a will to win" is vital, but Ailes also said that an FNC-er's personality skills were important, too, for the sake of team play: "You don't want to be in a room with someone you don't like."
As noted here on TCG on Wednesday night, Sean Hannity & Alan Colmes may be vigorous debaters on TV, but they like each other, too--they can disagree without being disagreeable. That why they have stayed together for 10 years. And that's why viewers have stayed with them, and with FNC overall.
Here's more of Friedman's must-read piece: "Loyalty is everything. Ultimately, Fox has thrived because the all-for-one-and-one-for-all spirit inside the newsroom has spread to the audience and they want to belong to the Fox world.
"[Greta] Van Susteren remembered what life was like at her former employer, CNN, when AOL came in. 'I left a dysfunctional corporation,' she recalled. 'I just wanted to work.'"
