• TV Week, Friday, November 14, 2008 9:15 AM

In a recession, if you can't beat them, you may as well join them. Fox Television Stations and NBC Local Media have decided to proceed with a joint local news service that generates video news coverage and reduces costs.

The concept has been tested since fall in Philadelphia, where Fox owns WTXF-TV and NBC owns WCAU-TV. It will become official in Philadelphia this January and roll out later in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Dallas and Washington, D.C. Fox and NBC own and operate stations in all those markets. Footage from the joint news service will be available to local media outlets in each market, including TV and radio, newspapers and digital.

The idea is to "provide video coverage of the news of the day by pooling our resources," says John Wallace, president of NBC Local Media. That, in turn, frees resources for "the type of specialized reporting that defines our brands and differentiates our stations within their communities," he says.

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