Boston 25 News - 24/7 news & updates

Introduction

Boston 25 News is the local news division of WFXT (Channel 25) in Boston, owned by Cox Media Group. It delivers round-the-clock coverage of Massachusetts through its mobile app, website, and broadcast channels. The app provides live and on-demand video, local stories, weather radar maps, traffic conditions, and regional sports updates. After rebranding in 2017 to distance itself from the Fox News association, Boston 25 emphasizes independent local reporting. The team includes established anchors and correspondents, and the station periodically embraces digital tools (e.g. supervised AI for content) to supplement its journalism. It strives to keep residents in the know across platforms.

Boston 25 News WFXT is dedicated to keeping Massachusetts informed and connected with our around-the-clock news application. Explore the day's significant events through our live and on-demand videos to stay updated on current happenings.

Boston 25 News serves as your resource for:

- Real-time weather updates using Boston 25’s StormTracker Doppler Radar and a 5-day forecast, so you're aware of how weather conditions may affect you.

- Ensuring timely travel with real-time traffic updates in and out of the Boston Metro Area.

- Comprehensive sports coverage including teams like the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, New England Patriots, New England Revolution, among others.

- Relevant local news affecting Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth, and Worcester counties.

- Updates on national and global news and its implications for you.

- Engaging content that can be easily shared via social media platforms from the app.

Stay informed with accessible coverage from Boston 25 News.

Please be aware that continuous use of GPS in the background may significantly reduce battery life.

News operation

-- WFXT presently broadcasts  hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with hours each weekday,  hours on Saturdays and  hours on Sundays); in regards to the number of hours devoted to locally produced newscasts, it was the largest newscast output of any station in the Boston market and in New England until January 1, 2017, when WHDH-TV lost their NBC affiliation and became a news-intensive independent outlet by increasing their weekly news output to over 70 hours. During weather segments, the station utilizes live National Weather Service radar data originating from a radar site at the NWS Weather Forecast Office in Norton.

-- One of the few productive moves that WFXT made under the ownership of the Boston Celtics was entering into a news share agreement with regional cable news channel New England Cable News (NECN) to produce a prime time newscast at 10 p.m., which debuted on September 7, 1993. The half-hour Fox 25 News at 10 was initially anchored by Heather Kahn, with Tim Kelley on weather. Kahn lasted a year in this role before she was hired by ABC affiliate WCVB-TV (channel 5); Lila Orbach replaced her as anchor. In September 1994, NECN began to produce a half-hour midday newscast at 12:30 p.m. for channel 25,which was subsequently canceled.

-- In September 1995, WFXT announced that the contract with NECN would not be renewed, with the final broadcast airing on October 1. The next day, NECN moved the newscast to WSBK, which was more willing to commit to a longer-term deal with the channel, as channel 25 was planning to eventually replace the NECN production with its own news operation. For the next year, the only news programming on WFXT consisted primarily of national updates supplied by Fox News that aired during the day. During this time, Fox Television Stations created an in-house news department for the station, culminating on September 9, 1996, with the launch of a new 10 p.m. broadcast, initially branded as Fox News Boston before reviving the Fox 25 News title the following year. The 10 p.m. newscast has aired as an hour-long program since its inception, originally airing in the format on Monday through Saturday nights, while the Sunday edition aired for a half-hour in order to accommodate a sports highlight program, Sports Sunday on Fox; Sports Sunday ended its run on May 16, 2004, with the Sunday edition of the 10 p.m. newscast expanding to an hour the following week.

- Under Cox ownership, a number of significant changes began to occur within WFXT's news department. On November 13, 2014, Doug Goudie, who was well known for his commentary segments during the station's morning show, was released from the station; he stated that his presence did not align with Cox's "philosophy", since they "aren't big on opinions." The removal of "V.B." came as part of a retooling of the Morning News into a conventional newscast, rather than a morning show emphasizing light talk and interview segments (such as Goudie's "Heavy Hitters"). The station restored the weekend morning newscasts in September 2015. The station would also focus less on hard news in favor of a slightly softer format with an abundance of human interest stories, which the station's website termed as "uplifting" stories.

- In September 2021, the station laid off several staffers, including sports director Tom Leyden, as part of a series of cuts that also saw the cancellation of WFXT's 4 p.m. newscast (which had launched in 2016) and its Saturday evening newscasts. The cuts followed a period, following Apollo Global Management's acquisition of Cox Media Group, of reduced investment in the station (with an unnamed staffer telling the Boston Business Journal that half of the station's staff had turned over since 2019), as well as a cyberattack against Cox that June.

- WFXT airs half-hour In Depth news specials at 10:30 p.m. on Fridays. These are compilations of special reports often unified by a single theme.

Challenges, Reputation & Positioning

- The rebranding away from “Fox” was motivated by a local perception that Fox branding implied a conservative slant; a survey showed 41% of Boston area viewers believed the station’s newscasts were aligned with national Fox News. 

- The station emphasizes its independent local journalism, despite affiliation, attempting to establish credibility distinct from national networks. 

- Through its app and website, it provides multi-platform news delivery (live video, streaming, digital news).