The best fictional media outlets of all time

KBHR 570 AM: the voice of remote Cicely, Alaska from the popular CBS series birthed in the early 1990s. For such a tiny town, this outfit provides some highly entertaining talk and music. The star of the station is morning host Chris Stevens (John Corbett), who spins the classics while also offering insightful opinion and thought. Now, KBHR will not break any serious news, though will let its listeners know when a car was struck by a moose — or something of that variety. Still, for those who are looking for some light fictional radio flare, this is the place.

Within the world of Harry Potter, the No. 1 source to go for all your wizardry news is The Daily Prophet. However, it's more along the lines of a tabloid than a hard-news organization. There's a fair amount of sensationalism going on within these pages. Then again, that kind of approach sells. And, even in this realm, spanning all of Britain, it's apparently about turning a profit. That's not just a play on words. The paper also has an interesting relationship with Harry. It starts out smearing him (upon Voldemort's return), only to realize that Harry's an important voice.

Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) had quite the interesting career as a journalist. A native of Canada and former pop star north of the U.S. border, she transitioned to broadcast journalism in America. She began as a news reporter and anchor for New York's Metro News 1 — mostly known for its fluff pieces. However, it's NYC, and Robin was one of the more professional aspects of the place. She then earned her big break for the national World Wide News (a CNN knockoff), where Robin achieved various levels of professional success. She also teamed with fellow anchor and one-time love interest Sandy Rivers (Alexis Denisof).

Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) and Casey McCall (Peter Krause) are friends and co-anchors of this popular ESPN-like sportscast from the Aaron Sorkin creation that earned solid critical reviews. However, it lasted only only two seasons from 1998-2000. Dan and Casey are likable characters, but the focus of the show was more on the individual characters off-camera. So, their collective sports knowledge is somewhat of an afterthought, which maybe never allowed viewers to get to know the actual show. That said, sports fans had to like the concept.

There likely isn't a more professional high school newspaper in the fictional world than the West Beverly High Blaze. This was no rinky-dink prep operation. The Blaze put out some hard-hitting pieces. Pushed by perfectionist editor Andrea Zuckerman (Gabrielle Carteris), All-American boy Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) went in-depth and personal with a star tennis player (Matthew Perry) and broke the story about steroid abuse within the West Beverly High boys' track and field team. He also teamed with a student from an inner-city Los Angeles school to columnize a gang-related shooting at a high school football game.

The face of the Channel 5 news team is actor-turned-news anchor Tom Tucker (voiced by Seth McFarlane). With his trademark blue suit, 1980s mustache, and baritone voice, Tucker is the stereotypical anchorman: arrogant, completely rude, and offensive to co-anchor Diane Simmons (who turned out to be a psychopath). In addition to the station's main anchors, Asian reporter Tricia Takanawa is always on the scene of breaking news, while loud-talking, quick-hitting Ollie Williams is there to deliver his BlaccuWeather forecast.

The New York Sun is a major metropolitan paper in Manhattan. However, it plays second-class citizen to The New York Times-esque New York Sentinel. Yet, that doesn't stop work-obsessed metro editor Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) from thinking big time. He doesn't like to get beat on stories, and would even head out into the field to get a piece right if that's what it took. Surrounded by quirky, gun-toting columnist Michael McDougal (Randy Quaid), ailing editor-in-chief Bernie White (Robert Duvall) and volatile manager/editor Alicia Clark (Glenn Close), this seems like an entertaining place to work.

Back in the early 2010s, this was Aaron Sorkin's vision of the ideal, if seriously unrealistic, cable news network. The Atlantis Cable News (ACN) preached honest broadcast journalism and reporting and morality over headlines and conciseness over speed (while dealing with actual real-life new events like the shooting of congresswoman Gabby Giffords and the death of Osama bin Laden). One of the network's stars was Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy, the veteran news anchor and managing editor of the popular News Night broadcast. Though there's a liberal tilt to News Night, the conservative McAvoy stands out — maybe because he's often combative with co-workers and superiors and as stubborn as they come.

Aliens have taken over the United States, and presumably the world, and Americans are helping them — while getting rich — along the way. In this 1988 John Carpenter cult classic, all that is being accomplished with the help of subliminal messaging done through a satellite dish of this local television news channel in Los Angeles. Eventually, a group of rebels, indirectly led by the drifter Nada (Roddy Piper), sets out to find the source of the signal, destroy it and expose the aliens to an either unsuspecting or gullible America.  

The star of UBS's Evening News broadcast — which has dropped in the ratings from its once successful perch — is Howard Beale. He's portrayed by Peter Finch, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor, as the over-the-top anchorman in this 1976 satirical black comedy. How many newspeople threatened to kill themselves on the air because they've been let go from their job? Beale is not a likable character, but has a soft spot for programming director Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway, who also won an Oscar for her performance). The dysfunction at the station is what makes it so entertaining.

No doubt that veteran reporter Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks) and anchorman Tom Grunick (William Hurt) are well worthy of praise, but for our money, the true star of Broadcast News (1987) is one Jane Craig. Played by the sensational Holly Hunter, Jane is a dedicated, ambitious, yet rather neurotic and uptight, television news producer at this fictional D.C. bureau of a national network channel. She's consumed by her job and not afraid of confrontation. In a somewhat obvious way, Jane is the most relatable character in the movie, and a perfect example of what one needed to do, especially a woman of the time, to get ahead in one of the most competitive news markets in the world. 

The paper of record amid the Marvel Universe, most notably within various Spider-Man comics, television shows and movies. The Daily Bugle is a tabloid paper, similar to that of the New York Post, and doesn't seem to have much positive to see about the aforementioned famed web crime-fighter — or any superhero, for that matter. Meanwhile, editor and publisher of the Bugle J. Jonah Jameson is one intimidating boss, an old-school journalist who thrives on power and the ability to set narrative, especially when it comes to some of Marvel's most beloved heroes.

Talk about a cast of characters. San Diego's No. 1-rated evening news broadcast was undeniably led by nattily-clad and self-absorbed Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) — the most famous and beloved news anchorman in the city. However, his supporting cast of sex-starved sports anchor Champ (David Koechner), dim-witted weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) investigative reporter/self-believed ladies' man Brian Fontana (Paul Rudd) can't be forgotten. Things were really shaken up when energetic, career-focused, and hard-hitting female reporter/turned anchorwoman Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) came on board.

Back in the 1980s, news magazine-type informational shows were rather popular (think 20/20). In the fictional world, there were none more popular than FYI, which featured Murphy Brown (five-time Primetime Emmy winner Candace Bergen), the tenacious and hard-nosed investigative reporter, and later, anchor. Murphy was quick with a wisecrack and had no trouble putting anybody in their place, like grizzled, veteran anchor Jim Dial (Charles Kimbrough), entertaining fellow investigative reporter Frank Fontana (Joe Regalbuto) and high-strung executive producer Miles Silverberg (Grant Shaud).

The famed Cincinnati radio station was not all that successful, but it made those of a certain age in the 1970s and '80s laugh regularly. Rock jocks Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) and Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid) were the epitome of cool, and Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson) capably handled the reception desk. Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) was a quality newsman. However, general manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) wasn't very good at his job. Just harken back to the station's failed Thanksgiving turkey giveaway event.

The greatest fictional television news network in the history of fictional sitcoms. While the grizzled Lou Grant (Ed Asner) ran the show as producer-turned-executive producer, the true star of the station was Mary Richards. Mary (Mary Tyler Moore) was the associate producer of Twin Cities-based WJM-TV's Six O'Clock News broadcast. Though she could be vulnerable and even gullible at times, Mary tackled challenges head-on. She ultimately grew confident and blossomed into one of the most influential and beloved female characters in television history. Meanwhile, none-too-bright, but self-absorbed anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) and wise-cracking, yet loyal, head writer Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod) provide some hilarious support.

When it comes to fictional newspapers, there is none more legendary than The Daily Planet. Located in the heart of Metropolis, complete with a globe on top of the building, The Daily Planet is as hard-hitting as they come. Part of the DC Comics universe, this is where mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent spent most of his non-Superman hours. But, no offense to Clark, grizzled veteran editor Perry White, or budding star photographer Jimmy Olsen, the true pitbull of the staff is Lois Lane, a determined, intelligent reporter who is willing to regularly put her life on the line to get a story.