Everyone knows that the thing to do while you're home for the holidays is to watch television -- and that's exactly what I did over this past Thanksgiving Break. (After all, minimizing family interaction is always a big goal of mine whenever I'm at home.)

Something that always intrigues me, no matter what part of the country that I'm in, is local news. Every local market has a distinctly different style of news -- some good, and some not so good.

Depending on the amount of money that local advertisers have to spend, local affiliates can range in quality from (literally) someone sitting behind a folding table in a basement, all the way up to studios that would make engineers at Dateline NBC jealous.

You may have noticed this too. Here in the Triad we're lucky -- we've got quite a cross-section of local affiliates, each with their own take on the news. So in the spirit of friendly competition, I'm here to show you the light and point out the (not so) clear superior station.

The station that we're probably all most familiar with is WXII 12 (channel 11 on campus cable), our local NBC affiliate. The first station in the area with HDTV technology (that I suspect still isn't being used), WXII wisely dropped the stupid moniker of "NewsChannel" in recent days.

As I explained to someone, "NewsChannel" would seem to indicate that it airs news 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which it obviously does not. It's just a regular old NBC affiliate. WXII loves Wake Forest, and with good reason, it's literally right around the corner from our campus. If you want local (and I mean real local news), this is probably the station for you.

Also nearby is WFMY 2 (channel 9 on campus cable), our CBS affiliate out of High Point. In the stereotypical CBS fashion, WFMY's newscasts tend to cater to the middle-aged and older audience, with more stories focusing on health and issues that pertain to that age range. Additionally the personalities appearing on WFMY tend to appeal a little more to the older generation. There's nothing wrong with this, of course - it's just not all that college-centric, although WFMY is still quite good about covering Wake Forest events.

Our local ABC affiliate, WXLV 45 (channel 7 on campus cable), seems to fall behind the competition as far as local news programming goes. In recent years they renovated their set. Unfortunately, it's now pretty gaudy and distracting, and so are their on-screen graphics, which are primary colored and not especially attractive. So in simple terms, if you have epilepsy, stay away. The bright colors and ugly set will probably make you have a seizure.

Fox is a little different as far as network news goes. While Fox started the Fox News Channel (59 on campus cable) a few years ago, Fox affiliates typically air local news at 10 p.m. only, whereas other networks air local news at 5, 5:30, and 6, sometimes 6:30, and national news from New York airs at either 6:30 or 7.

WGHP 8, our local Fox affiliate (channel 10 on campus), airs local news at 10 p.m., and I have to give it my seal of approval. The graphics are attractive and functional, the news personalities are all likable and non-confrontational, and the set is by far the most stylish of any local station. Additionally, the 10 p.m. time slot is convenient and the show is over in plenty of time to let you eat a little something or do some homework before you catch Letterman and Conan.

I realize that amongst college students, local news is probably very low on the list of things that are seen as "worth watching," but you'd be surprised at the diversity of stations within a market.

Occasionally, stations surprise you. Fox Charlotte (www.foxcharlotte.tv) has started airing something called "Fox NewsEdge" that airs immediately following its regular 10 p.m. broadcast.

This particular program features two anchors in a darkened studio, sitting on stools (much in the same way that E! News is done) with no actual script, merely outlines of stories on paper in front of them.

The idea is that the show is to be edgy and random, and that it is. I've never been frightened so much as when their middle-aged meteorologist, clad in creaky leather, began to do the weather report. That was something I wish I'd never seen.

If you've not done it before, take a look at your local news when you get home.

Alarming or informative, it's nearly always entertaining.