I come to praise local television news, not to bury it.

Okay, there won't be much praise, and there will be some burying.

Most of us like to root for an underdog, so here's a story that our local television news stations should eat up.

When the River Cities' Reader analyzed Quad Cities newscasts for four days earlier this month, there was one major surprise: The fourth-place local station at 10 p.m. - CBS affiliate WHBF, whose newscast has gotten trounced in the ratings by a syndication sitcom on Fox 18 - might just have the best local television news in the Quad Cities.

In just about every objective and subjective measure, WHBF's late-night newscast beats or presents a strong challenge to established power KWQC, the local NBC affiliate.