15 Years of Fox News

Congrats to the Fox News crew on their 15th Anniversary!

Fox News Channel anchor Bret Baier recalls that when he started at the network at a bureau in Atlanta with little more than a cellphone and fax machine in his apartment.

"Back then, I would call people for a quote and some thought I was from the same network that carried 'The Simpsons'," said Baier in a telephone interview.

No one makes that mistake now. Fox News Channel turns 15 today as the reigning ratings champ among the 24-hour news channels. Since 2002 it has averaged more viewers than rivals CNN and MSNBC, and the lead has widened in recent years.

Owned by media mogul Rupert Murdock and crafted by Chairman Roger Ailes, Fox News has sold its audience on the "fair and balanced" motto and succeeded with a mix of news and commentary from personalities with strong opinions such as Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Greta Van Susteren and the recently canceled Glenn Beck.

Other keys to Fox News Channel's ratings success: flashy graphics, news delivered with a sense of urgency, attractive anchors and reporters with distinct style, a patriotic undertone and stories aimed at Middle America.

The network is celebrating its birthday all month, and a special, "Fox News: 15 Years — Fair and Balanced," airs at 10 tonight. Hosted by former CNN anchor Bill Hemmer, it features interviews with longtime anchors and hosts like Baier, who joined the network in 1998.

Still fair and balanced after all these years.