Time Warner's new cable-only, 24-hour local news channel is still pretty unproven (it just went on the air September 13), but its mere presence is already a nice quick fix - anytime you want it - for Austin news junkies. Since News8 is funded mainly by Time Warner Cable itself and is intended as a lure to gain new subscribers, they promise the channel's coverage will be driven by news rather than profits, ratings, and network tie-ins. If News8 makes good on that, they'll be making appearances in this poll for years to come.
