# Who's Your Favorite/Least Favorite Television Newscaster? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 7, 2000, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896 "2000-07-07T21:54:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cumulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Cumulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumulus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2000, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/1 "2000-07-07T21:54:43Z")
Broadcast or cable; morning or evening; male or female; looks or substance. I don’t care. **Looks** One of my least favorite is Katie Couric. Since her husband died, she’s started to look more and more like a man to me. For that matter, how about Lynn Russell on CNN Headline News. My most favorite is Elizabeth Vargas. She’s hot. **Substance** Least favorite: Bernard Shaw Most favorite: Tom Brokaw. ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2000, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/2 "2000-07-07T23:53:06Z")
Most - Jules Asner, E! News Daily. Least - Steve Kmetko, E! News Daily ---
**Author:** ![Cumulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Cumulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumulus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2000, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/3 "2000-07-08T18:38:52Z")
That blonde woman with the last name of Duhe is pretty hot, too. ---
**Author:** ![beakerxf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc79bd/32.png) [@beakerxf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beakerxf)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2000, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/4 "2000-07-08T19:00:13Z")
I don’t know who my least favorite are. I don’t really notice most reporters/anchors don’t tend to just go in one ear and out the other, but my favorite newscasters are Lynne Russell and Chuck Roberts. They both manage to insert a touch of humor into their reading of certain news stories. I like Jeanne Moos for th same reason. For serious news I look to Christiane Amapour ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2000, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/5 "2000-07-08T20:05:41Z")
I like Peter Mansbridge. I don’t like Dennis Trudeau. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2000, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/6 "2000-07-09T02:59:18Z")
Kent Shockneck. KNBC (channel 4) Los Angeles morning news. IMO, the guy is a friggin’ idiot. His lame attempts at humour are, well… LAME! He has a profound knack for stating the obvious, yet misses the obvious on the stories he reads. He reminds me of one of those people who would say, “Oh, Muffy. We’re out of Hagen Dazs. Let’s jump in the Lexus to get some more!” or, “Tennis, anyone?” He should change his name to **Schlock** neck. Or **Deadabovethe** neck. He irritates me. His co-host, Cathy Vara, is pretty hot though. That’s why I watch it. (Oh, okay. I watch it because it’s the only local news on when I get up in the morning.) ---
**Author:** ![BarnStorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@BarnStorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnStorm)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2000, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/7 "2000-07-09T03:17:23Z")
Charlie Rose is a dead fish. When the late night guys have people I hate, I just wish he was more like Larry King. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2000, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/8 "2000-07-09T04:14:37Z")
Favorite: Tritia Toyota, who used to be on NBC in LA. I have no idea where she is now. Least favorite: Just about any weather man in LA. Don’t try and be cute with the weather…it’s just the damn weather, fer cryin’ out loud…all I wanna know is what the forecast is. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2000, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/9 "2000-07-09T04:16:44Z")
In Minneapolis/St. Paul, Jeff Passolt, one of the local newscasters is one of the hangers-on for the shock-radio morning show. They play a clip of him saying “I have to poop.” I can no longer watch this guy on TV without thinking of his bowel habits. He does OK with the news, tho ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2000, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/10 "2000-07-09T04:47:12Z")
> [@](#): > > all I wanna know is what the forecast is. Morning marine layer, burning off by mid-morning, then sunny and hot. It’s always friggin’ sunny and hot here. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2000, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/11 "2000-07-09T07:45:02Z")
Favorite (purely on looks): Soledad O’Brien Least: Sam Donaldson ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2000, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/12 "2000-07-09T10:20:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ricepad \* > \*\*Favorite: Tritia Toyota, who used to be on NBC in LA. I have no idea where she is now. > > . \*\* She was immortalized by the Dickies in the song ‘Stuck in a Pagoda with Tricia Toyota’. She still shows up occasionally in L.A. newscasts. Me, I’d rather wath the ‘Sportscenter’ crew do the news. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Feely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mr.Feely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Feely)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2000, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/13 "2000-07-10T06:45:41Z")
Most Favorite: Jim Lehrer. No philosophizing, sympathizing, or empathizing about events in the news. If I wanted that, I’d watch Oprah, dammit! Also a great interviewer. Least Favorite: Dana King on KPIX in San Francisco. Not only is she annoyingly fake, but also obviously ignorant about many stories being reported on and makes this obvious by asking stupid questions. Actually a significant portion of the anchors from SF stations could fall in this category, with the exception of those at the local Fox affiliate. Our local news sucks! ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2000, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/14 "2000-07-11T05:10:29Z")
Posted by Johnny LA: > [@](#): > > Kent Shockneck. KNBC (channel 4) Los Angeles morning news. IMO, the guy is a friggin’ idiot. His lame attempts at humour are, well… LAME! He will never live down his overreaction to an earthquake (a “minor” one, relatively) about 10-15 years ago, as far as I’m concerned. He got very rattled, announced that he was getting under his desk, and basically became unglued. I think most native (or long time resident) Californians are well accustomed to earthquakes, aftershocks, whatnot. We will stop what we are doing, get a little anxious, and then, when the earthquake subsides, give it our “rating”. (“I’ll give it a 4 on the Richter scale”.) Shockneck didn’t do that. Shockneck lost it. My favorite newscaster is Stan Chambers, long time (like 50 years) reporter on L.A.'s KTLA. (You can get it on your satellite dish, KTLA is a WB “Superstation”.) He’s been around forever, seems so professional, and isn’t just another pretty face. I like Chuck Henry, (KNBC - LA affiliate) too. I hear Paul Moyer (also KNBC) is an idiot, but he always seemed affable to me. I once waited on Ann Martin (KCBS, LA affiliate) at a store I worked at, she was very nice and natural, but she comes off kind of prissy on TV. My least favorite? I dunno. A lot of the nameless drones that pass by on local TV news are not favorites. ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2001, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/15 "2001-03-29T04:03:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vandal \* > **Most - Jules Asner, E! News Daily.** F\*\*k yeah. ---
**Author:** ![frobozz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ed8c4c/32.png) [@frobozz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frobozz)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2001, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-your-favorite-least-favorite-television-newscaster/24896/16 "2001-03-29T12:46:27Z")
I never used to have a favorite, but now I like Sam Donaldson. On New Year’s Eve 1999/2000, he was on the air for 24 consecutive hours to ring in the new year in every time zone. It was fun watching him degenerate from his normal self to a swaying, incoherent, mumbler as he struggled to stay awake.