The Five Least Watchable News Personalities

(From TVSquad.com -- By Anna Johns)

What makes you like a certain news anchor over another one?

Is it his or her appearance?

The voice?

Professionalism?

Sarcasm?

There are a lot of reasons news people rise to the big time or get stuck in small markets. I always liked TOM BROKAW and PETER JENNINGS because they seemed like like classy men. I turned to DAN RATHER during breaking news because he was just plain batty. I get a kick out of MIKE WALLACE because of his confrontational attitude. And, I just love KEITH OLBERMANN for his wit, news judgment, and self-deprecating sense of humor.

That said, there are also some talking heads who make me turn the channel.

For me, it's the anchor's attitude that generally turns me off. But, I can also be superficial.

Here is my list of the five most unwatchable news personalities.

5. ANN CURRY
Her "genuine" concern about every, single story she reports is just plain fake. A person cannot be in news that long and truly empathize with everything from soldiers being killed during war to the break-up of NICK AND JESSICA. I just don't buy it. Topping things off, she seems casual, rather than professional, with her delivery. And her breathy voice sends shivers up my spine.

4. ANDERSON COOPER
There. I said it. He bothers me. Sure, he's cute. But, he's a little too cute, ya know? I realize that he's CNN's golden boy right now, but his breathless delivery on each and every story is tiresome and a little stress-inducing. You're reading a teleprompter, Anderson! He treats every story like it's just breaking and he's getting information about it in his ear as he speaks. Chill, buddy. Plus, what's with all the GQ-style photo shoots? Maybe I'm just bitter.

3. GERALDO
I know, I know. He never was a real newsman. But, since he appeared on FOX NEWS CHANNEL for so many years, I'm going to include him. And, he did go into Baghdad with the armed forces (and, famously, got kicked out for revealing strategic military positions). Anyway, Geraldo is a jackass. When he is reporting a news story, whether it be HURRICANE KATRINA or THE IRAQ WAR, it's all about him. God forbid he step out of the view of the camera for a few minutes! And then there's that moustache.

2. NANCY GRACE
This woman would hold the number one slot, if it weren't for a certain, annoying newcomer. Nancy Grace embodies all that is wrong with 24-hour cable newschannels. She likes to beat to death stories like ROBERT BLAKE, SCOTT PETERSON, MICHAEL JACKSON, and NATALIE HOLLOWAY. CNN pawns her off as a legal journalist, which is her background, but she actually is an excuse to have more coverage of "big" stories that have no bearing on the lives of Americans. In Nancy Grace's world, people are guilty. Period.

1. RITA COSBY
AKA, LORD VADER. What is up with that voice? Is she a heavy smoker? Why would MSNBC claim victory by stealing her away from FOX NEWS CHANNEL? Did she sound like this when she was on FOX? Her show on MSNBC it is unwatchable (yet, it's doing well in ratings). She, too, is guilty of focusing on stories like NATALIE HOLLOWAY, but her voice is so distracting that it's impossible to pay attention to her nightly topics.