Rant #1,707: Sights For Sore Eyes

My allergies are getting the best of me today.

My nose is running like an open faucet, and my eyes are bothering me.

It feels like someone punched me in my right eye.

So after I write today's Rant, I will hopefully be able to read the newspaper, probably with some difficulty, and watch a few minutes of the morning news before I trek off to work.

And it is the morning news that I am going to focus on today, and if you are female, you can probably leave this column now, because you aren't going to get much out of this today.

I watch the local news on Channel 2 here in New York, and let me tell you, this station during the morning, and overall, has the best looking female newscasters around these parts.

Yes, I am a male chauvinist, I agree to that, and I won't deny it.

In the morning, when I am just up from sleep yet ready to go for a rough workday, there is nothing nicer on the eyes than seeing these newscasters greet me each morning.

And not only are they good looking, they are very talented, too, which makes their coming into my living room each morning even more special.

The list begins with Mary Calvi, who I think is the best looking newscaster on New York TV. She is great to look at, has a nice voice and demeanor, and when she greets viewers like me in the morning, I am happy.

Then there is Alex Denis, the traffic reporter. who came back to the air a few weeks back after being pregnant and having her child. She has about the nicest smile you will ever see, and she often does news and feature reports, too, so she gets plenty of screen time each morning.

And these are not 20-somethings, either. They are both in their late 30s or early 40s, by my estimation, have been doing their jobs forever, it seems, and just get better looking as they get older.

The reporters in the field are a bit younger, and it seems that the station weens these newer reporters by giving them the early morning rotation spot, and as they get their feet wet, move them to better times in the morning and during the day and evening.

There are several good looking young ladies among this bunch, and the newest one is Magdalena Doris, a blond who looks like she could be a model. She is as easy on the eyes as ice cream is easy on the throat.

Yes, there is a dearth of men on the early morning broadcast, and I think the reason is that the women newscasters snare the male viewers ready to go to work, and women viewers do not find these ladies threatening because they are so good at what they do.

And as you move through the day, well, the pretty get even prettier, and the talented get even more talented.

Dana Tyler and Kristine Johnson do the late afternoon and evening broadcasts, and these women are timeless in their looks.

Also veterans at what they do--Tyler is the "dean of newscaster prettiness," as far as I am concerned, and in her late 50s, looks like she is in her 30s, and Johnson looks like she is in her 20s but is actually in her 40s--you can't go wrong by watching these women deliver the news.

And again, the in-the-field reporters are as good looking as they come throughout the day. Yes, there are more men doing the city beat as the day goes on, but the women simply grab you and don't let go, and for pretty much the same reasons that I listed above.

Every city has its news broadcasts, and traveling around as I have done, in a limited way, I have seen lots of news women ply their trade, but I have to say that New York TV has a lot of news "hotties," and Channel 2 here seemingly has the most.

Again, they are talented ladies who just happen to have a look that is perfect for TV. The camera simply loves them.

And you can't go wrong with that, and don't tell me that photogenics isn't part of the equation when these women are hired.

And it always has been this way, and probably will continue this way.

So yes, I am not being PC perfect here, but I warned you.

I am a male chauvinist, even when it comes to TV news, and you can't beat Calvi, Tyler and the rest on CBS TV here in New York.

You just can't.