UTICA-ROME -- Who are the hottest TV news personalities in the Mohawk Valley? Two radio stations are asking listeners to cast their votes online. Classic hits Oldiez 96.1 (WODZ) is tallying votes for the hottest female on the small screen, while the website of AC Lite 98.7 (WLZW) is taking votes on Utica's hottest TV news guys.
We noticed the polls at just about the same time we got an email from WLZW brand manager Eric Meier, who suggested the polls might be of interest to our CNYTVNews.com readers.
As of 7:00pm on Monday, NewsChannel 2 (WKTV) morning co-anchor Don Shipman is leading the pack in the poll on the WLZW website, with about 20% of the vote. Leading the ladies on the WODZ website is Eyewitness News (WUTR/WFXV) co-anchor Elsa Gillis with 32% of the votes.
Both polls offer apologies for anyone who may have been left off the ballots -- the radio stations say they simply used the current list of personalities listed on each TV station's website. Both polls offer a space where users can select a "write-in" candidate if they choose.
The polls are not just limited to the two TV stations located atop Utica's Smith Hill; there are also nominees from Time Warner Cable's YNN (even though many are actually located in Syracuse or Albany) and from Syracuse's CNYCentral, as Syracuse CBS affiliate WTVH also serves the Utica market.
Disclosure Statement: CNYRadio.com editor Peter Naughton is a part-time weekend on-air personality for WLZW. However, CNYRadio.com received no advance knowledge of these polls nor any other details which are not already included in this story. Thankfully, the poll does not include previous local TV news staff, as this "face for radio" isn't sure he could cope with the 0.0% of the vote he would likely get with this 2001 screen capture from a stint at WUTR.