With a war raging in Ukraine and political upheavals at home, we tune in nightly to get the latest on what’s happening in our world. Giving us sometimes awful news are TV broadcasters we’ve grown to know and (at least sometimes) trust. And we do watch. (These are the states where people watch the most TV.)
Cable channels such as CNN, Fox, and MSNBC broadcast news 24/7, so we see the hosts and reporters daily. Over time, they become almost like friends orre family. More than their ability to explain complex topics and hard news in a clear, concise manner, they also manage to engage us with a calming personality, wit, and the ability to make us like as well as trust them. (These are the most and least trusted institutions in America.)
To determine the most popular TV newscasters in America, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on two measures of popularity, weighted equally: the average number of daily Wikipedia pageviews between March 11, 2019 and March 10, 2022 and the percentage of survey respondents who reported having a positive opinion of the broadcaster in a survey by the market research firm YouGov.
Trusted broadcasters don’t only do hard news. They are also commentators, talk show hosts, and sportscasters. Every broadcaster on the list received a positive rating of 30% or more (except the controversial Megyn Kelly, at only 26%). The most beloved broadcaster is one who is no longer with us, but who was a cultural fixture for so long he received a 57% favorable response. Of course, that’s Walter Cronkite.
25. Bryant Gumbel
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 927
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 36%
> Years active: 1972-present
> Primary networks: NBC, CBS, HBO
24. Robin Roberts
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 13
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 39%
> Years active: 1983-present
> Primary network: ABC
23. Gayle King
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 1,663
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 35%
> Years active: 1981-present
> Primary network: CBS
22. David Muir
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 2,723
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 32%
> Years active: 1995-present
> Primary network: ABC
21. Don Lemon
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 3,446
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 30%
> Years active: 2003-present
> Primary network: CNN
20. Jane Pauley
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 729
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 38%
> Years active: 1972-present
> Primary network: NBC, CBS
19. Hoda Kotb
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 2,545
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 33%
> Years active: 1986-present
> Primary network: NBC
18. Ted Koppel
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 490
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 39%
> Years active: 1963-present
> Primary network: ABC
17. David Brinkley
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 253
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 41%
> Years active: 1943-1997
> Primary networks: NBC, ABC
16. Chris Wallace
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 2,879
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 34%
> Years active: 1964-present
> Primary networks: Fox, NBC, ABC
15. Rachel Maddow
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 3,322
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 34%
> Years active: 2008-present
> Primary network: MSNBC
14. Lester Holt
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 1,385
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 40%
> Years active: 1981-present
> Primary network: NBC
13. Megyn Kelly
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 6,417
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 26%
> Years active: 2003-present
> Primary networks: Fox, NBC
12. Mike Wallace
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 1,507
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 40%
> Years active: 1938-2008
> Primary network: CBS
11. Connie Chung
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 1,146
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 42%
> Years active: 1972-present
> Primary networks: CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC
10. Phil Donahue
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 2,013
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 40%
> Years active: 1970-1996
> Primary station: WLWD (nationally syndicated)
9. George Stephanopoulos
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 2,383
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 39%
> Years active: 1993-present
> Primary network: ABC
8. Katie Couric
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 2,153
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 40%
> Years active: 1979-present
> Primary networks: NBC, CBS, ABC
7. Peter Jennings
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 884
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 45%
> Years active: 1947-2005
> Primary network: ABC
6. Tom Brokaw
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 1,165
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 45%
> Years active: 1960-2021
> Primary network: NBC
5. Dan Rather
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 1,724
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 48%
> Years active: 1950-present
> Primary network: CBS
4. Diane Sawyer
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 1,389
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 49%
> Years active: 1962-present
> Primary network: ABC
3. Barbara Walters
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 2,707
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 48%
> Years active: 1951-2016
> Primary networks: NBC, ABC
2. Walter Cronkite
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 1,483
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 57%
> Years active: 1939-2009
> Primary network: CBS
1. Anderson Cooper
> Daily avg. Wikipedia pageviews: 7,851
> Respondents w/ positive opinion of broadcaster: 44%
> Years active: 1990-present
> Primary network: CNN