Faces of the news

By Lora Victorio and Patrick Day, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

Education and experience used to be essential to a journalism career, but beauty often gets more attention than brains these days. Here’s a look at newscasters through the years who have had to prove (or not prove) that they’re more than just a pretty face.

Walter Cronkite

Network: CBS

When: 1962-1981

Cronkite was "the most trusted man in America," but the sexiest? There's something about guys named Walt that inspires feelings of paternal comfort rather than amorous leering.