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Ron Fineman's complaint on his website a few weeks back about the way Channel 5 anchor Sharon Tay dresses turned into a full-blown story in today's L.A. Times Calendar section - complete with photo spread of Tay. The piece by Grag Braxton quotes a few academics harumphing about the line between news and entertainment being crossed, and asks are anchors too hot? Fineman is quoted, saying "If a journalist is a serious news anchor, a certain public image should be maintained, and 'sex kitten' shouldn't be one of them." Tay explains her recent spread in Razor magazine: "I need to be myself, and when I'm myself, viewers respond. I can show that I can be girly. I can be funny. I can be sexy. I can be honest. I can relate to them on a friend level. They can trust me. I have a lot of credibility because I'm real."
The latest entries at RonFineman.com chide Channel 2's Paul Magers for making obscure asides during the news, and note that reporter (and former LAPD sergeant) Rod Bernsen has left the news staff at Channel 11.