Austin's Top News Babes

current top news babes - Austin, TX December 2009

Austin's Top News Babes 2009

Based on brains, beauty, and personality

Voted on by the Spring's panel of experts

Lauren Petrowski - ktbc
Crystal Cotti - ktbc
Michelle Valles - keye
Jessica Vess - kvue
Noelle Newton - kvue
Olga Campos - kvue
Kate Weidaw - kxan
Courtney Timmons - keye
Katherine Stolp - keye
Jenni Lee - ktbc
Nancy Zambrano - ktbc
Amy Johnston - kvue
Terri Gruca - kvue
Jenny Hoff - kxan
Leila Rahimi - kxan
Mary Lee - kxan
Leslie Rhode - kxan
Natalie Stoll - kxan
Shannon Wolfson - kxan
Judy Maggio - keye
Debra Wynn - kxan
Keri Bellacosa - ktbc
Meghan Dannihy - kvue
Melissa Gale - kvue
Quita Culpepper - kvue
Carla Castano - kxan
Sally Hernandez - kxan
Shannon Powell - kxan
Bettie Cross - keye
Erika Gonzalez - keye
Katherine Kisiel - ktbc
Jacqueline Ingles - kxan
Karla Leal - keye
Loriana Hernandez - ktbc
Clara Tuma - kvue
Erin Cargile - kxan

Austin's Top News Babes 2008

1. Shannon Wolfson - KXAN

2. Katherine Stolp, KEYE

3. Kate Weidaw, KXAN

4. Megan Campbell, KEYE

Katherine Kisiel

5. Katherine Kisiel, Fox 7 News

6. Jenni Lee, Fox 7 News

7. Crystal Cotti, Fox 7 News

8. Lauren Petrowski, Fox 7 News

9. Amy Johnston KVUE

9. Judy Maggio, KEYE

Vote for Austin's Top News Babe of 2006!

News Babes 2002
News Babes 2003
News Babes 2004
News Babes 2005

Discuss Austin's news babes.

Austin's Top News Babes 2005

rank - station number - news babe

1 42 Elizabeth Dannheim

2 24 Christine Haas

3 7 Crystal Cotti

4 36 Michelle Valles

5 24 Amy Johnston

6   7 Jenni Lee
7   7 Katherine Kisiel
8   7 Marissa Wingate
9 42 Kim Miller
10 24 Ilona Torok
11 42 Julie Simon
12 36 Kate Weidaw
13 36 Jenny Hoff
14 36 Laura Skirde
15 24 Erin Ochoa
16 42 Susan Vessell
17 42 Judy Maggio
18 42 Bettie Cross
19 7 Linda Stratton
20 7 Tasha Martinez
21 36 Sally Hernandez
22 36 Julie Shields
23 36 Sonta Henderson
24 36 Sally Hernandez
25 36 Connie Swinney
26 36 Katie Evans
27 36 Silva Harapetian
28 42 Elisa Robin
29 42 Jennie Blankenship
30 42 Leslie Coons
31 42 Seema Mathur
32 42 Nanci Wilson
33 8 Allison Topperwein
34 24 Melissa Gale
35 24 Olga Campos
36 24 Quita Culpepper
37 36 Tonya Kerr
38 8 Jennifer Bordelon
39 8 Cristina Chavez
40 8 Amy Hadley
41 8 Hermelinda Vargas
42 8 Valerie Gutierrez
43 8 Veronic Castillo
44 8 Rachel Ellsberry
45 24 Clara Tuma
46 24 Angela Kocherga

Austin's Top News Babes 2004

1 36 Jen Ohlson
2 36 Wendy Woolfolk
3 42 Elizabeth Dannheim
4 42 Kimberly Ball
5 42 Teresa Rodriguez
6 7 Jenni Lee
7 7 Katherine Kisiel
8 24 Ilona Torok
9 24 Kim Barnes
10 36 Julie Shields
11 36 Laura Skirde
12 36 Leslie Cook
13 42 Coco Douglas
14 42 Sabra Gertsch
15 24 Judy Maggio
16 24 Bianca Balogh
17 24 Pamela McCown
18 24 Olga Campos
19 24 Melissa Gale
21 36 Jenna Cooper
22 36 Laurie Kovach
23 36 Sally Hernandez
24 42 Laura Berry
25 7 Eileen Gonzales
26 7 Laura Whitley
27 7 Diane Quest
28 42 Jennie Blankenship
29 36 Veronica Obregon
30 36 Donna Rapado
31 36 Connie Swinney

Austin's Top News Babes 2003

1 Coco Douglas of KEYE 42 was born and raised in Austin, Texas but she calls Elgin home, too. She graduated from Elgin High School in 1992 and went straight into The University of Texas at Austin. Her identical twin sister, Miel, lives in Seattle, and works as a pilot for Alaska Airlines. Coco returned to Austin in June 2000, after a three year absence. She's happy to be home - close to friends and family. Her mother and stepfather live in Elgin, while her dad and two younger brothers live in Red Rock, near Bastrop.

After studying abroad in Germany, and graduating from U.T., Coco left Austin, Texas for Austin, Minnesota. She started her career at KAAL-TV as the 6 & 10pm producer. Realizing producing wasn't the right path for her, she moved to night-side reporting. Coco spent six months in Minnesota before she made her way back to Texas. She spent about two and a half years at KAMR-TV in Amarillo as a Reporter and the 5pm Anchor, as well as the 6 & 10pm anchor. She received an award from the Amarillo Education Association for her reports on Education, as well as for her mentoring work with local middle school and high school students.

Last year, Coco did not even appear in the top ten list in the news babes poll.

2 Katherine Kisiel FOX 7 News in the Morning

Katherine Kisiel joins Joe Bickett and Gordon Smith on FOX 7 NEWS In The Morning after more than a year as FOX 7’s weekend news anchor. Before coming to work at FOX 7, Katherine’s professional credentials include work as a news anchor in Kennewick, Washington, Yakima, Washington and Yuma, Arizona. In addition to anchoring newscasts, Katherine has extensive reporting experience. She has received several awards from the Arizona Associated Press, including 1st place for Spot News and 1st place for Live Team Coverage. Katherine received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a minor in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona-Tucson.

This was Katherines second year in the top ten list, moving up from 7th in the rankings last year.

3 Elizabeth Dannheim KEYE 42

Elizabeth has appeared out of the blue and has appeared on the top 10 list for the first year.

Elizabeth attended Texas Tech University and graduated in December of 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Broadcast Journalism. Before graduating, Elizabeth was offered a news reporting job with ABC 28 News in Lubbock. After reporting the news in Lubbock for two years, Elizabeth made the jump to Salt Lake City where she reported for KUTV for four years. Eager to return to her home state, Elizabeth accepted a job at KEYE in February of 2003.

Elizabeth had the exciting opportunity of covering the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Reporting on the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart affected Elizabeth the most. "Seeing the Salt Lake community come together in such a trying time was amazing. Even more uplifting was the Smart family's unwavering faith." In 2001, Elizabeth was awarded the Utah Broadcasters Association Award for Best Spot News Story.

4 Kim Barnes of KVUE 24 "I'm proud to be one of the veterans in the KVUE newsroom. This is my 10th year here. I've been anchoring on the weekends since 1996 and that includes through two pregnancies! During that time, I've also done a lot of reporting. I've covered some really big national stories. I was in Centennial Park during the Atlanta Olympics when the bomb went off. I provided live network coverage and reports for viewers here. I also covered the Branch Davidian stand-off in Waco from the day of the attack through the trial. And, of course, I've covered more stories than I could name, right here in Austin. My favorite stories are about real people doing remarkable things." - Kim Barnes

Kim Barnes also came in fourth in last years poll.

5 Sabra Gertsch KEYE 42 finds herself in the heart of Texas after growing up along Salt Lake City's Wasatch Front, home of the greatest snow on earth! Instead of skiing on the slopes, Sabra spent thirteen years in ballet studios studying with The San Francisco Ballet School, and the School of Ballet West with whom she performed several times, including the role of Clara in William Christensen's The Nutcracker. Stepping off the stage and into the stands, Sabra played her favorite role as sister to two younger brothers, cheering them on to all-state football achievements and Montana State University track scholarships. Sabra tried a bit of everything before being bitten by the news bug: singing, dancing, and acting. Then, surrounded by wonderful mentors at the University of Utah, and prodded by a mother and father who support all her passions, she set her sights on becoming a roving reporter. Right now she is savoring her opportunity to work in a city that thrives on intellect and politics, and one that offers a potpourri of culture and technology.

http://keyetv.com/anchors/sabrag/

Sabra came in fifth in last years poll also.

6 Wendy Woolfolk of KXAN 36 was last years number one newsbabe. She started anchoring weekday Firstcast in March 2000, after reporting for News 36 at 6 and 10 pm for more than a year. She received the honorable mention for best reporter from the Texas Associated Press which included her work in the Tina Cornelius murder case and the story of missing atheist leader Madalyn Murray O'Hair.

http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=144813

7 Kimberly Ball KEYE 42 Kimberly was born in Baltimore, Maryland but raised in Dallas and considers herself a true Texan at heart. A graduate of Bishop Dunne High School, Kimberly attended Catholic schools her entire life. She says one of the most exciting things about college life was the chance to put up her school uniform and wear her own clothes for once. Before becoming a professional broadcaster, Kimberly had the opportunity to do something that many young women across the nation have only dreamed about. As a cheerleader for the world famous Dallas Cowboys, Kimberly cheered them onto victory in Superbowl XXVIII at Georgia's Peach Bowl. She'll forever cherish the memory and the lifelong friends she made.

Ilona Torok KVUE 24 Ilona came to KVUE in Feb. 2000 from her hometown of Phoenix, Az. Before coming to Austin, Ilona was the weekend meteorologist and reporter at KNPX in Phoenix. After spending a year in the "Valley of the Sun" forecasting -- you guessed it -- a lot of sunshine and other weather events ranging from microbursts to towering dust clouds known as haboobs, Ilona was ready for the challenge of forecasting severe weather. And what better place to do it than Texas?

Ilona is a proud Wildcat! She graduated in May of 1996 from the University of Arizona in Tucson, with a degree in atmospheric sciences. After graduation, Ilona headed to the Pacific Northwest where she worked as the morning meteorologist and reporter for KDRV in Medford, Ore. While there, Ilona was recognized by the National Weather Service for providing outstanding weather support for Northern California and Southern Oregon.

Ilona is a member of the American Meteorological Society and was awarded their Seal of Approval.

The most frequent question Ilona has been asked here in Texas is about here name. If you think it's sounds unique, you're right. Ilona is 100 percent Hungarian. Ilona was the first one in her family born in the United States after her family immigrated from Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

When Ilona's not at work, she spends her time outdoors entertaining her 75-pound Saint Bernard, Maxwell, working out, and snow skiing.

You can catch Ilona Torok's weather reports on Saturday's at 6:00 and 10:00 p.m., and Sunday's at 5:30 and 10 p.m. on KVUE News.

9 Teresa Rodriguez of KEYE 42 was last years number two newsbabe. She grew up the youngest child of an Air Force Master Sergeant. As the baby of the family she was very shy and it came as a real surprise to her family when Teresa got into broadcasting. "Now I get paid to talk," Teresa jokes. With her family, Teresa has lived and traveled around the world to places including Germany, Japan, Spain, Italy and many other parts of Europe. Her father retired in New Mexico to be close to family who live in that state and across southern Texas. Teresa and her husband Brad met and married in New Mexico. They've been the foster parents of two children. Brad and Teresa are grateful to live in Austin; they say it's a place in which they've always dreamed of living.

http://keyetv.com/anchors/teresar/

10 Fox 7 Jenni Lee Anchor/Reporter Jenni Lee came to work for FOX 7 NEWS on September 11, 2001 and immediately became instrumental in the station’s coverage of the terrorist attacks and the impact on Austin and Central Texas. A graduate of UT Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism, Jenni joins FOX 7 from KBTX in Bryan/College Station where she was 6 & 10pm anchor. Jenni is co-anchor of FOX 7 NEWS weekend newscasts in addition to reporting from the field during the week.

During her career, Jenni has covered some major news stories in Texas, including two of the most controversial executions in Texas history: Karla Faye Tucker in 1998 and Gary Graham in 2000. She was also on the scene covering the Texas A&M Bonfire collapse.

Jenni has been very active when it comes to community service. She has worked with the American Heart Association, was a board member with the child advocacy center Scotty's House, and has served as a board member for “Health For All,” a project that provides free health care for the working poor.

When she’s not busy working in front of the camera or for the community, Jenni enjoys eating, lifting weights and reading.

http://www.fox7.com/ (click on Fox 7 News Team)

13 (2002 top ten) Judy Maggio of KVUE 24

Voted "Best News Anchor in Austin" for the last 11 years by Austin Chronicle readers, and Austin Communicator of the year 1997, Judy Maggio is one of the most familiar faces on television in Central Texas. She doesn't like to be reminded that she's one of the senior anchors in Austin television news. Judy's worked at one station, KVUE, her entire career.

Judy is a Longhorn through-and-through: journalism class of '81. One of the biggest thrills of her career was her one-on-one interview with Lady Bird Johnson in the spring of '96.

http://www.kvue.com/news/anchors/maggio.html

21 (2002 top ten) Jennie Blankenship KEYE 42 Television reporting on KEYE in Austin is a joy for Jennie Blankenship. It is a combination of everything she loves: journalism, visual arts, performance, and interaction with other people. It is just plain fun. Jennie is from Pearland, a suburb of Houston. She has one younger brother, and comes from a close-knit family. "One of the best things I remember about growing up is that we had lots of pets," Jennie says. Her menagerie has included countless horses, dogs, iguanas, parakeets, rabbits, hamsters, ducks, and now, a 13 year-old cat named Miss Kitty. Hardly a country girl, Jennie started her broadcast career at age 15, as a news anchor for Alvin Community College's radio station KACC. Her dad would drop her off at the station every Saturday at 6 a.m., drink coffee, and listen to his daughter read the news. Jennie was also the editor of her high school newspaper. However, she never thought she would seriously become a reporter. "I wanted to be an artist or a fashion designer," she says. "I come from a pretty creative family, so those were real options in my home." As Jennie would discover, so was television.

22 (2002 top ten) Leslie Cook KXAN 36 Leslie Cook is a weeknight anchor for KXAN TV News 36. Her television news career began in 1992. Before coming to Austin, she worked in Fayetteville, Arkansas at KHBS-TV and in Jonesboro, Arkansas at KAIT-TV.

In her more than nine years in television news, she has covered a variety of stories from crime to politics to health. Leslie's medical reporting won her first place honors in 2000 from the Texas Associated Press. She covered the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles and George W. Bush's Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C. in January 2001.

http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=144797

The Overall Voting for 2002 News Babe of the Year

no      votes   chan    newsbabe
1       353     42      Coco Douglas
2       212     7       Katherine Kisiel
3       143     42      Elizabeth Dannheim
4       121     24      Kim Barnes
5       93      42      Sabra Gertsch
6       89      36      Wendy Woolfolk
7       81      36      Kimberly Ball
8       57      24      Ilona Torok
9       51      42      Teresa Rodriguez
10      48      36      Jenni Lee    
11      47      7       Laurie Kovach
12      46      36      Julie Shields
13      42      24      Judy Maggio
14      39      42      Cile Spelce
15      38      24      Bianca Balogh
16      29      42      Connie Swinney
17      25      7       Eileen Gonzales
18      19      36      Jen Ohlson
18      19      36      Jenna Cooper
20      18      36      Laura Skirde
21      17      42      Jennie Blankenship
22      16      36      Leslie Cook
23      14      42      Laura Berry
23      14      7       Laura Whitley
25      12      36      Donna Rapado
25      12      24      Melissa Gale
26      7       24      Amy Johnston
27      5       7       Diane Quest
27      5       24      Olga Campos
30      4       24      Pamela McCown
31      3       36      Veronica Obregon
32      2       36      Sally Hernandez

Top Austin Newbabes 2002

Last year, Coco did not even appear in the top ten list in the news babes poll.

2 Katherine Kisiel FOX 7 News in the Morning

This was Katherines second year in the top ten list, moving up from 7th in the rankings last year.

3 Elizabeth Dannheim KEYE 42

Elizabeth has appeared out of the blue and has appeared on the top 10 list for the first year.

Kim Barnes also came in fourth in last years poll.

http://keyetv.com/anchors/sabrag/

Sabra came in fifth in last years poll also.

http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=144813

8 Ilona Torok KVUE 24 Ilona came to KVUE in Feb. 2000 from her hometown of Phoenix, Az. Before coming to Austin, Ilona was the weekend meteorologist and reporter at KNPX in Phoenix. After spending a year in the "Valley of the Sun" forecasting -- you guessed it -- a lot of sunshine and other weather events ranging from microbursts to towering dust clouds known as haboobs, Ilona was ready for the challenge of forecasting severe weather. And what better place to do it than Texas?

Ilona is a member of the American Meteorological Society and was awarded their Seal of Approval.

When Ilona's not at work, she spends her time outdoors entertaining her 75-pound Saint Bernard, Maxwell, working out, and snow skiing.

You can catch Ilona Torok's weather reports on Saturday's at 6:00 and 10:00 p.m., and Sunday's at 5:30 and 10 p.m. on KVUE News.

http://keyetv.com/anchors/teresar/

When she’s not busy working in front of the camera or for the community, Jenni enjoys eating, lifting weights and reading.

http://www.fox7.com/ (click on Fox 7 News Team)

13 (2002 top ten) Judy Maggio of KVUE 24

Judy is a Longhorn through-and-through: journalism class of '81. One of the biggest thrills of her career was her one-on-one interview with Lady Bird Johnson in the spring of '96.

http://www.kvue.com/news/anchors/maggio.html

http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=144797

The Overall Voting for 2002 News Babe of the Year

no      votes   chan    newsbabe
1       353     42      Coco Douglas
2       212     7       Katherine Kisiel
3       143     42      Elizabeth Dannheim
4       121     24      Kim Barnes
5       93      42      Sabra Gertsch
6       89      36      Wendy Woolfolk
7       81      36      Kimberly Ball
8       57      24      Ilona Torok
9       51      42      Teresa Rodriguez
10      48      36      Jenni Lee    
11      47      7       Laurie Kovach
12      46      36      Julie Shields
13      42      24      Judy Maggio
14      39      42      Cile Spelce
15      38      24      Bianca Balogh
16      29      42      Connie Swinney
17      25      7       Eileen Gonzales
18      19      36      Jen Ohlson
18      19      36      Jenna Cooper
20      18      36      Laura Skirde
21      17      42      Jennie Blankenship
22      16      36      Leslie Cook
23      14      42      Laura Berry
23      14      7       Laura Whitley
25      12      36      Donna Rapado
25      12      24      Melissa Gale
26      7       24      Amy Johnston
27      5       7       Diane Quest
27      5       24      Olga Campos
30      4       24      Pamela McCown
31      3       36      Veronica Obregon
32      2       36      Sally Hernandez

And the All Time Austin News Babe Winner!

Kate (Supple) Kelly formerly of KVUE 24

Kate Kelly anchors Channel 5 Eyewitness News at 4:30 and 5 pm and is a featured reporter on Channel 5 special segments. While at Channel 5, Kelly has held a number of anchoring and reporting roles. Kelly began as a reporter/anchor in January 1984. A few months later, she and reporter Doug Murphy assumed anchor responsibilities for Channel 5 Eyewitness News at 6:30 and 11 pm on the weekends. In April 1987, she began co-anchoring Eyewitness News weeknights at 11 pm with Dave McElhatton and from December 1989 to early 1994 she co-anchor of the 5 and 10 pm newscasts. She then took on the early morning news with Ken Bastida before returning to evenings in 1998.

In 1984, Kate Kelly was named the outstanding young journalist by the Association of Professional Journalists. Over the years Kelly has been nominated several times for local Emmys. In spring of 2002, Kate Kelly won the Radio and Television News Directors Association Award for Outstanding News Series for "The Alaskan Refuge: America's Treasure, America's Oil."

Kelly began her broadcast career as a reporter/anchor for KRCR-TV in Redding, CA., after graduating from Stanford University with a degree in communications in 1979. While at Stanford, Kelly gained valuable reporting skills at Stanford radio station KZSU which helped her to land the reporting position at KRCR-TV. Kelly shot and edited her own news reports and also produced and anchored the 11 PM newscast. Next, Kelly moved to Austin, Tex. in 1980 to work as a reporter for KVUE-TV. She soon moved into the weekend anchor position while continuing as a general assignment reporter as well as covering political stories from the capitol. Two years later, she became the 6 p.m. weeknight co-anchor. While Kelly served as news anchor, the station won the UPI and AP Best Newscast Award in Texas for three years in a row.

Kelly has covered a wide variety of stories including the Presidential elections, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to the Bay Area, and Pope John Paul II's U.S. tour. Kelly even flew with the Blue Angels during a Fleet Week appearance.

A Bay Area native, Kelly was born and raised in Marin. She currently lives in San Francisco with her husband and two sons.