We scoured the A-teams for a likely candidate, but found ourselves numbed by all those primping youngsters and slick ironists. Call us traditionalists: We like our TV news delivered by an anchor with a hint of maturity and reserve--someone in the mold of Uncle Walter. Carlson began his long career producing on-air programs for WCCO Radio and started at WCCO-TV back in '59. He has served the station in a wide variety of capacities, including assistant promotion director, associate research director, chief announcer--even teen-dance-program and game-show host. These days, the avuncular Carlson anchors WCCO's 4 News at Noon. Though the broadcast itself can be pretty light, the veteran newsman delivers his lines straight. He doesn't betray even a hint of the smarmy and insidious David Letterman disease that has infected so many of his colleagues, and for that, he wins our gratitude and top nod.