And Then There Was One   

MoneyWatchTV.com lets viewers choose new anchor.

Democracy is a treasured American tradition, but not one frequently associated with TV news personnel decisions. That is, except at MoneyWatchTV.com : The show let viewers voice their choice as to which one of five eager finalists should be the show's anchor. The program, based in Boynton Beach, Florida, and broadcast from 6:30 to 7 a.m. daily on PAX TV stations, encouraged its audience to log on to its Web site in September and strike off potential hosts one by one until the winner, Nicole Katz , was left standing.
MoneyWatchTV.com's on-air director, Mary Mills , says the innovative idea fit the finance-and-Internet show that's geared toward average families. "What better way to serve our purpose," Mills says, "and to show how the Internet can work in your life, than for us to use the Internet" to pick an anchor. Katz, 27, is thrilled to get the $100,000-a-year job. "I'm floored, frankly," she says. "I opened up my first stock account when I was in high school.... I couldn't think of anything that would be more interesting for me to do." Katz has been freelancing for various outlets-- TNN, CNBC, the Travel Channel , among others--for the past six years. Her competitors, all women, included an actress, a producer for "The Oprah Winfrey Show," a singer and another TV reporter. During week one, each contestant anchored a roughly three-minute segment. During week two, the voting began. What was it like for Katz to compete, literally, for her job? "Stressful," she says. And week No. 2 was "very emotional. It was sad to see people go.