A commenter at HotAir writes:

I remember (although not the exact details) decades ago, in L.A. They were looking for a news anchor person. They put out a casting call, and all they did was place people in front of a camera and read the cue.

They did thousands, they found the one person who could recite and look the most sincere. Knowledge was not the issue (although she has a degree in journalism and had 3 years experience), it was how the people responded to her (it was a gal). She became incredibly popular, the number one news anchor in L.A., and finally nationally. She could look into the camera and “look smart”…

Connie Chung.

She was one of the first selected not for being a journalist, but how she looked and sounded on tv