published its twentieth Best of Denver issue, a celebration of the city that saluted everything from Best Goofy Sports Gizmo (the humidor and hyperbaric chamber introduced by Rockies manager Clint Hurdle to combat Denver’s thin air) to Best Blues Musician (Otis Taylor — finally a national star, after thirty years of making music locally) to Best Must-See Local TV: JohnsTV, the city’s new show on Channel 8 featuring guys busted in prostitute stings. But the real must-see TV was over at Channel 4, where Jim Benemann won the award for Best News Anchor.

“Winning the Best Anchor award was a special honor, since it came the year I made the switch to CBS4,” Benemann says. “The award threw my mom for a loop, though; she thought I was still a sophomore at CSU.”

Benemann’s been in the big chair at Channel 4 for five years now, and his steady presence and wry delivery at ten o’clock has helped the station make steady inroads on Channel 9, the longtime ratings leader that’s an NBC affiliate. This is one anchor that won’t get dropped anytime soon.

Click here to see the rest of the 2003 Best of Denver Winners.