And now, for no good reason, here's the ultimate TV reporter/presenter Twitter smackdown.
Collectively, who's got the most followers: TV3/4 broadcaster Mediaworks, or TVNZ?
See the preliminary results below.
The Cate Owen effect
One social media commentator, Vaughn Davis, immediately attributed TV3's big lead to the appointment of reporter/producer Cate Owen (who featured high on our last list) as Mediaworks' inhouse Twitter, YouTube and Facebook strategist. Certainly, Ms Owen's no BS, irreverent style makes her own account worth following (as 2449 people already are). And when I say irreverent, yes I am in part referring to her avatar, which is one of the best in Twitter history.
I won't do a final tally for each network until later in the day, since more reporters are bound to spring out of the woodwork as per last time we engaged in this excercise.
So do check back later (and do follow @chriskeall) and of course @TheNBR).
In the meantime, check out the judges' special awards (right; click to zoom).
The Best All-round Tweeter, in my book, has to be TV3's Patrick Gower for his insider gossip, one-the-spot Twitpics and humour (during last week's Parliamentry bomb scare for example, he scurrilously suggested John Key's office was evacuated first. At another point in the drama he offered "Anybody seen my bag?". Okay, maybe you had to be there.
MEDIAWORKS
John Campbell: 14,500 (Lists: 534)
David Farrier : 6566 (Lists: 315)
Mike McRoberts: 4095 (Lists: 182)
Samantha Hayes : 4049 (Lists: 166)
Hilary Barry: 2637
Rachel Morton: 2024
Ali Ikram: 2004
Rachel Smalley: 1879
Alistair Wilkinson: 1870
Kate Rodger: 1561
Patrick Gower : 1247
Jono Hutchison: 1103
Melissa Davies : 878
Lachlan Forsyth: 846
Paula Penfold: 747
Kim Chisnall: 681
Michelle Pickles: 630
Amanda Gillies: 626
Juliet Speedy: 588
Tristram Clayton: 570
Kim Choe : 566
Jane Luscombe : 510
Ingrid Hipkiss: 442
Hamish Clark : 427
Charlotte Shipman: 421
Rebecca Wright : 347
Kloe Palmer : 333
Juanita Copeland : 301
Monique Devereux : 253
Dave Goosselink: 197
Hew Beynon: 125
Alison Pugh: 62
TVNZ
Heather du Plessis-Allan: 1859 (Lists: 110)
Simon Pound: 1785 (Lists: 77)
Charlotte Bellis: 1253
Corin Dann : 1073
Kim Vinnell: 850
Rawdon Christie: 792
Melissa Stokes: 745
Donna-Marie Lever: 605
Greg Boyed: 588
Krissy Moreau: 577
Matty McLean: 531
Arrun Soma: 466
Garth Bray: 298
Hadyn Jones: 293
Barbara Dreaver: 261
Nicole Bremner: 252
Jessica Mutch: 243
Ruth Wynn-Williams: 155
Stephen Smith: 141
Joanna Hunkin: 101
Joy Reid: 92
Peter Williams: 83
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Twit-fight: TVNZ vs Mediaworks
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