“No one (or almost no one) cares whether it’s a man or a woman blabbering on on (sic) the Evening News…”

Yes they do. I may the very first person that warned this would likely happen. The audience watching the nightly news is older than the general population. These individuals feel more comfortable seeing a man reading the news. Is this fair? I will wimp out on the question—but that’s the way it is. Moreover, it may be matter of our human nature and not merely a reactionary attitude to be outgrown.