Survey: Rachael Ray is TV's 'Q' queen

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Diminutive dynamo Rachael Ray is the most likeable U.S. television host, a new survey says.

The brassy Food Network star and host of a new TV talk show scored the highest "Q" score in a survey of 1,800 people conducted by syndication company King World.

Q scores are basically a measure of a television star's appeal or likability to the audience. While largely subjective, the Q score is closely followed by advertisers as an indication of how popular a program will be.

Ray was followed by "Extreme Makeover" star Ty Pennington and fellow Food Network personalities Paula Deen and Giada De Laurentiis.

Oprah placed sixth on the list followed by Fox News' Sean Hannity, Emeril Lagasse and the venerable Dick Clark.

King World, which happens to produce Ray's new talk show, noted that the premier last month drew the highest ratings since the first "Dr. Phil" in 2002.