GRAVEL-voiced reporter Penny Crone starts her new job today on Ch. 2 – nearly two months after leaving her longtime home at Ch. 5.

Crone, one of the city’s most recognizable news

personalities, had been at Ch. 5 since 1988 and is a three-time local Emmy Award winner.

After moving over to Ch. 2, she agreed to sit out the all-important February sweeps period, which ended Wednesday.

Crone, who will report primarily for Ch. 2’s 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts, also hosted a call-in radio show on WABC (770 AM) for several years. She was a reporter at Ch. 7 before joining Ch. 5.

She’s known for her gritty, no-nonsense style and her catchphrase, “Here’s the story.”