joseph: I don’t know who the poseik was on the hotline or how shailos are handled on the hotline. If mik5 named the hotline poseik I may change my opinion; however a psak from a known poseik like Rabbi Forst has (IMHO) more authority.
gadolhadorah: second tier (your term) does make them any less “legitimate.”
I personally have a rav to ask my shailos to. Is he a gadol hador? No, but I do not question is halchic psak or his “eitzos tovos”.