I had a grand time in the TV business.
In most cases the hours are sane, the pay was decent, and you got free coats or aloha shirts to wear if you were at the anchor desk.
The downside is if you ran out to get something to eat and forgot to take off your makeup, people wondered who the hell is that weirdo.
You may not realize male and female news anchors look pretty strange when they just get off the air.
The lights in the studio are so bright you have to wear very heavy makeup to cut the shine and put color back in your face.
And High-Def TV is a real monster to cover up those blemishes and wrinkles and figure out your makeup without looking like you have too much on.
We used to plaster our own on.
Now most of the stations have a makeup person come do it in exchange for some free commercials.
Back to my story…
If news people didn’t plaster it on, they’d look like dead people.
Don’t believe me?
Look at their hands the next time you watch the news.
No one puts makeup on their hands.
You can see how washed out and pale they are.
Or, check this with Kathie Lee Gifford, with and without makeup the day they went commando on the set.
Yup, it’s the same person.
Women have to be especially careful.
They got eyeliner and eyebrow stuff and lipstick and all this other goop they have to pile on.
The first thing you learn in TV is never – never – tell some lady anchor she’s got raccoon eyes or looks like some floozy all painted up…even if you’re joking.
Do it just once and you’re made an enemy for life.
While I’m discussing my old career…
There was one lady I knew, that as soon as the show was over, she’d run and get the “aircheck” and go watch the newscast that just finished.
She wanted to see how her makeup looked, how her clothes were and if she fiddled with her hands on set too much.
Nothing else.
Just that.
Then there was one who’d grab the tape and a stop watch and go measure how much time she had on camera, versus the guy anchor.
If it was out of balance (against her) the producer got an earful.
She didn’t last long which I found surprising since most news directors don’t care about drama in the newsroom if the anchor was good-looking and did a decent job.
I take that back.
If the anchor was good-looking and didn’t cuss on the air.
The guys can be just as bad, just less vain.
If that’s possible.
TV news has changed over the years.
People used to think we made really big money.
Actually it wasn’t so bad.
But now they bring in young kids right out of school, pay them somewhere between $17 – $19,000 a year.
Can you believe that?
They don’t know a damn thing about anything but they’re out there trying to explain something they never ran into before.
I’ve never heard a reporter get an airplane story correct unless they were also a pilot.
The only ones making the big bucks are the main anchors but I’m not going to snitch on them.
Let’s just say it can be way into 6 figures.
Not all – just one.
Fun business – if one stayed out of the squabbles.
Not much future though.