{"id":1480,"date":"2014-04-28T05:30:22","date_gmt":"2014-04-28T15:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=1480"},"modified":"2014-04-27T21:11:46","modified_gmt":"2014-04-28T07:11:46","slug":"and-heres-the-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/grumpyseniors.com\/?p=1480","title":{"rendered":"And here’s the news"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had a grand time in\u00a0the TV business.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"ch-khon-sized\"<\/a>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.<\/p>\n

You may not realize male and female news anchors look pretty strange when they just get off the air.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And High-Def TV is a real monster to cover up those blemishes and\u00a0wrinkles and\u00a0figure out your makeup without looking like you have too much on.<\/p>\n

We used to plaster our own on.
\nNow most of the stations have a makeup person come do it in exchange for some free commercials.<\/p>\n

Back to my story…
\nIf\u00a0news people\u00a0didn’t plaster it on, they’d look like dead people.<\/p>\n

Don’t believe me?
\nLook at their hands the next time you watch the news.<\/p>\n

No one puts makeup on their hands.<\/p>\n

\"Yipes-no-makeup\"<\/a>You can see how washed out and pale they are.<\/p>\n

Or, check this with Kathie Lee Gifford, with and without makeup the day they went commando on the set.<\/p>\n

Yup, it’s the same person.<\/p>\n

Women have to be especially careful.<\/p>\n

They got eyeliner and eyebrow stuff and lipstick and all this other goop they have to pile on.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Do it just once and you’re made an enemy for life.<\/p>\n

While I’m discussing my old career…<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

She wanted to see how her makeup looked, how her clothes were and if she fiddled with her hands on set too much.<\/p>\n

Nothing else.
\nJust that.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

If it was out of balance (against her) the producer got an earful.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

I take that back.
\nIf the anchor was good-looking and didn’t cuss on the air.<\/p>\n

The guys can be just as bad, just less vain.
\nIf that’s possible.<\/p>\n

TV news has changed over the years.
\nPeople used to think we made really big money.<\/p>\n

Actually it wasn’t so bad.<\/p>\n

But now they bring in young kids right out of school, pay them somewhere between $17 – $19,000 a year.<\/p>\n

Can you believe that?<\/p>\n

They don’t know a damn thing about anything but they’re out there trying to explain something they never ran into before.<\/p>\n

I’ve never heard a reporter get an airplane story correct unless they were also a pilot.<\/p>\n

The only ones making the big bucks are the main anchors but I’m not going to snitch on them.<\/p>\n

Let’s just say it can be way into 6 figures.
\nNot all – just one.<\/p>\n

Fun business – if one stayed out of the squabbles.
\nNot much future though.<\/p>\n

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