Home › Entertainment

By James Anderson•Last Updated May 22, 2025

Behind the Broadcast: News Anchors, Wigs, and Off-Camera Habits

The polished image of broadcast journalism

Television news anchors represent the face of journalism for millions of viewers. Their appearance, demeanor, and presentation are meticulously craft to project credibility, professionalism, and consistency. But behind the cautiously construct on air personas lie a world of beauty enhancements and personal habits that seldom make it to public knowledge.

The broadcast industry has farsighted maintain strict appearance standards, peculiarly for women. These expectations have created an environment where cosmetic enhancements, include hairpieces and wigs, have become common tools of the trade preferably than exceptions.

Hair apparent: news anchors and their relationship with wigs

The perfect hair display by news anchors night after night doesn’t constantly grow course from their scalps. Many prominent television personalities regularly wear wigs, hairpieces, or extensions as part of their professional image.

Why news anchors choose wigs

Several factors contribute to the prevalence of wigs in broadcast journalism:

Consistency:

Networks value a consistent appearance that viewers can recognize. Wigs ensure anchors look identical disregarding of weather, health, or personal hair issues.
Time management:

The demanding schedule of news production leave little time for elaborate hairstyling. Wigs can bbe preparedin advance and rapidly apply.
Protection:

Daily heat styling and chemical treatments damage natural hair. Wigs protect an anchor’s natural hair from the constant styling require by television.
Network image requirements:

Some networks have specific appearance guidelines that are easier to meet with hairpieces.

Notable anchors know for wear wigs

While many anchors don’t publically discuss their hair enhancements, some have been open about their use of wigs:

Barbara Walters, the pioneer female journalist, was known to have an extensive collection of hairpieces throughout her career. Her utterly coiffed look remain unmistakably consistent across decades in the public eye.

Melissa Harris perry, former MSNBC host, has spoken openly about wear wigs after experience hair loss. Her candor help normalize the practice for other professionals face similar challenges.

Robin Roberts of good morning America temporarily use wigs during her cancer treatment and recovery, show how these tools can help maintain professional appearance during personal health struggles.

The technical side of broadcast wigs

Television wigs differ importantly from everyday hairpieces. The high definition cameras use in modern broadcasting reveal every detail, require specialized wigs that can withstand scrutiny.

Broadcast quality hairpieces

Professional wigs for television anchors typically feature:

Human hair construction for natural movement and styling versatility
Custom color to match studio lighting conditions
Hand tie foundations that create a natural look hairline
Secure attachment methods that withstand long broadcast hours
Ventilation techniques that allow airflow during hot studio conditions

These specialized pieces oftentimes cost thousands of dollars and require regular maintenance by hair professionals who understand the unique demands of television production.

Off camera habits: the smoking culture among female news anchors

While immaculate appearance remain paramount on camera, the high pressure environment of news production has historically foster certain off camera habits among journalists. Cigarette smoking, though decline in prevalence, has been a notable behind the scenes’ aspect of broadcast culture.

The prevalence of smoking in journalism

The journalism profession has traditionally had higher smoking rates than many other fields. The combination of stress, deadline pressure, and long irregular hours create an environment where smoking became normalize as a coping mechanism.

For female anchors in particular, smoking sometimes serve additional purposes:

Stress management during high pressure break news situations
Appetite suppression in an industry with intense focus on appearance and weight
Social bonding with colleagues during brief breaks
Voice modulation, as some anchors believe moderate smoking create a deeper, more authoritative vocal tone

Notable female anchors know for smoking

While smoking habits are progressively private, several prominent female journalists have been known smokers throughout their careers:

Diane sawyer, the former abc world news anchor, was oftentimes spot smoking during her earlier career, though she’s since quit.

Barbara Walters, beyond her wig collection, was known to smoke cigarettes during her decades in television, especially during her years on the view.

Jessica switch, the nNBCnews anchor who tragically die young in 1983, was a know chain smoker whose habit was document in biographical accounts of her life.

The changing culture around smoking

The prevalence of smoking among news anchors has decline importantly in recent decades, reflect broader societal shifts and increase health awareness. Modern broadcast facilities loosely prohibit indoor smoking, and the image conscious nature of television has adapted to view smoke lesfavorablyly.

Yet, the high stress environment of news production continue to create conditions where some journalists turn to cigarettes during their off camera moments, especially during break news situations or extend coverage events.

The duality of public and private personas

The contrast between on air perfection and off camera reality highlight the complex relationship news anchors have with their public image. This duality creates a professional balancing act that few other careers demand.

Image management as professional requirement

For television journalists, appearance management isn’t vanity â€” it’s a job requirement. Networks invest intemperately in create consistent, trustworthy visual presentations. This pressure fall disproportionately on female anchors, who face more scrutiny about their appearance than their male counterparts.

The use of wigs, extensive makeup, and cautiously select wardrobe become part of the professional toolkit instead than personal choice. Meantime, private habits like smoking remain cautiously hide from public view to maintain the polished image viewers expect.

The psychological impact

Maintain separate public and private personas take a psychological toll. Many anchors report feel pressure to uphold their on air image tied in their personal lives. The expectation of perfection creates stress that, ironically, may contribute to cope mechanisms like smoking.

Some anchors have described feeling liketheire play a character kinda than being themselves â€” a sensation that intensify when artificial enhancements like wigs become part of their daily professional presentation.

Change standards and greater authenticity

The broadcast industry is gradually evolved toward more authentic presentations, though change come slow in this traditionally conservative field.

Natural hair movement in broadcasting

More anchors nowadays wear their natural hair on air, challenge farsighted stand conventions about what constitute a” professional ” ppearance. This shift has been peculiarly significant for women of color, who historically face pressure to straighten or cover their natural hair texture.

Broadcasters like tampon hall and robin Roberts have embraced their natural hair on major network programs, help to redefine standards of professionalism in television journalism.

Health consciousness replace old habits

The smoking culture that erstwhile dominate newsrooms has mostly given way to healthier stress management techniques. Modern journalists are more likely to discuss workout routines, meditation practices, or nutrition than cigarette breaks.

This shift reflects both change societal attitudes toward smoking and greater awareness of health issues within the profession. Networks progressively promote wellness programs for their on air talent, recognize that healthy journalists perform wellspring under pressure.

The economics of appearance

The financial aspects of maintain the broadcast ready appearance seldom enter public discussion but represent a significant consideration for television journalists.

The cost of look perfect

High quality wigs and hairpieces can cost between $2,000 and $$10000 each, with most anchors require multiple options. When combine with wardrobe expectations, makeup requirements, and other appearance relate expenses, the financial burden become substantial.

Contract negotiations oftentimes include provisions for appearance allowances, but these seldom cover the full cost of maintain the expected look. Many anchors personally invest thousands of dollars yearly in their professional appearance.

Network investments in image

Major networks maintain dedicated departments for anchor appearance, employ hair stylists, makeup artists, wardrobe consultants, and image specialists. These teams work behind the scenes to ensure consistency across broadcasts and manage the technical aspects of on air appearance.

The substantial investment demonstrates how central appearance remain to broadcast journalism, despite increase emphasis on journalistic substance and report quality.

Personal stories behind the anchor desk

Beyond the general trends, individual journalists have unique relationships with wigs, appearance standards, and off camera habits like smoking.

Health challenges and appearance solutions

For some anchors, wigs become necessary follow health challenges. When abc’s Amy Roach undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer, she uutilizeswigs to maintain her on air appearance while being open with viewers about her health journey.

Likewise, robin Roberts document her return to good morning America after bone marrow transplant treatment, gradually transition from wigs rearward to her natural hair as it regrew, bring viewers along on her recovery journey.

Break the silence

A growth number of anchors havchosense to speak openly about antecedently taboo topics like hair enhancements and personal habits. This transparency help humanize journalists who might differently seem unnaturally perfect to viewers.

When anchors acknowledge their wigs, extensions, or past smoking habits, they oftentimes receive positive feedback from audiences who appreciate the authenticity. This response has encouraged more openness about the realities behind broadcast journalism.

The future of broadcast appearance standards

The television news industry continues to evolve in its approach to anchor appearance and off camera conduct. Several trends suggest where these standards might head in coming years:

Greater diversity in acceptable appearance

As audience expectations diversify, networks are slow embrace a wider range of appearance standards. Natural hair textures, diverse hairstyles, and less rigid appearance guidelines are become more common, peculiarly on local broadcasts and digital platforms.

This shift open doors for journalists who might antecedently have been excluded base on appearance factors and reduce the need for artificial enhancements like wigs for many anchors.

Wellness focused culture

The old newsroom culture that normalize stress relate habits like smoking continue to give way to more health conscious approaches. Networks progressively recognize that journalist well bee affects broadcast quality and talent retention.

This evolution creates environments where healthier cope mechanisms replace cigarettes and other unhealthy habits that erstwhile characterize journalism’s behind the scenes culture.

Conclusion

The world of broadcast journalism contain fascinating contradictions between public presentation and private reality. From the cautiously construct appearance enhance by wigs and professional styling to the off camera habits that help anchors cope with immense pressure, television news personalities navigate complex personal and professional boundaries.

As the industry evolve toward greater authenticity and diversity, many of the strict appearance standards that necessitate wigs and other enhancements are gradually relaxed. Likewise, the high stress culture that foster smoking and other cope mechanisms is lento transform into more wellness orient approaches.

Yet the fundamental tension remain: news anchors serve as trust messengers whose appearance and conduct face scrutiny few other professionals experience. Understand the human reality behind the polished presentation help viewers appreciate the complex balancing act these journalists perform day by day â€” maintain credibility while manage the selfsame human challenges of stress, appearance expectations, and public scrutiny.