Put a hat on

An open letter to everyone involved in a television outside broadcast, especially if they are working in news or current affairs.

Dear broadcaster,

I watch you on the television most nights, seeing you bring your reports from exotic and far flung places, some abroad and some much closer to home.  I really appreciate the efforts that you go to in order to make sure that the news is brought to me while I’m eating my tea or relaxing before heading for bed.  I see you standing out in all weathers and situations.  You get rained on, snowed on, get caught up in fire storms, war zones and riots all to keep me and my fellow viewers better informed and of course, by the very nature of what you do, you are outside and so you have all of the required clothing.  I’ve seen you in waxed rainproof coats to keep you dry, hollow fibre filled jackets and sheepskin coats to keep out the cold as well as flak jackets to keep you out of danger. 

But what I never see you in is a hat.  Your head is always exposed to the elements.  It gets soaked, frozen, fried and boiled.  We understand how far you go to risk life and limb in the pursuit of that news story but there’s no need to put your cranium at risk as well.  Did your mother never tell you that you would catch something you couldn’t shake off?

It’s not as if suitable head gear is not readily available and they could also be used to create visual clues to the upcoming news item.   A yellow sowester would certainly keep you dry and would be useful to wear with any weather related story although a flat tweed cap might be better to give a more northern slant.  On the other hand a bowler hat would certainly lend gravitas to any financial angle.  A trilby would be perfect for a crime story when tipped slightly forward or it could be pushed back at a jaunty angle for a more humorous interlude.  Then, of course, there are stories where only a helmet will do but the choice is wide; fire fighter, army and there are even times when a pith would work. 

Don’t worry; we would still be able to see your face when your head was covered.  We would still be able to hear your voice and recognise who you are but we would be able to concentrate much better on your content if we didn’t have to worry about you getting a head cold / frost bite / sunstroke / hit with shrapnel.  Would it not be so good and reassuring to hear the words from Downing Street on a cold and rainy night, ‘This is Nick Robinson outside number 10, dry as a bone and warm as toast’?

Please, if you are in television and you are working on an outside broadcast and the weather is inclement, I implore you to remember the words of the Hat Council, ‘If you want to get ahead GET A HAT!’ and put one on.