TV hosts widen their bubble to include makeup artists

While the rest of us are slumming around in our trackpants, current affairs hosts still need to look good for TV.

As news programmes are an essential service under alert level 4, TVNZ and Mediaworks have maintained professional hair and makeup services for presenters.

“TV is a visual medium, so our crew at the moment includes two hair and makeup people each day,” a TVNZ spokesperson said.

“All our usual presenters are on and so require powder for the guys or hair and makeup for the women — Jenny May, Matty Mclean, John Campbell, Wendy Petrie, Simon Dallow, Hilary Barry, Jeremy Wells and Pippa Wetzell and Hadyn Jones (both filling in on Breakfast).

“Hayley Holt is not working at this time, guidelines for pregnant women are to stay home and we’re abiding by that.”

TVNZ has taken several steps to operate safely at alert level 4.

They include extra hygiene and cleanliness measures, and splitting their newsroom into two teams to ensure they can keep going should one of their staff become ill with a suspected case of Covid-19.

“Our crews are part of this twoteam split, so hair and makeup personnel on one team do not cross over with the other,” the spokesperson said.

Despite the Government recommendation for people to keep two metres apart, hair and makeup requires some physical contact.

“For this purpose, our presenters have their corresponding hair and makeup person in their bubble during the workday.

“We’re still abiding by social distancing in our newsroom and studios. Viewers will notice this from the spaced-out presenters they see on screen.”

Seven Sharp, for example, has a dedicated hair and makeup person that doesn’t work with other teams. Each presenter has a dedicated kit with their own makeup and tools. All items are cleaned thoroughly between use.

MediaWorks, which owns Newshub, has taken similar precautions and said each presenter and makeup artist has their own makeup kit.

“The wellbeing of all our staff is the most important thing to us and every precaution that can be taken is being taken.”