Neckties

Cynics might say TV News is all about the hair and (for men) the ties, and there's some truth to it. Truth be told, I'd be perfectly happy if the Congress passed a law forbidding the damn things. Middle of an Alabama Summer and look in any of the state's Downtowns to see crowds of men doing the one thing they should NOT do in extreme heat: restricting their breathing with strips of cloth tied around their necks. On the other hand, having had to wear them in the 13 years since I left Radio for TV, I think I've developed a pretty good taste in what a "good TV tie" is.



The photos here are from the APT dressing room where I installed a tie rack years ago so I wouldn't have to carry my on-air wardrobes back and forth each day. As you can see, my rule of thumb for TV ties is bright colors and large patterns...like big stripes. There. My secret is out. One night when I wore the brown tie, third from the left in the long photo, a caller emailed to ask if I was really wearing a tie with a sickle and hammer symbol on it, and wasn't that rather radical for Alabama? You think? A year or two back, a viewer in Birmingham sent me a solid red tie that I sometimes wear. There was no return address and I was never able to find a number or address to match the name to thank her. Maybe she'll stumble across this note...so thanks!