How Philly newscasters stayed cool during extreme heat this summer

Maybe you watch and wonder, “I’d be dying out there…” as you sit in your air-conditioned living room and listen to the daunting news coming through the TV: record-breaking heat indexes, “severe” weather advisories, “dangerous” conditions, and warnings to “stay vigilant!” through it all.

But you’ve got AC. How do newscasters in the field manage to not melt when they’re bouncing around the region?

Nary do they carry a bead of sweat on them while reporting on camera in the most dire conditions. They look cool, calm and collected, and nothing like the sweaty messes we felt like all summer. “It’s important for viewers to know that we are humans,” says CBS3′s Alexandria Hoff. “At the same time, when telling an important story, you don’t want something like ill-placed sweat marks to become a distraction.”

So we asked reporters from each of the four major news networks: How do you manage to keep it together in the heat?

Our live trucks are like portable offices, equipped with air conditioning in the front and back of the vehicle. It provides a respite from a heat wave. It’s the only way the reporters and photojournalists stay cool in the field. It’s interesting — the live truck can transmit video through microwave technology and carry live shots from all over the area, but on the hottest day, the A/C is its best feature.

I used to work in Phoenix, so I know the importance of staying hydrated. I always try to keep at least a bottle of water with me in my bag. When we have time, the photographer and I will often swing by a popular gas station/grocer, which begins with the letter "W" to grab some more water or an iced coffee. … And I always put sunscreen on my face before coming to work. Oil blotting sheets — hey, I’m Greek! — and a good pat down with a paper towel a few seconds before the live shot work wonders, too.

I’m usually too busy oil-blotting my face, worrying about whether I smell like I’ve been sweating and – most important – trying to tame my hair, which can go from curly to frizzy to just plain crazy in seconds in heat and humidity. It almost never comes out of my claw-clip during summer. I’d die if I left my clip home.

The news van is heaven sent! So, confession — it’s not always the cleanest space but as long as the AC is working on hot days, I’m happy. And I have a few tricks: I duck in and out and stick my face up to the vent. It freezes my almost melted make-up back in place instantly. And, since I’m the queen of TMI, the news van also provides enough privacy to use those same vents to dry my arm pits without being seen.

I would say the idea is to remember this is a public service. Don’t make it all about yourself. That said, if I appear to be hot on television, it may actually be a good thing. Someone could take heed and make adjustments accordingly.

A little makeup helps when it gets really hot. If you start to sweat, you can dab your face on your sleeve right before your live shot. Then, you go live on camera, and while your story is running, fan and dab yourself some more. My secret? Just use your sleeve when you’re not on camera. It works most of the time.

I carry lots of oil blotting strips, wear flowy dresses, and, on the occasion when it’s humid and hot, I wrap my hair under a 6ABC baseball cap, and, right before I go on air, take it off, and my hair lays perfectly.

A hydro flask is ideal to keep drinks icy and cold. Tin foil wrapped around a frozen water bottle does the same trick. My kids are into life hacks.

The worst thing for a live reporter is feeling a bead of sweat go down your back or your leg (or both) right before a live shot. For that reason, I carry around a face towel and a handkerchief with me.

As awful as the weather may be, it all seems to go away when you’re on live TV. The show must go on, as they say. With that being said, I’m looking forward to fall and won’t complain in the winter.