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“It’s just one of those understood rules,” said WKBT-TV news director Anne Paape.
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News anchors in some markets have stopped wearing ties on camera but not in La Crosse where WXOW’s Scott Hackworth (left) and WKBT’s Mark McPherson have continued wearing them to maintain a professional look.
PETER THOMSON photo
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While she admits the station hasn’t “spent three minutes thinking about it,” Paape said an anchorman in a tie is a vision of professionalism and credibility.
“You want to remove visual barriers, so the news and information is presented as clearly as possible,” she said. “If someone is focused on no tie, then something’s wrong.”
Sean Dwyer, news director at WXOW-TV, said men in ties is a definite expectation at the station, and he doesn’t look to the networks to set the standard here.
“I ask my news anchors and reporters to think about what our community’s standards are,” Dwyer said. “We need to keep those in mind.”
While both news directors said there are some environments and stories that would call for more casual dress — such as sports or remote location coverage — behind the anchor desk it’s always formal.
Paape didn’t know how the public would react to anchormen without ties, but she’s open to comment.
“I’d love to see some e-mails on this,” she said.
Anchors: It feels natural, respectful to the audience
Scott Hackworth, anchorman at WXOW-TV, has spent 21 years in the TV news business, and he’s always worn a tie behind the desk.
“It is the standard of professionalism among men in our society, and it’s a sign of respect to our audience,” Hackworth said.
He doesn’t see that changing any time soon, he said, but if it did, he’d go along with it — as long as it made him more accessible to the viewers. “I guess we have to change with the times,” he said.
WXOW uses image consultants, Hackworth said, and when he chooses a tie, he keeps their advice in mind.
“It should be somewhere between a banker and a pimp,” he said. “You want it to be a little flamboyant, but not too much.”
Mark McPherson, who anchors at WKBT-TV, said when he was hired three years ago, no one had to tell him he needed a tie.
“It’s a level of being professional,” McPherson said.
No one at the station has ever commented on his tie selection, he said, and he never coordinates it with anyone else.
“I try to keep it simple — simple solid colors,” he said.
He chooses “anything that looks good,” he said, and there isn’t a rule of thumb at the station.
McPherson expects his ties to continue to be a part of his profession for a long time to come. “I can’t ever see them banning ties altogether,” he said.
