You’re watching your local news broadcast and amidst headlines, arts and entertainment and stock tips, the broadcaster starts taking off their clothes. Yeah, I would blink too. This unique idea however is the concept behind The Naked News.
Naked News was conceived in 1998 and debuted with a female cast in December 1999. In April 2001 the first male anchor, Lucas Tyler, started and the male version was born. In April 2004, the program was re-branded as Naked News Daily Male and was made available at www.NakedNewsDailyMale.com. Naked News Daily Male also revised its’ programming to appeal specifically to a gay audience, and became subscription based online, as well as offering a TV version on OUTtv.
GayCalgary recently spoke to three of the broadcast’s most popular anchors - 26 year old Jeremy Chase, 35 year old Matt Waterman and 48 year old Dale Danforth - about letting it all hang out in the news room. Sadly, they were all clothed at the time of this interview. It would seem to be a daunting task to even audition for the show, let alone be a part of it.
“Initially, I auditioned to challenge myself,” explained Chase. “Can I really I present the news naked? But once I auditioned, I realized it was a great opportunity for me to explore my interest in journalism in a unique way. I’ve always been comfortable with nudity, so the adjustment was minimal. I have to be honest though, every once in a while I am standing in front of the camera with my coworkers and I think, ‘I don’t have any clothes on.’ I usually have a good chuckle at that point and then get on with the news.” Danforth was a loyal viewer of the show. “I am one of the original Naked News subscribers so I am a long time fan. To be a part of it now is a real kick and certainly appeals to the naturist - exhibitionist - performer in me. There are still times when I’ll be in the studio or watching the show at home and think ’did this really happen?’, ’Am I really a part of this show?’ It’s amazing!”
Waterman on the other hand responded in a way that any viewer of the program will tell is very much Matt Waterman.
“As a Gemini, I have two very different sides to me. Some would say I have a split personality! My training is both as an actor and as a journalist, so Naked News Daily Male allows me to indulge all of my different sides – literally! Plus, I’ve never had a problem with nudity. In fact, if I knew I wouldn’t be arrested, I’d be naked in public more often,” he said. “I’ll admit that it felt a little weird when I auditioned. I couldn’t help but think of that scene from the movie Fame when Irene Cara’s character starts to cry when a film director tells her to take her top off. But not to worry, no tears were shed during my audition. In fact, I’m totally used to being naked in front of people. Recently, I had a few friends over at my place and we were getting ready to go out, so I tucked my shirt in. And I started unzipping my pants right there in my living room. My friends were, like, ‘So glad you feel so comfortable around us.’ But I didn’t even realize what I was doing, because I’m so used to getting dressed and undressed in front of other people now.”
Naked News isn’t pornography so the anchors have to battle the urge to “stiffen up” but at the same time, don’t want to be small. The studio must get cold sometimes so, GayCalgary asked the anchors how they battle these unique issues.
“We have to be in between; otherwise we’d be on a whole different network! We are a news program and are here to report the daily headlines. We just happen to do so in the nude. We are not to be confused with pornography. Erections happen – it’s natural. When they do, you just have to think about your grocery list or the pile of laundry at home while the rest of the folks in the studio wait for you to go back to the ‘ground floor’ from the ‘penthouse’,” said Danforth. “When it does get cold I usually try to think of Vin Diesel or Mark Wahlberg. If that doesn’t work some quick cardio warms the body up pretty fast. Apart from that if it is really cold and things still aren’t ’up‘ to par, I’ll just apologize to the viewers and let them know not to adjust their set.”
“The same company that produces our show also produces a show with all women. For obvious reasons, the men’s studio is supposed to be warm – we don’t want shrinkage! And the women’s studio is supposed to be cool – keep those nipples perky, girls! But sometimes the women use our studio as well, and so the temperature gets turned down. So by the time we guys get in there, it’s a wee bit chilly. To combat the problem, I usually jump around or do jumping jacks, which of course looks really funny when I’m naked,” said Waterman. “Sometimes I get a little carried away getting my parts ‘camera-ready’ so then have to wait for things to calm down a little before we start shooting, so to speak... ahem!”
The show is filmed in Toronto and available worldwide. When the anchors are out and about they are often recognized and the reaction is always positive.
”We are recognized fairly frequently in the city, although it’s probably not that easy to tell that it’s us with our clothes on! The people that we meet are always so friendly and eager to chat with us about the program. I don’t separate the ‘naked’ version of myself from the ‘clothed’; I’m always the same person. Besides, if you just want to see someone naked, you can get that anywhere. Our audience wants to be engaged by real people, seeing us nude is just one component of that relationship,” said Chase. Waterman agrees. “I have been recognized a few times, mostly in the Gay Village. And yes, guys at first tend to focus on the fact that they’ve seen me naked. In fact, one guy, after talking to me for a while said, ‘Wow, you’re really nice for someone who takes his clothes off for a living.’”
It’s an exciting time to be part of the broadcast as they continue to reach a broader audience who want to know what is going on in the gay world. All three anchors mentioned how proud they are to be part of the show and their hopes for the future.
”I know who our audience is, having been a member of it for so long, that I see the show from both perspectives. I’ll be honest, I was never one to sit down and watch or read the news until I became a subscriber. Suddenly, I was actually enjoying being ’informed‘.
The combination of nudity and news is fantastic!” said Danforth. “We provide a great service to the gay community; Dr. Keith is there to answer questions that a lot of gay men don’t want to ask their doctor face to face. We show what’s going on in the international gay community on a daily basis and I think having three clearly gay hosts is just icing. I also find when I am not sure if I want to attend an annual event or not, I can go into the Archives and see it from the year before. There really is no timelier an information outlet for the Queer Community like the ’Naked News Daily Male‘ and that in itself I think has value as an immediate resource.”
”I think both aspects of the program are really important,” said Waterman. “First, there’s the issue of providing a service for the gay male community. The news, particularly our gay community headlines, is a critical part of what we do. Plus, since we have a global audience, our mandate is to cover stories from around the world, not just in North America. As far as the nudity goes, I also think it’s important to showcase guys who are comfortable in their own skins. I wish more guys were comfortable enough in their own bodies to be naked more often. Yes, a hot body is sexy, but self-confidence is much sexier. I am looking forward to Naked News in 3D! Wouldn’t that be cool?! The news – coming at you!”
Jeremy Chase, as the senior member of the cast members we talked to, had the final words. What he had to say would probably be something any member of the cast, crew, and guests would say when asked about The Naked News.
”I’m really proud of our program and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute to the gay community through my work. I don’t feel any apologies need to be made for a healthy appreciation of the naked body, especially if it encourages people to get informed about the issues affecting their community. We have the best fans! Our audience is quite straightforward with us. They are generous with compliments, but they never hesitate to take us to task if they disagree with something. I think that honesty is the highest compliment that you can pay someone, and I feel all the more connected to the viewers because of it. The people watching at home really welcome us into their lives, so they want more than just nice abs, they want someone they can relate to. However, nice abs never hurt!”
The Naked News Daily Male
www.nakednewsdailymale.com
www.outtv.ca.
