A Florida TV news reporter's coverage of Hurricane Ian has gone viral, but not because of the harrowing glimpses into the power of nature she's giving.
Rather, it's because of the way she waterproofed her microphone—by putting a condom over it.
Kyla Galer was reporting yesterday on Ian from a parking lot in Fort Myers, Florida—one of the hardest-hit areas of the state—when the appearance of her microphone suddenly distracted viewers all over the internet.
\u201cIs she using a condom to keep her microphone dry during NBC\u2019s coverage of #HurricaneIan? \nShe is, right!?!?\u201d— Ashley Ryan \ud83c\udfa7\ud83c\udf99\ud83e\udd42 (@Ashley Ryan \ud83c\udfa7\ud83c\udf99\ud83e\udd42) 1664376237
Suddenly Galer was delivering a much needed moment of levity during the lead-up to what some are saying may shape up to be the most devastating US hurricane since 2005's catastrophic Hurricane Katrina.
But Galer's use of a prophylactic wasn't meant to be a joke.
It's actually standard procedure for keeping microphones and their wireless transmitters and battery packs protected from rain, performers' sweat or any other liquids in all sorts of media production settings, from live concerts and Broadway shows to film shoots and yes, news reports.
Still, it's pretty hilarious to look at your television screen and see the instantly recognizable reservoir tip of a condom jutting up from the top of a newscaster's microphone.
Galer got so much attention for it she took to her Instagram Story to confirm and explain the practice, as seen below.
\u201cFlorida reporter confirms she\u2019s protecting her microphone with a condom during Hurricane Ian coverage\u201d— DomisLive NEWS (@DomisLive NEWS) 1664407636
As Galer explained:
“A lot of people are asking what is on my microphone."
“It is what you think it is. It’s a condom."
"It helps protect the gear. You can’t get these mics wet. There’s a lot of wind and a lot of rain, so we gotta do what we gotta do and that is put a condom on the microphone.”
Galer's colleague, news anchor Jeff Butera, confirmed the practice as well, quipping condoms are essential to anyone wishing to "practice safe hurricane reporting."
\u201c** WE PRACTICE SAFE HURRICANE REPORTING ** \n\nYes, it's a condom.\nNothing better to waterproof a microphone.\n\nMy Waterman Broadcasting colleague @kylagaler has been fielding lots of questions, haha. \n\nMoment of levity in this nasty storm... \n#HurricaneIan\u201d— Jeff Butera (@Jeff Butera) 1664379011
Of course, none of this stopped people from giggling about it on Twitter.
\u201cDon\u2019t forget your Hurricane Condoms! #HurricaneIan\u201d— Brian Barnas (@Brian Barnas) 1664376208
\u201cNBC 2 practicing safe microphone reporting during hurricane Ian. \n#HurricaneIan #weather #News #FtMyers #Naples #storm #safe\u201d— Kyle Biddle (@Kyle Biddle) 1664373860
\u201cLMFAOOO who approved of this\u201d— kira \ud83d\udc7e (@kira \ud83d\udc7e) 1664396041
\u201c@cnnbrk OMG LMAO! TV reporter in Miami protects her microphone from the hurricane rains with a reservoir-tip condom\u2026 lol \ud83d\ude1d\u201d— CNN Breaking News (@CNN Breaking News) 1664356568
\u201cNBC 2's Kyla Galer covers her mic with a condom. I guess whatever gets the job done. \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23 #HurricaneIan\u201d— Chad \uea00 (@Chad \uea00) 1664467332
\u201c@DailyLoud The camera crew when they see a rain cloud \n\n\ud83e\udd23\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude05\u201d— Daily Loud (@Daily Loud) 1664428980
\u201c@TMZ It ain't stupid if it works.\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1664406231
\u201cI saw this clip of a Florida reporter defending putting a condom on mic during a Hurricane Ian broadcast and I couldn't resist adding a soundtrack.\n\nI'll show myself out now...\u201d— Eric Champnella (@Eric Champnella) 1664410054
\u201cHurricane Ian gave us a new use for condoms\u201d— R\u039eK TH\u039e DIP (@R\u039eK TH\u039e DIP) 1664375922
So there you have it, condoms are an essential part of any hurricane preparedness supply--for multiple reasons.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter