New York’s "WB11 Morning News" shot a live broadcast at East Windsor’s Slim and Tone fitness center.
By: Marisa Maldonado
EAST WINDSOR Going to the gym at 6 a.m. is no picnic. What with getting out of bed and going outside with no makeup on, sometimes you’re just hoping no one will recognize you.
Imagine being on television when you feel like this.
Just that happened on Wednesday morning, when New York’s WPIX-TV reporter Larry Hoff known for his madcap adventures and pranks did his latest stunt for the "WB11 Morning News" at the Slim and Tone gym in East Windsor, along with some of the gym’s staff and members.
I got there at 7:15 a.m., about an hour after the show started. East Windsor gym owner Teresa Schemelia was offering Mr. Hoff, whose face and black Slim and Tone shirt both were covered in sweat, a towel after 24 minutes of cardiovascular work and stomach crunches.
"No thanks," said Larry, whose tousled blond curls looked nothing like his tame, reddish hairdo on the WB11’s Web site. "I’m going for effect."
I’ve been told that the workout is designed to test Larry’s fitness age how old his body is compared to his age in years. But Betsy Ludlow, owner and president of the Slim and Tone chain, tells me that the TV segments are too short to actually test his fitness level.
Instead Mr. Hoff will go through different exercises that test his body composition, endurance, muscle strength and flexibility.
"It’s a bit of a spoof," Ms. Ludlow said.
Outside in the parking lot is the WB11 van, where field operations chief Dave Kimmel is arranging the next shot. While basketball results play on the left screen, the television to the right shows Ms. Schemelia helping Mr. Hoff onto a machine, where he proceeds to do reps surrounded by cheering women.
"Nice job," Mr. Kimmel says through the microphone. He’ll direct the team through the three segments of two minutes each and nine to 12 teasers, 10 to 15 second segments that advertise the next segment.
Throughout the show Mr. Hoff works out on pec-building machines ("Two more of this and I’m going to be a C-cup"), and does sit-ups while (still) surrounded by cheering women.
Even I get in on the action they convince me to take off my brown clogs and join one segment, jogging in place as an extra.
"Your growth plates are going to be gone," Mr. Hoff says to me as I step onto the workout form.
"Good thing I’ve stopped growing," I reply.
For Mr. Hoff, who works out five days a week, the segment is a chance to give women exposure to a gym that is designed to be less intimidating than places where most of the people work out many times a week.
"The guys (at other places) are prettier than the women," he said as he does stomach crunches.
But Mr. Hoff remains a good sport, even doing a push-up for a teaser with member Emily Fish, of East Windsor, sitting on his back.
"There are two things that always work on live television," he said. "Someone sitting on your back doing push-ups, and a pie in the face."
But before he can make television magic, Mr. Hoff needs to know something about Ms. Fish.
"Now I’m going to ask some delicate questions," he said. "How much do you weigh?"
He tilts his ear toward Ms. Fish’s chin, expecting her to need some privacy for this answer. But she’s fearless.
"I’ll tell you," she said. "One hundred and fifty pounds."
The segment passes, with Mr. Hoff performing one sit-up with Ms. Fish on his back. 8:30 soon rolls around only a half-hour left in the morning news. Mr. Hoff says the segments have to take a different pace to accommodate the changing audience, from people rushing out the door to a more sedentary crowd.
"These are the people who are stay-at-home," he said. "(Before) we make noise and screamed because we’re trying to stop them."
As such, the last segment features the members and Mr. Hoff rotating around the workout, while Mr. Hoff laments that he cannot regularly join in the workout because he is a man.
The segment ends with the women surrounding cameraman Tony Mazza, cheering as he points the way back to Manhattan.
Mr. Kimmel hears word from Manhattan not long after the segment ends and it’s positive.
"Our executive producer called and said it was the funniest thing," he said with a look of satisfaction.
Dave Schemelia, husband of owner Teresa Schemelia, said the broadcast should put the township on the map. He approached an editor at WB11 with the idea last winter.
"This takes it a step beyond MapQuest," he said.

