News Anchor Qualifications & Requirements

<h2 id="section---NewsAnchorsAtAGlance">News Anchors at a Glance</h2> <p>News anchors are the face of a station. They introduce news reports from reporters; create a cohesive program from the mixture of content; and do live interviews with politicians, experts, and other talent or correspondents. The table below offers some details about this career. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td> <b>Degree required</b> </td><td> Bachelor's degree</td></tr> <tr><td> <b>Educational field</b> </td><td> Communication, journalism, mass media, political science, international relations, other degrees considered</td></tr> <tr><td> <b>Training required</b> </td><td> Internships, on-the-job training and experience in related roles</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Key Skills</b></td><td> Professional on-air delivery, good interviewer, strong knowledge of current affairs, objectivity, ability to interact with audiences, time management, analytical</td></tr> <tr><td> <b>Job Growth (2020-2030)</b> </td><td> 6% (news analysts, reporters, and journalists)*</td></tr> <tr><td> <b>Median Annual Salary (2020)</b> </td><td> $49,300 (news analysts, reporters, and journalists)*</td></tr> </table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics;</i> </p> <h3 id="section---WhatEducationDoINeedToBecomeANewsAnchor">What Education Do I Need to Become a News Anchor?</h3> <p>It used to be that news anchors could hail from various backgrounds, and some successful ones learned everything on the job, without ever having gone to college. </p> <p>These days, a degree tends to be the minimum requirement to get an internship or entry-level position as a broadcaster. Ideally, your degree will be in communication, media, or journalism, but fields like political science, international relations and even science degrees are also accepted if paired with relevant work experience. </p> <h3 id="section---DoINeedAdditionalExperience">Do I Need Additional Experience?</h3> <p>Working in media tends to require a lot of on-the-job training and usually new graduates have to work their way up in the industry. You probably won't become a news anchor fresh out of college, because it is one of the most coveted jobs in news journalism that requires a lot of experience. </p> <p>You might start out as a trainee in a newsroom to learn how everything works and assist in program delivery, which can include menial tasks like printing TV or radio scripts. Later on, you may score some reporting shifts and, if you do well, you may be awarded more significant assignments. </p> <p>Most news anchors spent years working as reporters before being considered as anchors, and many have to accept gigs in remote regions to prove themselves before landing jobs at bigger stations with larger audiences. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatAreTheKeySkills">What Are the Key Skills?</h3> <p>Organizational and time management skills are very important, and you have to work very well under pressure. News programs tend to be delivered to extremely tight deadlines, and you have to be comfortable incorporating last-minute changes as a program goes to air. </p> <p>You need broad knowledge in current affairs, ease with analyzing events and political situations, and strong interviewing skills. News anchors also must have a very clear on-air voice, and often receive voice training to perfect their pronunciation and delivery. </p> <p>In addition, television anchors need to train their visual delivery and know how to read off a teleprompter while sounding and looking natural. Should equipment fail, they must know how to stay comfortable while presenting content without scripts. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatIncomeCanIExpect">What Income Can I Expect?</h3> <p>Your income will depend on the size of the station you work for and whether you are a radio or TV news anchor. </p> <p>According to the <i>Washington Times</i> in 2015, NBC's Matt Lauer earned $20 million a year. On the other hand, news analysts, reporters, and journalists can earn less than $25,510 a year, said the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2020. </p> <p>The world's largest membership organization for broadcast and digital journalists, the United States based Radio Television Digital News Association, reported in 2017 that median annual salaries for TV news anchors were $70,000 while radio news anchors earned a median annual salary of $44,000. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the median salary for all news analysts, reporters, and journalists to be $49,300 in May 2020. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatIsTheCareerOutlook">What is the Career Outlook?</h3> <p>Unfortunately, the field is highly competitive, and demand for news anchors is not expected to expand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that employment for news analysts, reporters, and journalists will experience 6% growth between 2020 and 2030. More and more radio and television stations syndicate programs to cut costs, and this lowers demand for news anchors.</p>