Imagine a world of the early 20th century when the transformation of news heavily relied on the spread of words, letters, and telegrams. Gone are the days when people had to wait for ages to know what is happening on the other side of the world.
Thanks to the advent of technology, the world transformed into a global village with the transformation of information being a lethal part of it.
News anchors are one of the most sought-after careers in today’s world. Have you ever wondered how much do news anchors make? Well, according to observerdesk.com, quite a lot! And to be very honest they deserve these packages thanks to the painstaking job they have on their hands.
Do you want to become a news anchor? Are you attracted by the job and the job description, then here are the basic requirements to become a news anchor.
If you are interested in news, journalism, are quick-witted, and have a pleasant personality – you have all the important components to become a news anchor.
If you want to pursue it as a career and want to be listed amongst the most successful news anchors then you need to focus on your reporting skills and sharpen them so that people want to listen to you when you present the news.
Successful news anchors like Barbara Walters, Chris Cuomo, Kelly Ripa, and Anderson Cooper started as a reporter before becoming news anchor.
They all started as reporters and trained themselves as journalists first – later on, transcended into the role of an anchor when they excel in the skill completely.
How to become a news anchor?
The path to becoming a news anchor is tough and very challenging. You have to prepare yourself for all the hardships that you will have to face in the journey, not to forget the immense amount of competition that you will face in your respective field.
In addition, most of the employers use to expect news anchor to have a bachelor’s degree having relevant experience along with the key skills. Following things are necessary to become a news anchor,
- Earning a bachelor’s degree
- Gaining relevant experience
- Create an attractive resume
- Practice important skills
- Look for the opportunities for career advancement
- Having strong interpersonal skills
For earning a bachelor’s degree, it is necessary that you pursue the degree with foundation in language, communications and journalism. Moreover, for preparing the career as a news anchor, you can also focus on selecting majors for the career including careers and journalism.
The degree of communication will help you in gaining a broader foundation for the global culture and media with respect to classes on technology and communication, rhetoric, mass media and the public sphere. Having this degree will help you in argumentation, advocacy and public speaking.
On the other hand, journalism will help you learn about how to tell captivating, factual-based stories having the series of ethical principles. In addition, the coursework based in the journalism will help you learn about multimedia, field reporting, creating new application and investigative reporting.
Having majors in political science will help you build a strong foundation in terms of international issues, history and political sciences. Moreover, courses generally cover the American government, the media and politics which is also associated with international relations and current affairs. Therefore, it is necessary to have strong background education to be a good news anchor.
Education requirement for a news anchor:
To become a news anchor, it is a must to have a qualification as a journalist. A four-year degree is offered in various universities where you excel in the art of reporting, writing, and communicating in journalism.
Job description of a news anchor:
Once you are done with your studies, you need to try your luck as a news anchor. The major role of your job is to present or break the news to your audience. You might be given your own program where you have to host a show and introduce various stories of the day which were conceived and conducted by different reporters.
It is up to you how you make the presentation and the introduction of the said news which will keep the audience glued to your channel.
Another job description of a news anchor is to conduct interviews. Depending upon your chosen domain, you will get to interview various guests such as politicians, celebrities, sports personalities, etc.
How much do news anchors make?
When a person starts a career as a news anchor, it is most likely that they start from a local station and the basic salary might be much lower than what was initially anticipated. But that should not make the person feel dejected. Keep on moving ahead, and relocate as a reporter. And patiently wait for your big break.
Once you are recognized or become a prized asset for the channel or the network – you can get a salary in the millions.
Keep on taking baby steps towards stabilizing your career. Once you hit the jackpot, you may get promoted to a national network or become a broadcaster or a production manager.
According to a recent survey, the median salary of an average news anchor in the United States of America is $51,000 per annum. The most celebrated news anchors of America make approximately $151,000 per year.
When a news anchor starts his career it is predicted that he will earn somewhere between $20,000 to $30,000 per year.
Final Note:
It is tough to work as a news anchor. The hardships, struggles, and hard work that goes into this kind of job in the initial days of your career might make the journey bittersweet. But if you are passionate about current news, and have an extra sight about journalism then this is your path. This is the career that will be truly rewarding for you once you hit big both in terms of fame and finances.
