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The differences between anchors and staff writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an anchor and a staff writer. Additionally, an anchor has an average salary of $70,715, which is higher than the $44,844 average annual salary of a staff writer.
The top three skills for an anchor include news stories, story development and facebook. The most important skills for a staff writer are feature stories, news stories, and event coverage.
| Anchor | Staff Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $70,715 | $44,844 |
| Hourly rate | $34.00 | $21.56 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 2,986 | 80,547 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A news anchor is a journalist who informs the public through reports of events and news stories. News anchors educate the public about the world, local, and national events. They interact with the reporters while they are in the air. Their job includes gathering, verifying, and analyzing data from different sources. They produce news and coordinate reports. Skills necessary for this job include verbal communication, the ability to improvise, collaboration, and reading comprehension.
A staff writer is an individual who works in the television (TV) or entertainment industry to provide standard content such as news reports, reviews, and features. Since writing content is important, staff writers must be able to collaborate and brainstorm ideas with other staff members in the production process. They must attend conferences, events, or seminars to meet other people in the industry. Staff writers must also possess knowledge in scriptwriting and an in-depth understanding of the entertainment industry.
Anchors and staff writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Anchor | Staff Writer | |
| Average salary | $70,715 | $44,844 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $119,000 | Between $29,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Walt Disney Company | The New York Times Company |
| Best paying industry | - | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between an anchor and a staff writer in terms of educational background:
| Anchor | Staff Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Journalism |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between anchors' and staff writers' demographics:
| Anchor | Staff Writer | |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.9% Female, 44.1% | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |