How to hire an anchor

How to hire an anchor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step anchor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an anchor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new anchor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an anchor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The anchor hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An anchor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, anchors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of anchor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Anchor	Description	Hourly rate
   Anchor	Reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts inform the public about news and events happening internationally, nationally, and locally. They report the news for newspapers, magazines, websites, television, and radio.	$19-57
   Staff Writer	A staff writer is a professional 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... Show more	$13-32
   News Writer	A news writer is primarily responsible for producing informative written materials about current events, ensuring quality and accuracy. Their responsibilities typically revolve around conducting interviews, traveling to different locations, pursuing leads, researching public records, and submitting stories within the expected deadline and set format... Show more	$14-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • News Stories
   • Story Development
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • Local News
   • News Coverage
   • Develop Story Ideas
   • News Content
   • Traffic Reports
   • Social Media Sites
   • Conduct Interviews
   • Community Events
   • Co-Anchor
   • Public Appearances

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Read off teleprompter and interact with co-anchor.
   • Write and update KOTA's website and Facebook page.
   • Serve as primetime anchor and reporter for local ABC affiliate.
   • Co-Anchore the 6 p.m. news at the ABC affiliate in Alaska.
   • Fabricate steel clips and anchoring points, assemble aluminum window frames.
   • Film basketball games and edit clips for analysis on the show.

   More anchor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your anchor job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An anchor salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an anchor in Georgia may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level anchor usually earns less than a senior-level anchor. Additionally, an anchor with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average anchor salary

   $70,715yearly

   $34.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level anchor salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average anchor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$107,307	$52
   2	Michigan	$94,281	$45
   3	Maryland	$93,370	$45
   4	Ohio	$87,366	$42
   5	Missouri	$84,149	$40
   6	Pennsylvania	$80,976	$39
   7	Illinois	$80,794	$39
   8	Massachusetts	$79,840	$38
   9	North Carolina	$78,611	$38
   10	Utah	$76,375	$37
   11	Indiana	$71,055	$34
   12	Alaska	$68,360	$33
   13	Colorado	$67,872	$33
   14	California	$67,023	$32
   15	Arizona	$66,190	$32
   16	Montana	$65,631	$32
   17	Texas	$62,857	$30
   18	Georgia	$62,028	$30
   19	Alabama	$59,885	$29
   20	South Carolina	$55,622	$27

   Average anchor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Walt Disney Company	$127,913	$61.50	27
   2	Bloomberg	$125,070	$60.13	2
   3	Fox News	$120,013	$57.70
   4	Ford Motor	$113,702	$54.66	52
   5	Hubbell	$111,531	$53.62	1
   6	NBCUniversal	$108,716	$52.27	13
   7	Univision Holdings, Inc.	$103,161	$49.60	3
   8	Mayor Ethan Berkowitz	$94,563	$45.46
   9	Sinclair Broadcast Group	$93,589	$44.99	94
   10	Altimetrik	$86,206	$41.45
   11	Nexstar Media Group	$84,641	$40.69	132
   12	Chicago Public Media	$82,601	$39.71	4
   13	Gray Television	$82,340	$39.59	90
   14	Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC	$79,602	$38.27
   15	The E.W. Scripps Company	$78,501	$37.74	17
   16	Audacy	$76,512	$36.78	52
   17	Univision Communications	$72,960	$35.08	6
   18	Bahakel Communications	$69,374	$33.35
   19	iHeartMedia	$68,472	$32.92	56
   20	TransparentBusiness	$66,493	$31.97

4. Writing an anchor job description

   An anchor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an anchor job description:

   Anchor job description example

   KABB-TV/WOAI-TV is looking for an experienced Traffic Anchor/Reporter to fill-in on an on call basis for our weekday morning shows. This is a part time position to fill in on the air as needed. If you are a morning person with a great personality and strong storytelling skills then this is a great opportunity for you!
   
   We want someone who has the energy and creativity to do compelling traffic reports that are beneficial to viewers for several hours of live morning news each weekday. You must be creative, a strong writer, a good communicator, possess great live skills, and have solid news judgement. You should have the ability to go from light news to breaking news at any given time.
   
   The ideal candidate also has producing experience, enough that they could produce their own segments.
   Requirements
   
   * At least 2 years on-air experience
   * Considerable live shot experience and the ability to ad-lib
   * Strong Writer
   * Sharp wit and the ability to work well with others
   * A self-starter and who can generate his or her own story ideas on a beat
   * Ability to demonstrate enterprise reporting and creativity in storytelling
   * Exemplary communication skills
   * Previous experience working in a team environment
   
   Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and Drug Free Workplace!
   
   About Us
   
   Make your mark in Media with Sinclair Broadcast Group, a diversified media company dedicated to connecting people with content everywhere! We have consistently led the broadcast industry since our inception, and now Sinclair owns the largest regional sports network business and one of the largest television broadcast portfolios in the country. In addition, we have affiliations with all of the major broadcast networks, own Tennis Channel, and several multicast networks including TBD and Comet. Our content is distributed over-the-air, on multi-video providers, and through our industry-leading digital media platforms. We also recently launched a free TV streaming service called STIRR. Our success is the direct result of our extraordinary employees and management team who believe in our vision and are dedicated to ensuring a great future for our employees. We are advancing the world of Media and want YOU to join our winning team!
   
   About the Team
   
   The life-blood of our organization is our people. We have a compelling story, a goal-oriented culture, and we take really good care of people. How good? Here is a glimpse: great benefits, open door policy, upward mobility and a strong desire to see you succeed. Ready to be part of a winning team? Let's talk.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find anchors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any anchors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level anchors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your anchor job on Zippia to find and recruit anchor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit anchors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new anchor

   Once you've selected the best anchor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new anchor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an anchor?