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What does an anchor do?

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read

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.

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Anchor responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real anchor resumes:

  • 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.
  • Write and co-anchor sportscasts for CSNNE and NECN with emphasis on Boston area professional teams.
  • Prepare daily scripts for news and sports for the noon show, present as an anchor and research stories.
  • Co-Anchore noon newscast and co-hosted/co-produce weekly public affairs program.
  • Refine the weekend newsgathering system through pre-planning, calendar maintenance and reporter accountability.
  • Live weekday VJ reporter (writing, shooting and editing video) providing daily packages and VO/SOTS.

Anchor skills and personality traits

We calculated that 21% of Anchors are proficient in News Stories, Story Development, and Facebook. They’re also known for soft skills such as Research skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.

We break down the percentage of Anchors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • News Stories, 21%

    Conducted extensive research and analysis of information related to news stories.

  • Story Development, 7%

    Handled story development, field reporting, daily news production and station public relations appearances.

  • Facebook, 6%

    Utilized social media including Twitter and Facebook to deliver daily traffic reports.

  • Twitter, 5%

    Spearheaded the station's efforts to begin promoting stories via Twitter.

  • Local News, 5%

    Reported on regional/local news events, including Hurricane Katrina.

  • News Coverage, 5%

    Provided local and national news coverage on news-sensitive projects and controversial issues that affect the public and critically important audiences.

"news stories," "story development," and "facebook" are among the most common skills that anchors use at work. You can find even more anchor responsibilities below, including:

Computer skills. anchor responsibilities often require "computer skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "journalists should be able to use editing equipment and other broadcast-related devices." This resume example shows what anchors do with computer skills on a typical day: "used many computer programs for editing sound clips and text for radio programs. "

Communication skills. Another common skill required for anchor responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of anchors all the time, as "reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts must be able to report the news." An excerpt from a real anchor resume shows how this skill is central to what an anchor does: "created and initiated news stories, communication scripts, manage programming logs, while also meeting deadlines. "

See the full list of anchor skills

The three companies that hire the most anchors are:

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Compare different anchors

Anchor vs. Staff writer

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.

The annual salary of staff writers is $25,871 lower than the average salary of anchors.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between anchors and staff writers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like news stories, twitter, and local news.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, anchor responsibilities require skills like "story development," "facebook," "develop story ideas," and "news content." Meanwhile a typical staff writer has skills in areas such as "event coverage," "news articles," "seo," and "photography." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Staff writers tend to reach similar levels of education than anchors. In fact, staff writers are 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Anchor vs. 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. Typically working for newspapers or web news platforms, a news writer must also review materials to fact-check and correct any errors, monitor the progress of events or cases, and coordinate with other staff.

A career as a news writer brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of an anchor. In fact, news writers salary is $25,586 lower than the salary of anchors per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Anchors and news writers both require similar skills like "story development," "facebook," and "twitter" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, anchor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "news stories," "local news," "traffic reports," and "social media sites." Meanwhile, a news writer has duties that require skills in areas such as "news articles," "seo," "edit video," and "english language." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

News writers earn similar levels of education than anchors in general. They're 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Anchor vs. Journalist

A journalist is responsible for creating written correspondence, covering various subjects as the management requires. This task involves a lot of research investigations, conducting interviews, and gathering reliable sources to verify the authenticity of data before releasing the articles on news portals and other social platforms. Journalists should have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, conveying information to the target audience with high accuracy and efficiency. They analyze opinions and testimonies, create eye-catching headlines, and ensure adherence to deadlines.

On average, journalists earn lower salaries than anchors, with a $9,887 difference per year.anchors and journalists both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "news stories," "story development," and "facebook," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an anchor is likely to be skilled in "traffic reports," "co-anchor," "public appearances," and "edit stories," while a typical journalist is skilled in "excellent interpersonal," "multimedia," "local community," and "edit video."

When it comes to education, journalists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to anchors. In fact, they're 4.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Anchor vs. Columnist

Columnists tend to earn a lower pay than anchors by an average of $20,019 per year.While their salaries may vary, anchors and columnists both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "news stories," "twitter," and "local news. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between anchors and columnists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an anchor might have more use for skills like "story development," "facebook," "news coverage," and "develop story ideas." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of columnists require skills like "student newspaper," "opinion pieces," "mental health," and "social issues. "

The average resume of columnists showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to anchors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 4.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.4%.

Types of anchor

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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