How to hire a morning news anchor

How to hire a morning news anchor, step by step

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

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a morning news anchor, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a morning news anchor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a morning news anchor that fits the bill.

   This list presents morning news anchor salaries for various positions.

   Type of Morning News Anchor	Description	Hourly rate
   Morning News 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.	$17-34
   Sports Analyst	A sports analyst acts as both a journalist and a commentator. They analyze sports data and make reports on it to the public... Show more	$23-57
   News Reporter	News Reporters collect and analyze facts about newsworthy events through interview, investigation, or observation. They carry cameras and take photos and video footage of objects or places of potential significance.	$12-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • News Stories
   • News Content
   • Social Media Sites
   • News Coverage
   • ABC
   • Co-Anchor
   • Public Appearances
   • Community Events
   • Clips
   • Local News
   • News Reports
   • News Events
   • Station Website
   • Severe Weather

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Operate AP NEWSCENTER/ENPS and manage CNN feed services.
   • Refine the weekend newsgathering system through pre-planning, calendar maintenance and reporter accountability.
   • Refine the weekend newsgathering system through pre-planning, calendar maintenance and reporter accountability.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your morning news anchor job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A morning news anchor salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, morning news anchors' average salary in missouri is 35% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level morning news anchors earn 49% less than senior-level morning news anchors.
   • Certifications. A morning news anchor with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a morning news anchor's salary.

   Average morning news anchor salary

   $51,856yearly

   $24.93 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level morning news anchor salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 27, 2026

4. Writing a morning news anchor job description

   A morning news 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 a morning news anchor job description:

   Morning news anchor job description example

   Are you a morning person? If the answer is yes - come join our team of night-owls dedicated to creating some of the most innovative and dynamic morning news in the country.
   
   KARE 11, the Tegna-owned NBC affiliate in Minneapolis, is looking for a morning news anchor who is ready to challenge themselves in new and different ways to give our audience a reason to wake up and watch KARE 11 News Sunrise! The ideal candidate is a team player and newsroom leader. They must also have a proven ability to skillfully ad lib in any live situation and connect with viewers on all platforms. Strong enterprise reporting, shooting and editing skills are also top priorities.
   If this sounds like you - grab your coffee and apply!
   
   Responsibilities:
   
   * Anchor morning newscasts
   * Generating unique, compelling and innovative story/show ideas and content
   * Develop story ideas, write, shoot and edit news stories for on-air broadcasting
   * Excellent, creative presentation and writing skills a must
   * Write and post daily on all digital platforms including social media
   * Strong social media skills, including an active presence on Twitter and Facebook
   * Excellent use of social media for news gathering/disseminating and community engagement
   * Cultivate sources and enterprise lead worthy reports
   * Generate creative, content-driven live shots
   * Community and/or talent appearances
   * Perform other tasks as required by management
   * Ability to calmly handle live, breaking news situations and changing events
   * Organizational skills and the ability to work under constant time pressure deadlines
   * Ability to take leadership role in morning newscast production with strong news judgement
   
   Job Requirements:
   
   Requirements:
   
   * Journalism or Mass Communication degree preferred with three years experience as an anchor/reporter in a medium market.
   * BA/BS in journalism, communications or related field.
   * Strong on-camera delivery with the ability to ad-lib.
   * Excellent writing, packaging, and live skills.
   * Travel: Rarely: less than 10%
   * Work Environment Set: Office: normally performed in a typical interior/office environment
   * Physical Demands Set: Sedentary work: Involves sitting most of the time; walking, lifting, bending, standing, etc.
   
   About TEGNA
   
   TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) is an innovative media company that serves the greater good of our communities. Across platforms, TEGNA tells empowering stories, conducts impactful investigations and delivers innovative marketing solutions. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets, TEGNA is the largest owner of top 4 network affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately 39 percent of all television households nationwide. TEGNA also owns leading multicast networks True Crime Network and Quest. TEGNA Marketing Solutions (TMS) offers innovative solutions to help businesses reach consumers across television, digital and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, including Premion, TEGNA's OTT advertising service. For more information, visit
   
   URL blocked - click to apply
   
   .
   
   TEGNA requires all employees to be fully vaccinated (as defined by the CDC) against the coronavirus.
   
   EEO statement:
   
   TEGNA Inc. is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are a drug free, EEO employer committed to a diverse workforce. We encourage and consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity, family responsibilities, disability, enrollment in college or vocational school, political affiliation, veteran status or genetic information. TEGNA complies with all applicable laws related to accommodations.
   
   #LI-AO1
   
   #LI-AM1
   
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5. Post your job

   To find the right morning news anchor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with morning news anchors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit morning news anchors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find morning news anchor candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit morning news anchors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 morning news anchor

   Once you have selected a candidate for the morning news anchor position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new morning news 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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