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Sports anchor vs journalist

The differences between sports anchors and journalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a sports anchor and a journalist. Additionally, a sports anchor has an average salary of $96,351, which is higher than the $60,828 average annual salary of a journalist.

The top three skills for a sports anchor include sports content, sports coverage and social media sites. The most important skills for a journalist are news stories, multimedia, and story development.

Sports anchor vs journalist overview

Sports AnchorJournalist
Yearly salary$96,351$60,828
Hourly rate$46.32$29.24
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs2,10811,488
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 91%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

What does a sports anchor do?

Sports Anchors are responsible for presenting information and sports-related news on television news programs or sports-related programs or channels. Common tasks include supplying the reports from behind a desk in a studio, writing their script, or reading the inscribe by producers. Also, they regularly interview coaches, players, or other dominant sports figures as a segment of the show. Majority of Sports Anchors are knowledgeable about various distinct sports; however, some programs may concentrate on one sport at a designated time, or they may organize many varied programs on different sports.

What does a journalist do?

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.

Sports anchor vs journalist salary

Sports anchors and journalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sports AnchorJournalist
Average salary$96,351$60,828
Salary rangeBetween $69,000 And $133,000Between $38,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Bloomberg
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between sports anchor and journalist education

There are a few differences between a sports anchor and a journalist in terms of educational background:

Sports AnchorJournalist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 91%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Sports anchor vs journalist demographics

Here are the differences between sports anchors' and journalists' demographics:

Sports AnchorJournalist
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 81.6% Female, 18.4%Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 8.7% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.6% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between sports anchor and journalist duties and responsibilities

Sports anchor example responsibilities.

  • Manage five beats as reporter for ABC affiliate, including medical correspondent.
  • Interview and do live broadcasts with NFL and college athletes.
  • Post sports and news content to the station's Facebook page and launch a podcast which generate 2K fans.
  • Refine the weekend newsgathering system through pre-planning, calendar maintenance and reporter accountability.
  • Edit and time code scripts using ENPS.
  • Shoot, write, and edit packages and VO/SOTS for air.
  • Show more

Journalist example responsibilities.

  • Manage studio operations, ensuring that shows run efficiently by floor directing, prompting and providing scripts.
  • Partner closely with 13WHAM ABC Rochester.
  • Award regional EMMY for spot news.
  • Edit headline packages, kickers, bumps and topicals.
  • Update stories to web page, twitter, and facebook.
  • Used ENG trucks to distribute live news feeds during broadcasts.
  • Show more

Sports anchor vs journalist skills

Common sports anchor skills
  • Sports Content, 9%
  • Sports Coverage, 8%
  • Social Media Sites, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%
Common journalist skills
  • News Stories, 15%
  • Multimedia, 11%
  • Story Development, 11%
  • Local Community, 7%
  • Edit Video, 5%
  • Local News, 4%

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