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Sports anchor vs reporter

The differences between sports anchors and reporters 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 reporter. Additionally, a sports anchor has an average salary of $96,351, which is higher than the $46,667 average annual salary of a reporter.

The top three skills for a sports anchor include sports content, sports coverage and social media sites. The most important skills for a reporter are news stories, digital marketing, and facebook.

Sports anchor vs reporter overview

Sports AnchorReporter
Yearly salary$96,351$46,667
Hourly rate$46.32$22.44
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs2,10811,179
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 91%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
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 reporter do?

In journalism, a reporter is responsible for relaying truthful and reliable information to the public audience through various mediums such as print and media. A reporter must ensure to gather necessary and factual data that are supported by interviews and comments of those involved, remain unbiased in all aspects, produce a concise and comprehensive informational material within an allotted time, and efficiently coordinate with every staff. Furthermore, a reporter must remain professional at all times and adhere to the policies and regulations set by the company or network.

Sports anchor vs reporter salary

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

Sports AnchorReporter
Average salary$96,351$46,667
Salary rangeBetween $69,000 And $133,000Between $29,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Citi
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between sports anchor and reporter education

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

Sports AnchorReporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 91%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Sports anchor vs reporter demographics

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

Sports AnchorReporter
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 81.6% Female, 18.4%Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2%
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, 12.7% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between sports anchor and reporter 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

Reporter example responsibilities.

  • Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
  • Edit and revise press releases and submissions; proofread large amount of copy.
  • Use social media (i.e Twitter, Facebook) to relay 'trouble-spots' to local drivers.
  • Cover NFL, MLB, NBA, NASCAR and general sports news events for as Dallas-based free-lance reporter.
  • Report and write for metro, arts, lifestyle, real estate, and regional sections of major daily newspaper.
  • Cover local government, environmental issues and write features in addition to photography and pagination for twice-weekly newspaper.
  • Show more

Sports anchor vs reporter skills

Common sports anchor skills
  • Sports Content, 9%
  • Sports Coverage, 8%
  • Social Media Sites, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%
Common reporter skills
  • News Stories, 12%
  • Digital Marketing, 10%
  • Facebook, 6%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • Photography, 5%
  • Feature Stories, 4%

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