Each one of us dreams of coming on TV, whether as a celebrity or an audience. But only a few get this chance, to fulfill their dreams and be on TV. Well, some of the lucky persons to be on the screen are TV News Anchors.
So, to begin with, News Anchors are the people who present news and work at TV networks and stations. We all know these people. We see them every day behind a desk, with a laptop in front and out telling the world what happened in the day or what’s happening around. Whether from a small local station or from a network’s prime-time show, TV news anchors compile news stories and deliver them.
Skills required:
Being a news anchor definitely looks like an easy job, but it isn’t. It takes lots of skills, energy, timings, pro-activeness and a lot more than all of this. There’s a lot of hard work that always been put up to be a news anchor. It’s not always about having a beautiful face, but also how intelligently and actively you present news.
A news anchor should always be in his/her comfort zone in front of the camera. He/she spends a lot of time with the camera, so talking to a camera shouldn’t be a problem at all. It also helps an anchor to connect with the audience at a much higher level. It lets them see how confidently you can speak up compared to other news anchors.
Good voice modulation, knowledge, language command, strong communication versatility, vibrant attitude, spontaneity, calm and composed, timing, pro-active are just a few of the skills to name that is required to be a news anchor.
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Challenges:
As said, it’s not an easy job; it comes with lots of responsibility and fame. Everything you say on TV, people start to believe as they trust your source of information. This position comes with long working hours, hard work, constant deadlines, and unpredictable natural and world events. It ranges from political scandals to school shootings to terror attacks.
Anchors need to be unbiased all the time. There should be no self-thoughts of the anchors. They should always be objective and unemotional all the time irrespective the news they are presenting.
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Educational Requirements:
Every field needs a particular educational requirement which needs to be fulfilled before going into that profession. TV news anchors must have a bachelor’s degree in the field of journalism or mass media, relevant internships, and work experiences. Because learning this creative field doesn’t come naturally. It requires training, and being in this field; one learns every day. Completing a master’s degree, which is not required for employment, won’t be a bad thing to do. It only helps with additional training in this field. It tends to be more competitive between the candidates with much higher training, experiences, and qualifications for the ones seeking opportunities.
Why being an anchor is the right job you’re looking for?
You like challenges.
Every news anchor faces a challenge every single time while reading/gathering new. To perform better than the last bulletin, to overcome our own fears. Challenge to make sure that the channel ratings don’t come down on what you’re speaking on TV. Being in the Studio room, every day is a challenge.
Thrive Under Pressure
An anchor is always tested the best when he or she is under pressure. How they present themselves on TV at that particular moment when even something wrong happens with their known ones, that’s important. It not only requires you to be focussed upon but also put personal emotions aside in order to communicate well. A news anchor must remain calm at all times. Sometimes, it may also result in on-air technical problems which anchor has to work through.
For example – during elections, if an anchor is not able to receive any data or information due to technical failure, best of anchors would think of something without ever appearing packed.
Willing to work for long hours
Even the shifts have been divided and told every news anchor to do the job, but sometimes working for long hours is very common. If there’s an important news story to cover, an anchor wouldn’t take a risk and would try to find data and information even if it takes two long nights as he or she needs to speak up with confident on TV. Sometimes there are public appearances, photoshoots, and so much more which need to be done.
A news anchor is a part celebrity and part News anchor. He or she doesn’t do a 9 to 5 job. A news anchor always works on getting the network or stations ratings up and up.
So, all those planning to be an anchor, it’s a roller-coaster ride. Are you up for it?