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Who is a News Anchor?
Journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you're at it ~ Horace Greeley
In career as news anchor, an individual faces the channel and the field reporters too, who gather the news for him or her. News is something that can make us understand what is going on in our society. We are sometimes unaware of the fact or the event that happened in the country. But because of the news channels now we get all the news from every corner of the country within a blink of an eye.
If we talk about a news channel then we must mention the backbone of the news channel. Students can pursue a Bachelor of Journalism, MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication) to become a news anchor in India. In the era of fake and paid news, you can make a major difference through honest and unbiased reporting. Here, in this article, we will discuss entry-level news anchor jobs, how to become a news anchor, news anchor jobs, news anchor qualification, and news anchor eligibility.

News Anchor in a Nutshell
A career as news anchor requires to be working closely with reporters to collect information, broadcast newscasts and interview guests throughout the day. A news anchor job description is to track the latest affairs and present news stories in an insightful, meaningful and impartial manner to the public. A news anchor in India needs to be updated on the news of the day. He or she even works with the news director to pick stories to air, taking into consideration the interests of the viewer.
Quick Facts for News Anchor
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Industry
Media
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Average Salary in India
₹53333.33
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Suitable for
Male, Female
A career as news anchor is suitable for all and gender is not considered in this career. Candidates with excellent communication skills and interest in the field must take this profession as their career. When it comes to taking up a news anchor as a career option it does not matter which gender he or she belongs to.
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Any special needs
Yes
A career as news anchor is suitable for everyone, even those with physical disabilities. News anchors work on desks in the office environment. It takes a bit of travelling to function as news anchor. Individuals will face difficulties while working in the field, but we can also claim that people with body deformities can work in this area.
Table of Contents for News Anchor
What is the role of News Anchor?
Here, in this section, we will describe what is a news anchor and also the news anchor job description. A news anchor in India is a journalist who educates the public by reporting on local, regional, and foreign news reports and events occurring. He or she uses his or her public speaking skills in the role of a lead journalist on a television news broadcast to convey the news clearly and accurately to his or her viewer.
As the work description suggests, he or she anchors a news channel together or keeps it up to date. After field reporters deliver their respective stories he or she maintain continuity in the stories between the segments. Successful news anchor have fans, viewers who trusts and prioritize him or her in a particular market over other news anchors. News anchors study the local community, state, regional and international events. A news anchor in India meets the news director, editors as well as other news anchors.
Debriefing
Debriefing occurs just after the newscast. It is about pointing out and discussing strengths and weaknesses with all the journalists and technicians involved in the newscast. Debriefing is to discuss all the technical issues, failures and successes. An analysis of the newscast may be done to help focus on improving the following newscast.
Attend meetings
Usually, the newsroom meeting is held six to eight hours before the newscast, to create the news broadcast of the day. This is conducted for news anchors in the room, managers and technical staff are also included in this process, based on the size of the station. Each meeting starts with a rundown of the news and an agenda. With the progression of the meeting, a pre-rundown begins to develop. Such a meeting lasts about twenty to forty-five minutes.
Newscasting
A newscast is a compilation of news segments that have been edited. A typical newscast lasts 22 minutes to make time for advertising. A newscast is formed by news anchors and directors. News anchors write and deliver the newscast so the viewers can experience a concise selection of news.
Preparatory meeting
This meeting occurs four to two hours prior to the newscast. The news anchor settles the rundown of the newscast with the aid of the director or assistant director. The rundown is used by all production departments, such as on-set cameramen, news anchors, engineering personnel, assistant director, visual effects staffs and sound engineers.
Types of a News Anchor
There are several other roles offered in the news industry besides news anchor or television anchor. You can become a columnist, news editor, assignment reporter, and news producer. We have mentioned below the types of a news anchor in India.
Columnist: Columnists write in a series for the journal, generating an article generally offering critique and opinions. Columns, including blogs, appear in newspapers, magazines, as well as other editorials. Columns come in the form of a small paragraph by a single writer who gives specific viewpoints. Some columnists also write on a daily or weekly basis and then recreate the same content later in books. They often write columns under a pseudonym. Columnists write opinion columns for publishing in magazines and newspapers or on websites. Some columnists work for syndicates, that sell articles to several media houses. Columnists can write on any topic that strikes them. Most columnists are concentrated on a specialization, such as politics, sports, health, humor, and entertainment.
News Editor: Editing is the process by which written, photographic, visual, audible, and film media are identified and prepared to convey information. News editors evaluate various print and digital media attributes and specifications to improve the job of the editor. They manage and produce news with accuracy, flow, and timeliness in delivering information. News editors develop creative and specific approaches for improving the reporting of daily news. To expand the number of readers base, they track and use interactive, nonlinear, and alternate storytelling techniques. News editors also monitor and update content to meet the needs of readers, and provide comprehensive information for the same purpose. It is the regular duty of news editors to determine which news articles will be printed in the magazine.
Assignment Reporter: Assignment reporters, also called general assignment reporters or media correspondents, report prominent events. Their work involves writing articles about community news incidents, like road accidents or celebrity appearances. Assignment reporters function at the assignment desk, which seems to be the newsroom's nerve room. This is where members of newsroom personnel track various news reporting sources like police and fire detectors. They collaborate with reporters, photographers, producers, and other members of staff to develop and create story ideas whenever potential news occurs. News anchors right before airtime will often turn to the assignment reporters to confirm facts.
Also read: Career as Reporter
What is the workplace/work environment of News Anchor like?
Individuals who opt for a career as news anchors spend the majority of their time in the office environment. But they sometimes need to go out in the field, gather information, and then file the story. They are also responsible for meeting revenue targets for the news channels. The job of news anchors is very challenging.
Does News Anchor require travelling?
Likely
Although news anchor jobs are predominantly office-based jobs but often require to travel a lot locally in case a story breaks. In a career as news anchor, individuals need to travel now and then depending on a news requirement or any incident to be covered. Several anchors stay in the studio only reading news anchors and headlines while several serves as anchor reporters and move to the ground whenever it is required. The output head of the news channel is responsible for taking major decisions regarding news breaks and the work shift of television anchors.
Employment Shifts
Full Time
In career as news anchor, individuals' job shifts are of a full-time nature. Generally, the duration ranges from 40-45 hours a week. Sometimes it varies depending on the individual's workload. There are several events that can occur late at night, and news anchors are expected to cover that.
Employment Nature
Contractual, Permanent
The news anchor jobs may also be permanent and contractual. News anchor work within the organization as part of a team. Individuals who opt for a career as news anchor must be able to travel to the spot of the incident and need to attend seminars and conferences.
Work Place
Office
In career as news anchor, individual works in an office environment and also must visit the field as well. He or she works 40-45 hours a week. Due to work pressure and deadlines, working hours may also be extended. The job needs quite enough physical labor because he or she needs to go out and report on the ground, and it also needs intelligence and mental power.
Presence in Geographical Area
Rural, Semi-urban, Urban
In career as news anchor, individuals operate more in semi-urban or urban areas. If an accident happens in rural areas then people are sent to the location for field coverage from the nearest branch of a news channel or maybe they hire some local journalists to cover that news.
Time Pressure
Likely
Individuals who opt for a career as a news anchor have to perform tasks within a specified time span for a news channel. It takes a lot of time, hard work, and mental strength to do this work.
Overtime Details
A career as news anchor demands performing nine hours a day. However, when working on big projects, he or she has to work around fifteen hours a day. Some news needs more attention, news anchors need to extend their shifts.
Weekly Hours of Work
Min 45 Hours
TV anchor works in the workplace environment and must visit the field as well. Individuals who opt for a career as news anchor work 40-45 hours a week.
How to become a News Anchor?
Steps to become a News Anchor
What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an News Anchor?
Are you searching for 'how to become news anchor' or news anchor qualifications? A minimum bachelor's degree is required to get a job in an electronic media house. Good representation and news anchoring are required skills to become a news anchor in India. We have mentioned below the news presenter skills.
Accuracy: News anchoring requires writing and reporting accurately and honestly, regardless of any personal views, opinions, or feelings about the matter. News anchors have to look at each and every issue, not just the simple ones that are prominent. Individuals who opt for a career as a news anchor investigate controversies and regularly report on them. Certainly, accuracy is a matter of journalistic professional ethics, but if details in a report are incorrect due to bias or carelessness, it may also become a legal defamation issue.
Communication Skills: In a career as news anchor, individuals need good verbal and written communication skills and speaking ability. News anchors primarily need outstanding verbal communication skills. This involves speaking, writing, and communicating on camera. Communication skills are also essential to produce a newscast because television coverage requires a lot of coordination both in front of the camera and behind it.
Investigation skills: In a career as news anchor, individual needs to have great investigative skills. The desire to get to the root of an issue, gather factual information, and ask the right questions to the people are investigating skills.
Stress tolerance: The mainstream media is driven by deadlines. In such a scenario, news anchors have very little opportunity to accomplish their objectives. This is an important personality trait to have in news anchors to be able to meet deadlines and handle stress.
Leadership: Leadership skills in the field are key aspects of life in news anchors. News anchors or show hosts are respectable jobs and the responsibility comes with that. Individuals who opt for a career as news anchor direct and form behind-the-scenes broadcasts as well as mentor younger reporters and producers.
Social Media Skills: News does not take time off and social media enables people to engage with current news around the clock. Social media skills with the ability to explore social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are major prerequisites to have. News anchors should not be advised of being involved with social media, this should happen automatically.
Popular Online Arts And Crafts Courses and Certifications
Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming News Anchor?
We have mentioned below certifications that individuals may opt for who want to establish a career as News Anchor.
Internship Availability
Internships are opportunities for promising students to work for a short period of time that an employer provides. In general, interns are graduates and most programmes for training opportunities vary from one to six months. Through internships one will work on projects undertaken and perform tasks like interviewing people, reviewing website content, and handling social media accounts for the company. Students will learn how to produce engaging content that meets the voice and technique of the publication. An editorial internship is related to a journalistic internship, however, it is not often associated with a conventional publication.
In order to develop content for their website, editorial interns may be hired by a PR company. The preparation, management, and production of a television series, radio programme, or podcast may be experienced by a broadcast intern. The duties may range from administrative tasks such as reviewing and fact-checking, reserving visitors, writing scripts, and preparing press releases. Internships provide great news anchor career options for students to achieve their dream job.
Career Path Progression for News Anchor
There are various careers related to news anchor. We have mentioned below major career options in the field of television new reporting.
Sports reporter: Sports reporters collect relevant information, report, and publish sports news. Usually, this form of reporting happens quickly as sporting news unfolds. They also need to attend sports events and examine players, coaches, and other people involved in sporting activities. Sports reporters spend a considerable amount of time covering activities on the field.
For local or national television companies, newspapers, radio stations, or online organizations, sports reporters can work. Sports reporters usually have at least one bachelor's degree in a specific field, and most of those reporters have minors or additional degrees in sports-related areas. Sports reporters generally earn a bachelor's degree in a specific research area, like journalism or communication.
Business reporter: Business reporters establish new concepts for business news reporting. They remain updated with the latest news and events in the industry. Business reporters investigate business stories and formulate interview questions when required. To attract readers, they explore and create ideas for writing powerful and insightful articles. Business journalism is the part of journalism that monitors, reports, evaluates, and identifies the corporate, cultural, financial, and societal changes that occur. Contents cover the entire range of all economic-related commercial activities. Many newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV news shows provide a section for business news.
Entertainment reporter: Entertainment reporters report news from the fields of arts and entertainment. They write blogs, broadcast news reports, or online articles. Their experience includes television and films, music and radio as well as fashion trends. Entertainment reporters report the story and activities in the film industry, television, and music. They dig the stories of the new trends in the industry and track the progress of the big releases of the following years, all for the excited fans.
News Anchor Salary
The news anchor salary varies depending on their work experience. The starting salary of a news anchor with entry-level experience is Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000 per annum. The salary of all the other professions in the news industry such as producer or reporter is similar as all the careers are interrelated. An anchor can serve as a reporter or vice versa. A news bulletin or show producer with good representation skills can serve as an anchor as well.
News Anchor Jobs and Salaries
Sports reporter
Permanent
- Average Salary 50000
- Junior Level Salary 25000
- Senior Level Salary 100000
Job Description
Information on sporting activities, athletes, players, and supporters is reported by sports reporters. Job duties of sports reporters include live-streaming the results of sports matches, interviewing teams, and collaborating with other field experts.
Salary Description
Wages in this field are largely dependent on the organization and the position an individual holds. The average salary for sports reporters is rupees six lakhs per annum. At the beginning of their career, they earn more than rupees three lakhs a year which rises higher even more than rupees twelve lakhs a year at the senior level, a year which rises higher even more than rupees twelve lakhs a year at the senior level.
Business reporter
Permanent
- Average Salary 60000
- Junior Level Salary 35000
- Senior Level Salary 100000
Job Description
Business reporters are highly respected by both the news department and the viewer for delivering investigative reports. They explore the details and statistics underneath a daily news story and report on a news story's financial and economic effects.
Salary Description
The salaries of business reporters depend on career growth or rely solely on field experience. The earnings of business reporters usually rely on the experience of the workers. On average, business reporters earn rupees six to seven lakhs a year. They get more than rupees three lakhs a year at the early stage but ultimately they get more than rupees twelve lakhs at the senior level.
Entertainment reporter
Permanent
- Average Salary 50000
- Junior Level Salary 25000
- Senior Level Salary 100000
Job Description
Entertainment reporters work in the media of entertainment, researching sources and creating news reports relevant to recent trends in entertainment. Entertainment reporters develop contacts with the media and entertainment industry, encouraging celebrities to reveal new stories about upcoming films, and their personal lives.
Salary Description
The entertainment reporter's salary is decent. Entertainment reporters receive on average Rs. five to six lakhs a year. He or she gets up to rupees three lakhs a year at the early stage but finally gets more than rupees twelve lakhs at the senior level.
What is the job outlook for News Anchor?
There are more employment opportunities opening up for students in the field of journalism as digital media is growing up at a rapid pace. Competition for entry-level news anchor jobs is expected to be high in the coming years, as the broadcasting industry still attracts more applicants than the news anchor vacancy is available. The job market scenario is quite promising nowadays for entry-level news anchor jobs. There are a variety of work vacancies in different disciplines. Television stations generally carry a significant percentage of network programming and need a huge number of staff to conduct operations.
Openings will mainly result from those who leave the sector or the workforce. The tendency among major news networks is toward specialization. News anchors specializing in areas such as business, sports, weather, environmental, and health news will have an advantage over other candidates for employment.
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Frequently Asked Questions for News Anchor
Que. What does a news anchor mean?
Ans.A news anchor or simply an anchor is a person who delivers news on television, on the radio or on the internet during a news programme.
Que. What makes good news?
Ans.A great story is about something interesting or significant that the viewer agrees on. News anchors always do this by using storytelling ability to deliver insightful relevant news. Journalism is a method in which a reporter uses storytelling and authentication to deliver a specific topic.
Que. Is being a news reporter a good job?
Ans.It can be a demanding and exciting job to serve as a reporter, and one day is never like the next. It can also be difficult work, though, sometimes leads to unfavourable stories and negative reviews and it rarely works well in comparison with other occupations that require similar traits.
Que. How do you define news?
Ans.News is updated on current events. This can be given by a number of media: publishing, postal systems, broadcasting, digital communication, or evidence from spectators and incident witnesses.
Que. What is a TV news package?
Ans.Usually the longest type of storytelling found on television newscasts is a news package. They are also found in long-form news programming, like sixty minutes of news programmes. The presence of a reporter talking into the camera is a typical aspect of a news package.
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Questions related to News Anchor
i am pursuing bjmc from VIPS, Delhi. I want to know now to get internships during the course years and how to be a news anchor?
Hi Candidate,
First of all let's talk about how to get Internships- You might get On Campus Internships from your college itself during the graduation years, or you can consult the companies individually or can get any referrals from your Seniors working in those organization's might help you.
Now in order to become a News Anchor, you have to pass the All India Journalism Examination and then take admission in any Journalism college and then complete your course and apply in different Media Houses for the role of News Anchor.
Hope that this answer helps you.
mam recently I have completed my 12 so I am interested in news anchor and I gave my cet for bjmc Kamal institute college of Mohan garden alloted me
Hello,
Kamal institute college of Mohan garden is overall a good college Accredited by National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi.It is a private college and is established in 2001 and has good facilities likes Air Conditioned Smart Classrooms Wi-Fi Campus ,Well Equipped Labs and libraries.The placement percentage is also around 70%.
All the best
Is BJMC the best course to become journalist or news anchor?
Hi Aspirant,
Yes, BJMC is the best course to become a journalist and news anchor as after completing the BJMC course, a student acquires journalism skills and can take up the responsibilities of the job in many fields and the BJMC course will also have high demand in the market.
I want to become a journalist or may be a news anchor ...I passed my 12 th last year with 95% in pcb . Which colleges or entrance exams should I go for to get the best placements after college?
Hello Student,
To become a TV anchor or Journalist, you need to have a degree in Mass communication and give an entrance exam for the same. Most universities offering mass communication courses take students on merit basis.
But for others, entrance exams are necessary like IIMC, XIC OET, DUET and IPU CET.
Some of the best colleges on the basis of placements provided are -
my name is Manish and I wanted to became an news anchor . so, for this what I have to do .pls tell
Hi Aspirant,
It would be much easier to apply for this if you have a bachelor's degree .Generally most new channels accept aspirants with bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism,mass communication or in English Literature.It would be much easier if you are having a degree and you wont face any problem in interview.Also it is much necessary that you have a good hold over the recent happenings across the world.
Hope it helps!!
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