Now that I have almost a semester and a half finished of college, I know that broadcast is definitely the right field for me. I have learned the basic things like how to work the camera, how to interview, and how to write. I have improved my communication skills by learning how to work with large groups of people, meet deadlines, and prioritize my goals. Overall I think the most important thing that I have learned is the direction that I want to head in this field. My ultimate goal is to be a news anchor.
Being a news anchor has been my dream for a while now. During my junior and senior years of high school I anchored for the morning news program. I loved getting ready each morning in the studio. It was so fun being on camera, delivering my lines and getting to be the face of the morning show. Besides, just enjoying being on camera I like the journalism and reporting side of broadcasting. I got a taste of this in high school, as well. I reported for the school newspaper in addition to a weekly column that ran in two Philadelphia papers. These experiences combined lead me into the broadcasting and reporting field.
I entered Florida Southern with these intentions and months later still have the same goal. I did some research to find out what the job of a news anchor consists of and what the duties of a news anchor are. As I already knew, being an anchor involves more than just reading lines given to you on a teleprompter. It’s a lot of hard work, long hours, knowledge, and research. From what I have found, the basic duties of a news anchor are to investigate, interview, write, anchor and edit packages. It is our duty to keep the public informed of current events, the news that is going on in the local cities and even across the world.
In order to be a good anchor, you have to be an excellent reporter. This is done by finding reliable leads, interviewing credible witnesses or sources, doing some investigation and eventually developing the research into stories. Once you have the information, you have to use communication skills to write about it in an informative, yet interesting way. Once it is written, the news then has to be delivered on air in a confident, presentable manner. Other duties of a news anchor could include organizing and writing material, using social platforms for updates, and evaluating and analyzing news stories to make sure there is not a slant or bias to them. All of this has to be done all while meeting crucial deadlines.
In my research I found distinctions between what different anchors report on. Some may specialize in sports, politics, economics, pop culture, health, the community or just the general news in a specific town or area. I am not sure of exactly what I would like to report on. Right now, reporting the news just for a specific city seems like something I would be interested in. I grew up watching the Philadelphia news, and that’s something I aspire to do. It doesn’t specifically have to be that area, but I like the general morning or evening news programs that cover every type of news from current events, to politics to sports to celebrity news. There’s something that would be entertaining and informative for every different kind of viewer.
Overall being a news anchor seems like a fast paced, interesting job that would utilize all of the skills I have. After researching the different positions I am confident with my goal and hope to one day achieve it.
You didn't need to research a career--the 2000-level class had to do that. Still, this is a good insight about how an anchor might begin a career--usually as a reporter in a small TV market. Working one's way through the ranks is another important element.
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