Anchors, we do more than just talk

Being on television is glamorous, right? All you need is nicely groomed hair, a stylish blazer, an upbeat voice and to be literate, don’t you? This is a major misconception.

Despite what you may think, bringing the news to viewers daily can be a stressful job; one that not everyone is cut out for.

Perhaps the biggest untruth is that anchors show up five minutes before the newscast, read the news then leave. Anchors often times serve as producers for the show they host, or at the very least a writer. If they aren’t out in the field reporting prior to the show, they sit on computers hours before a newscast in the newsroom writing scripts and editing footage; except this office job is really rushed.

Deadlines are a crucial part of creating news, and anchors must have their show completely produced before going on air. Every second is timed, and every word is calculated to fit perfectly within the time restraints of the show. An anchor could work on a story for two hours, or only have 2 minutes before the show starts. News is always breaking, and anchors have to work efficiently.

At Troy TrojanVision News, our news anchors produce and oversee every show. We scan national news headlines to prioritize what is most important, we time the newscast and we obviously write stories. We sometimes make the last-minute decision to reconstruct the show minutes before going live. It can be stressful, and on top of that, we have to be camera ready and confident. Even if we worry that the show may fall apart, we have to be prepared.

An anchor’s presence is important. Often times, people think anchors have to sound like perfect, little robots. This is not the case. Anchors are actually supposed to be the complete opposite. They must be cool, calm and collected as well as friendly and relatable. They must speak to the viewer like a friend.

When the anchor feels stressed, they must set that stress aside. If something in the show goes astray, an anchor must move forward without even batting an eye. This happened to me last week. Our server froze mid show, meaning a video couldn’t play. I had to move the show forward by reading the next story without letting the confusion of that moment affect me.

Anchors must also multitask during the show. Imagine reading the news off a teleprompter, while watching for hand signs from a floor director, while someone speaks to you through an IFB earpiece. It can be a lot to take in, but overtime you learn to work in this intense, ever-changing environment.

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