How to Be an Anchor on Television
In England, they are simply called newsreaders. Here, television news broadcasts are held down by anchors, reflecting a more important status that is not always justified. The term originated in 1952. Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. anchored CBS' coverage of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the first to be televised. For nearly 2 decades from the early 1960's to the 1980's, Cronkite anchored the CBS Evening News. He was far more than a reader, working also as Managing Editor of his broadcast. During his reign he was often cited in opinion polls as "the most trusted man in America."
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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As a starting point, you should be blessed by good looks and a winning personality. One of San Francisco's top TV reporters, Wayne Freedman, has won 43 Emmy Awards. By his own admission, he won't win any beauty contests, but during one of his stories he's on air for just a small portion of the time. His first rate writing and practiced voice hold his pieces together. A news anchor should be easy on the eye. More importantly, he or she should project confidence and authority without being arrogant. There is nothing wrong with letting your emotions show, as Cronkite did when he read the news of JFK's death. Remember the literal meaning of the word anchor, that you're holding a vessel fast despite the pull of tides and currents. For decades, I awoke to the dulcet voice of Morning Edition's Bob Edwards. During the attacks of 9 /11 his fear was palpable and only fed my own.
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John Quincy Adams
Follow the news. Understand its significance. Television news is a summary for busy people on the run. Compared to a typical half hour broadcast, there is more information on the front page of any newspaper. Subscribe to your local daily paper. Frequently read the best from the New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune and Washington Post websites. Listen to National Public Radio. Get a basic grasp of history, which will give you perspective. The George Bush I and II presidencies seem unique, until you learn about John Adams and his son John Quincy, who also took office in a disputed election. At the fiftieth anniversary of D-Day, one of my friends covering the event told me that several people in her news room had no idea what D-Day was. By doing your homework, you'll be prepared for the moment where you'll have to ad lib during live coverage of a breaking event.
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If you're coming into anchoring from being a field reporter, forget casual dress. Americans want their attorneys, financial advisers and anchors to dress in trusted business wear. I wrote for one broadcast where our male replacement anchor wore an open collar - once. Yes, he continued to field report occasionally while wearing a polo shirt, but the next time he anchored, his tie was knotted with a double Windsor. If you're doing weather, know the color of your station's chroma key background and don't wear the same shade. One anchor I wrote for decided to don a lovely sea foam dress. It made her practically transparent when she stood before the radar map. In contrast if you're just sitting at desk, what you wear below the waist doesn't matter.
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Treat your market as the most important in the country. If you're working in Bismark, North Dakota and the big news of the day is that the temperature is -6 degrees F, that fact matters more to locals than yet another California wild fire. Care about what happens in your community and show it.
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Don't hog the limelight. I worked on one show with two very confident field reporters moving into anchoring for the first time. They both began to add their own comments competing for air time. They grew to dislike each other and it showed. Ratings suffered and they were sent back to the field.
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Your voice is one of your most important assets. Work on it. Even if you are not a singer, stretching your vocal chords with a song is a great warm up before air time. You don't have to hit notes exactly while reading news, but singing will expand your range and give you confidence in using pitch to express emotion. Practice your pacing and enunciation. Cronkite originally worked in radio. He trained himself to speak at 124 words per minute so that he could be readily understood. Most people speak a full third faster.
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Read everything ahead of time, out loud. If you're not sure of pronunciation, ask. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a mouthful for anybody. Your news writers should supply pronunciation keys for tongue twisters, but don't assume. Here are just a couple of times I winced at hearing stories read that I wrote. Admittedly I've visited the Potomac River more than once, but I never expected to hear it pronounced POTT oh mack. Nor did I realize that those white birds of peace were known as DOHvs. Pay attention to grammar. As an on air personality, you are setting the standard for today's viewers. Don't get sloppy. Make sure that subjects and objects agree. Remember the subjunctive as in "If I were a rich man?" Use it. Double check your stories for clarity. All news is written under pressure, so mistakes can slip through. Reading up front will spare you surprises. I wrote one light heartened piece about lawn mower racing only to have the anchor finish her read with the phrase "whatever that means" throwing her own credibility into question.
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Take responsibility. Know that ultimately the news you speak will be the credited to you. Last year I covered the launch of a Mars probe to the polar ice cap. Since water is essential for life as we know it and the poles are the last proven reservoirs on the red planet, I added that observation to the story. The producer killed it, saying that she just wanted a voice over to accompany the dramatic launch shots. Luckily, the anchor restored what I first wrote. From his long personal interest in the space program from its early days, he knew the true significance of the probe's destination.
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Finally, keep what you do in perspective. Modesty is still a virtue. Don't let your celebrity inflate your sense of self. I'd like to particularly credit two Los Angeles anchors. Christine Devine has co-anchored the Fox 11 Prime Time News since 1992. On every story we've done together I've found her to be the consummate professional treating everybody around her with respect. Robb Weller is the former host of Entertainment Tonight who co-anchors the Fox 11 Sunday morning news. Despite his vast depth of experience and success on both sides of the camera, he unfailingly asks questions about anything about which he isn't sure. They both make it easy to work with them.
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