Namaskar and welcome to today’s special episode on ‘How to Become a News Anchor,’ the first and exclusive report by BYJU’S. Today we have with us career experts, Team Storyweavers, to help us understand the basics of how to become a News Anchor.
What does it mean to be a News Anchor?
A news anchor’s job can broadly be described as someone who informs the public about the important news from around the world, takes a live or taped report from field reporters, interviews guests on the show and manages the overall viewer experience until the end of the broadcast.
So if you are someone who is passionate about storytelling and would like to tell the nation what it wants to know, then this is the career for you.
And what skills does it take to become a News Anchor?
Unlike many other professions, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to be a News Anchor. However, it would be fair to say that the following skills are a must:
Being camera-friendly as news broadcasting is all about facing the camera.
Exceptional Communication Skills, both in terms of verbal and written communication, great body language and a clear, confident voice.
Great Interpersonal Skills, to establish various sources of information, and to build rapport during interviews to put guests at ease.
Good Sense of Grooming and Attire, that adds on to the charisma and likability of the anchor. Appearance matters on a visual medium like TV.
Adept at judging trending news, which involves recognizing important headlines and secondary news stories. It includes being updated and informed in their field of expertise, at all times.
The ability to ‘think on your feet’, as reporting and responding to live news and other such scenarios demand quick thinking.
But isn’t much of the News Anchor’s job just about reading the lines from the teleprompter?
This is similar to stating why train pilots to fly and navigate the aircraft when the plane is capable of running on auto-pilot mode? Simply put, the News Anchor’s job is to communicate information to the audience in a way that is understandable to them. Many times this involves having to do a live telecast, which is a very high-pressure job. Just like the pilots in the aircraft who have to take over in case of any unforeseen situation, news anchors are also responsible to navigate the whole show in case of any unplanned event or an emergency situation.
What educational qualifications does a News Anchor need?
Unlike other fields, this profession values talent more than a specific degree. Generally speaking, a job as a News Anchor requires a bachelor’s degree in either journalism or mass communication. But as mentioned, other majors are also acceptable. When it comes to masters, although not compulsory, popular news reporters pursue subjects like economics, political science, data information and business, amongst others to establish their expertise.
To illustrate the same, let’s take a look at the educational qualifications of some of India’s top News Anchors:
| Prannoy Roy is the co-founder and executive chairperson of NDTV. He is a British Chartered Accountant. He did his Bachelor’s from the Queen Mary University of London and has a PhD in Economics from Delhi School of Economics. |  |
| Barkha Dutt is a famous journalist and author. She graduated from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, with a degree in English Literature. She did her Masters in Mass Communication from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and got another Masters in Journalism from Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University, New York. |  |
| Rajat Sharma is the chairman and editor-in-chief of India TV. He has an M. Com. from SRCC. |  |
| Ravish Kumar is a famous journalist, author, and media personality. He graduated from Deshbandhu College, Delhi University, and did his PG Diploma in Hindi Journalism from IIMC, New Delhi. |  |
| Arnab Goswami is a renowned journalist and editor. He is also the owner of Republic TV. He did his Bachelor(Hons) from Hindu College, Delhi University, and Masters in Social Anthropology from St. Antony’s College in Oxford University. |  |
| Shweta Singh is a famous TV News Anchor. She did her Bachelors in Mass Communication from Patna University. |  |
In the era of social media, a news anchor’s role has evolved much more from just reporting current events. Most of the popular news anchors today are subject matter experts. Their shows are strongly influenced by their knowledge and persona. News shows being coloured by their anchor’s personality is a recent trend. This can be credited to the popularity of news shows like Amanpour on PBS by Christiane Amanpour, AC360 by Anderson Cooper and some comedy shows heavily charged with political satire like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and The Patriot Act by Hasan Minhaj.
What courses and colleges can you apply to?
You can pursue BJMC (Bachelors of Journalism and Mass Communication) a three- year undergraduate course. But as mentioned earlier, journalism is open to people from various fields. So you can also pursue other undergraduate courses too like B.Com, B.A. etc. For example, Harsha Bhogle, a well-known journalist and sports commentator, is a chemical engineer and has an MBA from IIM- Ahmedabad.
List of popular colleges in India and Abroad
|
Indian Colleges |
Colleges Abroad |
|---|---|
| Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi | The Columbia University – Graduate School of Journalism |
| Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media (IIJNM), Bangalore | University of California – Berkeley,US |
| Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication | Washington and Lee University, US |
| Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai | University of Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Xavier Institute of Communication, Mumbai | London School of Economics and Political Science, UK |
| National School of Journalism, Bangalore | University of Southern California, US |
| Film and Television Institute of India (FTI) | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore |
Can you start now?
News Anchoring is all about knowledge and the confidence to communicate it well to others. Hence reading newspapers and books is a must. You can read books on subjects like economics, politics, history, etc., both at the national and international levels. For example, reading books written by Noam Chomsky, Amartya Sen, Micheal Parenti, and Daniel Kahneman can be a good place to start. Also, participating in school debates and taking up anchoring, or emcee roles in annual day functions can go a long way. Some schools and colleges have their newsletters or newspapers. If that’s your school or college, then gain experience in reporting, writing, and editing for the same. You can also look for paid or unpaid internships in media companies.
Pro Tip:
Your first step towards becoming a News Anchor is performing well in your 12th Board Exams. BYJU’S – The Learning App has programs designed to prepare you for your boards as well as competitive exams like CAT. With adaptive and engaging videos, sample test papers for each concept, and personalised feedback, BYJU’S will give you the necessary boost to do your best.
Give wings to your dreams with BYJU’S The Learning App!
Now, you can get a free counselling session with BYJU’S experts at your home to help guide you better.
Like this article? Want to read more articles like this? Check out some of our other Careerscope options below:
What does a software engineer do?
Here’s how to become an aerospace engineer.
Charu, a feminist and an accidental writer, is yet to master the art of writing about herself. Always curious to learn new stuff, she ends up spending a lot of time unlearning the incorrect lessons. She enjoys all sorts of stories – real, fictional, new, old, hers and would love hearing yours too. Feel free to ping her at storyweavers@byjus.com to share anything that you think is worth sharing.
Arya C is a 4th grader who talks about her transition from the US to India and how BYJU`S has helped her at that. She also loves how BYJU`S has made learning a lot more fun.
Meet Sourabh who has a ton to say about his BYJU`S learning experience. His love for quizzes, games and other fun activities are paying off!
V Shriya is a class eight student who has been using BYJU’S for a year now. She shares her experiences with using the app and how it has helped her in improving her academic performance.
Aanvi from class 9 has been with BYJU`S for just 6 months and hear what she has to say about her learning experience with the app.
Comments
Pares Akech
November 22, 2020
It is good
Shreya Shukla
July 12, 2020
Is it possible that I may become a news anchor rather than a journalist first
SANJEEV
May 8, 2020
Can you tell about career cricketer
Shaurya
April 15, 2020
Yes it’s true???. I like it
k r ramyaa
April 14, 2020
nice..exploring the unknown facts is quiet interesting…keeping doing the same byjus
SUCHETAN DAS
April 13, 2020
It is a good topic. Thank you BYJU’S for informing us.
Snehal
April 13, 2020
It is nice and interesting
Krishna mundhra
April 9, 2020
This is and good but you can told me about chef cource
Krishna Ankur Unadkat
April 5, 2020
It’s a great help from Byjus to all the students ????
manjunadha yenduri
April 5, 2020
Please put careers realeted to space
Navya
April 3, 2020
Wow?. it’s a wonderful thing.
Darshana
April 2, 2020
What are the career scopes in medical branch?
Shrushti hugar
April 1, 2020
Can give some information about Astronomer
Nehal surve
March 31, 2020
I have all these qualities in me. I also like anchoring ??.
Maniteja
March 31, 2020
Superb
Nishanth
March 30, 2020
Nice and interesting ??
ROHAN SHINDE
March 29, 2020
I loved career scope so much last time I was very angry because of remote history we are PCB student we need something which help us aswell as entertain us ?
Proud *BYJUITE* 🙂 ??
Rithika M V
March 29, 2020
Nice
Ananya ghadi
March 29, 2020
Thank you byjus for the amazing information
Prabodh Bhagat
March 29, 2020
great information,thanks BYJU’S
Gungun yadav
March 27, 2020
Thank you so much byjus . For this important information .
Shivangi
March 27, 2020
Thank you!
Shubhamoy sinha
March 27, 2020
It is nice and interesting
Anmol
March 27, 2020
Please include careerscope of neurosurgeon!
Sushrita dey
March 27, 2020
Very nice ?I liked this
Saptadeepa
March 26, 2020
Very much helpful.. I like it
Tanishka Maurya
March 26, 2020
Thankyou for your advice. It is great
Charmi
March 25, 2020
It’s a good inspirational advice
Nandini
March 25, 2020
Can you post careerscope for becoming a sportsperson as well?
Because I aspire to be one and I think I could really use your tips….
Thanks!?
Soham deshpqnde
March 25, 2020
Please make a report on how to join NDA or TA it will be helpful to me and other teenagers who aspire to go in the Armed Forces
Dhruvi Dronawat
March 25, 2020
nice..
Tanishka Maurya
March 25, 2020
Thankyou for giving advice and It is very nice.
Solai rajan
March 25, 2020
Thank you for u advice
Saurabh
March 25, 2020
WOW!
M.sai supraj
March 25, 2020
Nice
Anwesita
March 25, 2020
Good to become a news anchor
Avantika Jaiswal
March 24, 2020
Wow its great
Simran
March 24, 2020
WOW!it’s wonderful??
Simran
March 24, 2020
WoW!it’s wonderful
Nithila Karthi
March 24, 2020
The best
Hemalatha M.K
March 24, 2020
It’s nice and too gorgeous … Please stay at home , it is my request to all of you. Be aware about
Corona virus disease
Tejaswini Singh
March 24, 2020
I really like BYJU’S app.
It makes me to learn easily with enjoyment.
?THANKS?
Kuvam Aggarwal
March 24, 2020
It helps me to undersand my concepts
Kuvam Aggarwal
March 24, 2020
Byju’s helps me to understand my concept.
Sushil kumar
March 24, 2020
Too much interesting for me
Mrugakshi Iyengar
March 24, 2020
This is an informative take on the career of journalism and news anchoring. Kudos to the author for bringing forth such a detailed description about news anchoring.
Anish Hazra
March 24, 2020
can you please give a career scope of quantum mechanist or quantum physics.
Sidrah
March 24, 2020
I am Sidrah. I am very happy with byjus.
I love and respect all my teachers.
Chithrangitk
March 24, 2020
Very interesting
Sruti Saina Nayak
March 24, 2020
That’s good , but everyone says that if one
takes Bio as their subject then there is not
much Scope other than to be in Medical.I wish
that next time the career scope would take a
Topic for those who take their subject or in
future want to take their subject as Biology
(PCB).
Keerthana Nambiar
March 24, 2020
Thanks a lot byjus!!!
Stuti Gupta
March 24, 2020
Plz do a carrier scope on how to become an astronaut
plz
Anul
March 24, 2020
It’s good and easy to understand in BYJU’S app
Komal sharma
March 24, 2020
I want to become an officer in bank. Can you tell me a course for that.
Bhavini
March 23, 2020
Wonderful
Harshpreet Kaur
March 23, 2020
Really good article…helpful nd informative, Thank you Byju’s…
Divya Zambare
March 23, 2020
Definately, this is an awesome article.
I will always love to become a news anchor, once I grab my destination to become a good doctor then I will prefer Byjus reference to look for my interests.
Thank you Byjus.
Rehan
March 23, 2020
WOW!
Lokesh dahiya
March 23, 2020
Yes Byjus is quite helpful. My daughter didn’t too much habitual this like studying through tab . But it’s helpful. I like it
Jay Singh Raghuvanshi
March 23, 2020
I am interested in Byjus
Aditya
March 23, 2020
Byjus is the best learning app for me.
Thanks to whole Byjus team for helping us
Aryan ingawale
March 23, 2020
Byjus please tell information about quantum mechanics and physical
Kapil Kumar
March 23, 2020
Thank you I am very happy to help you
Kapil Kumar
March 23, 2020
Thank you byju,s I am very happy to help you
Muskan
March 23, 2020
plz do a careerscope of an artitect
Ashish Malviya
March 23, 2020
I have been performing in school debates I will think about this
Sanaya Singh
March 23, 2020
It’s nice.
Sanaya Singh
March 23, 2020
I like this..
Kratika sisodiya
March 23, 2020
I humbly request you byju’s to send an article on how to become an astronaut.. Please.
Neha bhonsle
March 23, 2020
Nice!
Neha bhonsle
March 23, 2020
Wow!
Moulesh
March 23, 2020
Thanks byjus be at home and be healthy
Aryan sharma
March 23, 2020
Wow
Eniya
March 23, 2020
Thank u for this wonderful message it’s very useful to me
Dr Rajesh kokare
March 23, 2020
At this moment
Fight against Corona is the priority
All dear ones..Pl Pl Stay home
Save yourself n save the world!!!
Show the world..we can n we will conquer!!!
Riyanka Seal
March 23, 2020
Thank you all for the hardwork to grow the interest in today’s youth 🙂
Aditya
March 23, 2020
Nice
Rishika
March 23, 2020
Good stay at home and be safe.
Hityesha Choudhary
March 23, 2020
It’s really a good field to make our carrier in. As being a student of 10th class it is necessary for me to make a proper goal to achieve in my life and choosing a field like journalist is a good option
Thanks byjus☺️☺️
Navonil Biswas
March 23, 2020
I am amazingly enjoying this app
Navonil Biswas
March 23, 2020
I am exceptionally enjoying this app
Anushka dadhich
March 23, 2020
Gorgeous its inspiring!!
Sukriti
March 23, 2020
Nice tips & tricks to be a news anchor .
Really loves❤️ that.
Thanks BYJUS for the assistence .
Biborson Dutta
March 23, 2020
A big thanks to the byjus team for making me aware of such a great carrier…
Sparsh singh
March 23, 2020
Corona virus is very dangerous. please take all the precautions to remain safe.
Angel
March 23, 2020
Great thanks byjus for this information
Vanshika Yadav
March 23, 2020
Thank you Byjus team
Masthan
March 23, 2020
Can you give some tips and information about doctor’s
Vanshika Tomar
March 23, 2020
Oh good
Asha jess
March 23, 2020
Awesome
Thanks for byjus
Dheeraj
March 23, 2020
I am very interested in Byjus app
Bhanu Bisaj
March 23, 2020
Please stay at home ,it is my request to
all of you.Be aware and fight corona
virus.
Thank You,
Bhanu Bisaj
Trrishan Saha
March 21, 2020
Wow!