A news anchor is a person who presents news during a news broadcast, be it television, radio or the internet. They mainly operate from a television studio, radio studio but may sometimes present from distant locations in the field related to some particular crucial news event.
The average annual salary of a news anchor in the US including bonuses, tips, and overtime pay is $57,000.In Canada the basic news anchor salary is $38,490, UK $50,329, Norway $41,209, Australia $52,091 and surprisingly $51,398 in Switzerland.
News Anchor Salary Influencers
A news anchor salary is majorly influenced by three factors namely; geographical location, experience and the specific employer that is the industry. That influence is expounded below.
1. Industry
Different news corporations offer different remuneration packages with some paying way higher than others. For instance in the US, CBC corporation, Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., Tribune Co, Nextar and Abc Corp are leading firms in the news industry. Amongst these, Sinclair Broadcast Group offers the highest with a median news anchor salary of $72,000. CBS, Raycom media Inc. and Tribune Co also do shell out big bucks with the firm’s respective average salaries standing at $68,000, $65,000 and $55,000. Those at Abc Corp, Nextar Broadcasting Group, and Tribune co face smaller salaries though, their average earnings being $27,000, $32,000 and $55,000 respectively.
2. Geographical location
| News Anchor Salary | Hourly Wage | Annual Wage |
|---|---|---|
| US | $42 | $57,000 |
| Canada | $28 | $38,490 |
| UK | $34 | $ 50,329 |
| Australia | $40 | $52,091 |
| Switzerland | $40 | $51,398 |
| Norway | $33 | $41,209 |
News Anchor Salary in the US
A news anchor in the United States of America earns an average annual compensation in the region of $57,000, bonuses included. The bonuses range from as low as $750 to as high as $29,277 depending on firms and the experience level. The hourly rates are at $42 per hour, according to Payscale.com.
News Anchor Salary in the UK
In the United Kingdom, the basic news anchor salary is £38,714(approximately $ 50,329). The hourly rate is at $34 per hour. The bonuses average at $3,000 per annum. A starter in this country can earn $30,000 with vastly experienced ones earning even a whopping $120,000.
News Anchor Salary in Canada
News anchors in Canada are the lowest paid of the bunch; the average news anchor salary is $38,490. The hourly rate is $28 per hour. Additional bonuses are not much either with their average bonuses being $2,100 per year (Payscale.com).
News Anchor Salary in Australia
$52,091 is the amount an average news presenter takes home at the end of the year in the country down under; Australia. This coupled with an average bonus of $2,920 means a total payment of $55,000 per year. The hourly rate down there is $40.
News Anchor Salary in Switzerland
If you are a news corporation in Switzerland and seeking to add a new news anchor to your team, then you better be ready to part with an average $51,398 depending on the level of experience you seek. This translates roughly to $40 per hour.
News Anchor Salary in Norway
In Norway, if you are planning for a career as a news anchor, you can expect to earn figures in the region of $41,209.This is lower than the country’s median wage which stands at $41,209, according to glassdoor.com. The hourly wage rate is $33.
3. Experience
In all the countries above, salary and experience do have a positive trend. The more experience you get, the more you earn in both basic salary and bonuses.
In the United States, with experience ranging from none to 5 years the average total compensation (salary+ bonuses) is $32,000, 5 to 10 years of experience $43,000, 10 to 20 years $50,000 and 20 years and above $60,000, according to Payscale.com. In the US 52% of the news anchors have more than five years of experience and are mainly female at 63%.
The majority of Canadian anchors are also experienced with 78% having more than five years of experience.
Working Hours
Working hours for TV anchors vary depending on the coverage of news or feature story. They may have to work irregular hours due to breaking news and late nights or 24-hour broadcasts. It is not uncommon to find news anchors working on holidays, and conditions may be stressful as they race to meet deadlines. All the hours worked over time are however in culminated into the overtime pay. On an average working day they come in for briefings, and they take one hour to review all the material before going on air. In all, they work 40 hours a week.
Radio anchors are however more adherent to schedule having to work mostly on the contract stipulated hours only.
Bonuses and Benefit Packages
The majority of the firms in all the countries do offer common health benefits that are dental, medical and vision. IN the US 82% receive medical insurance, 60% dental and 39% receive vision insurance.11% do not have any insurance whatsoever. In monetary terms, bonuses in the US range from $100 to $14,000.
IN Canada more are insured with 86% having medical, 80% dental and 66% insurance. Regarding pay, the average bonuses are $2,100. The Same case applies for Norway, Switzerland, Australia, and UK.
Some bonuses paid also vary with experience. For instance, in the UK, with no experience bonuses can be as low as $ 100 but with 20 years of experience, it rises to over $7,000.
Job outlook
A news anchor usually has a Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism or radio/TV/film with some exceptions. A lot of practice is required to develop a conversational yet professional vocal and on -screen presence and to know how to deal with last minute changes just ahead of broadcast.
The salary of a news anchor is not great but what it does do is that it gives one a platform through which one can earn so much more in paid appearances, advertisements, hosting functions and more.
The US bureau of labor statistics projects a decline of 2% in this field from 2002 to 2022 so expect fewer job opportunities.
Conclusion
This is a field in which the advantages outweigh the perks. If you get to the main stage and become a renowned anchor, you have the world at your feet. That said, it’s important to note how scarce the opportunities are and demanding the job is. Only go for it if you believe you got what it takes. Otherwise, you might be in for tough life.
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