Example Career: Radio and Television Announcers

Career Description

Speak or read from scripted materials, such as news reports or commercial messages, on radio or television. May announce artist or title of performance, identify station, or interview guests.

What Job Titles Radio and Television Announcers Might Have

• Anchor
• Announcer
• News Anchor
• Television News Anchor (TV News Anchor)

What Radio and Television Announcers Do

• Operate control consoles.
• Record commercials for later broadcast.
• Announce musical selections, station breaks, commercials, or public service information, and accept requests from listening audience.
• Study background information to prepare for programs or interviews.
• Read news flashes to inform audiences of important events.
• Identify stations, and introduce or close shows, ad-libbing or using memorized or read scripts.
• Prepare and deliver news, sports, or weather reports, gathering and rewriting material so that it will convey required information and fit specific time slots.
• Select program content, in conjunction with producers and assistants, based on factors such as program specialties, audience tastes, or requests from the public.
• Comment on music and other matters, such as weather or traffic conditions.
• Develop story lines for broadcasts.
• Discuss various topics over the telephone with viewers or listeners.
• Interview show guests about their lives, their work, or topics of current interest.
• Provide commentary and conduct interviews during sporting events, parades, conventions, or other events.
• Make promotional appearances at public or private events to represent their employers.
• Host civic, charitable, or promotional events that are broadcast over television or radio.
• Attend press conferences to gather information for broadcast.
• Write and edit video and scripts for broadcasts.
• Maintain organization of the music library.
• Locate guests to appear on talk or interview shows.
• Keep daily program logs to provide information on all elements aired during broadcast, such as musical selections and station promotions.
• Give network cues permitting selected stations to receive programs.
• Coordinate games, contests, or other on-air competitions, performing such duties as asking questions and awarding prizes.
• Moderate panels or discussion shows on topics such as current affairs, art, or education.
• Describe or demonstrate products that viewers may purchase through specific shows or in stores.

What Radio and Television Announcers Should Be Good At

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

What Radio and Television Announcers Need to Learn

• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.