Broadcast News Analyst Career

broadcast-news-500While TV anchors read the news, news analysts help explain it. These experts in foreign affairs, science, style, or any other number of subjects are present for longer segments, helping to go beyond the headlines and provide real meaning for what is being covered.

While it may seem glamorous, it is not easy becoming a broadcast news analyst. Since you are representing something as fact to thousands, if not millions, of viewers, you have to be very knowledgeable about your subject field, as well as having mastered many other key aspects of journalism and media production.

Broadcast News Analyst Career Snapshot

A great deal of a broadcast news analyst’s job happens in a media studio. After all, this is where they are often taped. News analysts are still expected to travel widely in order to gain a more complete picture of what is going on, as well as perform their own research. Expect a great deal of time in the office.

Further details on a career as a broadcast news analyst are listed below (statistics from the May 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):

$65,530

is the average annual salary for broadcast news analysts.

-9%

decrease in employment between 2014 and 2024.

75%

have a Bachelor’s degree while 14% have an Associate’s degree.

Broadcast News Analyst Education

Expect to have earned a bachelor’s degree in a writing intensive field. While journalism and communications are natural choices, some level of specialization will help. For example, if you want to cover foreign news, learning a language or two would be beneficial, while business reporters should have courses in finance and accounting. Given the intensity of competition for some areas, like foreign affairs or government, a master’s degree in a related field can be beneficial.

Broadcast News Analyst Job Duties

It may seem that broadcast news analysts just show up and act like talking heads, but the truth is much deeper than that. These clips are just the tip of the iceberg – news analysts spend hours making sure that their opinions are based in reason and fact, and have to be constantly aware of any developments as they emerge.

Broadcast News Analyst Salaries

The range of salaries to be had as a broadcast news analyst is staggering. The median wage is $65,530 per year according to BLS.gov 2015 statistics. However, that is with a range of under $30,000 to the millions of dollars that some top news personalities for major networks bring home every year.

Broadcast News Analyst Job Outlook

Jobs for broadcast news analysts are decreasing, as are jobs for many other types of reporters. The sector is expected to shrink by almost 9% over the next ten years. As a result, if you want to be a broadcast news analyst, it is important to master your field and make your presence known through writing blogs and other forms of media.

Broadcast News Analyst Skills & Traits

Broadcast News Analyst Skill Set:Required Abilities:Tools Used by Broadcast News Analysts:Typical Work Activities:
• Speaking
• Active Listening
• Critical Thinking
• Social Perceptiveness
• Reading Comprehension
• Speech Clarity
• Oral Comprehension
• Speech Recognition
• Written Expression
• Oral Expression
• Audio video console
• Digital voice recorders
• Flash memory storage card
• Headphones
• Notebook computers
• Creative Thinking
• Getting Information
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Working Directly with the Public

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