News anchor to broadcast news editor
A news anchor already meets 46% of what the broadcast news editor role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.6/ 100
1 How much of what a broadcast news editor is expected to do is already part of a news anchor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the broadcast news editor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A broadcast news editor role treats 10 of its required skills as things a news anchor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- check stories
- consult information sources
- develop professional network
- editorial standards
- follow the news
- grammar
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A broadcast news editor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a news anchor background worth leading with.
- already held check stories information skills
- already held work closely with news teams communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held participate in editorial meetings communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held audiovisual equipment arts and humanities
- already held editorial standards social sciences, journalism and information
- already held press law business, administration and law
All 19 carried skills, including the 10 the broadcast news editor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn apply organisational techniques required
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- still to learn build contacts to maintain news flow required
- still to learn create editorial board required
- optional, not held create online news content optional
- optional, not held write headlines optional
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held digital compositing optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held intellectual property regime of digital content optional
- optional, not held motion graphics optional
- still to learn digital journalism required
- optional, not held newsletter analysis optional
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- still to learn follow ethical code of conduct of journalists required
- still to learn copyright legislation required
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a broadcast news editor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 build contacts to maintain news flow practise this
- 02 create editorial board practise this
- 03 digital journalism study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 19 skills that carry over
- already held check stories skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held editorial standards knowledge
- already held follow the news skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held participate in editorial meetings skill
- already held press law knowledge
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held work closely with news teams skill
- already held adapt to changing situations skill
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held audiovisual equipment knowledge
- already held check correctness of information skill
- already held edit digital moving images skill
- already held perform video editing skill
- already held photography knowledge
- already held proofread text skill
- already held write to a deadline skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held edit recorded sound optional
- optional, not held put uncut recordings into computer optional
- optional, not held synchronise sound with images optional
- optional, not held develop digital content optional
- optional, not held use presentation software optional
- optional, not held create rough cut optional
- optional, not held audio editing software optional
- optional, not held monitor broadcast programming optional
- optional, not held cut raw footage digitally optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held newsletter analysis optional
- optional, not held create online news content optional
- optional, not held create rough cut optional
- optional, not held cut raw footage digitally optional
- optional, not held edit recorded sound optional
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- optional, not held monitor broadcast programming optional
- optional, not held put uncut recordings into computer optional
- optional, not held synchronise sound with images optional
- optional, not held write headlines optional
- optional, not held audio editing software optional
- optional, not held develop digital content optional
- optional, not held digital compositing optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held intellectual property regime of digital content optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held motion graphics optional
- optional, not held use presentation software optional
18 held skills the broadcast news editor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adopt a relaxed posture skill
- not needed by the target role breathing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role interview people skill
- not needed by the target role interview techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role lighting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role memorise lines skill
- not needed by the target role moderate a debate skill
- not needed by the target role news analytics knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate audio equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform improvisation skill
- not needed by the target role present during live broadcasts skill
- not needed by the target role pronunciation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role read pre-drafted texts skill
- not needed by the target role rewrite articles skill
- not needed by the target role set up sound equipment skill
- not needed by the target role show diplomacy skill
- not needed by the target role vocal techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role work with a voice coach skill
11 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn digital journalism required
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- optional, not held newsletter analysis optional
- optional, not held file-based workflow optional
- optional, not held media and information literacy optional
- optional, not held audio editing software optional
- optional, not held digital compositing optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held intellectual property regime of digital content optional
- optional, not held motion graphics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a news anchor become a broadcast news editor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A news anchor already covers 46% of what a broadcast news editor is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 10 of which the broadcast news editor role treats as required.
What skills does a news anchor need to become a broadcast news editor?
9 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is build contacts to maintain news flow.
How hard is the move from news anchor to broadcast news editor?
Its learning distance is 59.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.