For many TV journalists, moving into a spot on the anchor desk is a dream come true. Today, Ginger Gadsden is living that dream at WKMG in Orlando, but she says the reality is that anchoring is also hard work.
“It’s so much more than reading the news; you think you have people catering to you, that you’re always dressed to the nines, but not really,” Gadsden says.
Here’s what she thinks anyone looking for an anchor job needs to know.
- You have a responsibility to be prepared. “That doesn’t mean you just know your scripts,” says Gadsden, “it means that you know extra tidbits about every story that will be a live shot – enough so that if you are tossing to it, you lose the live shot and the producer says, ‘Stretch,’ in your ear, you know enough to tap dance for 10 or 15 seconds.”
- Know about everything that is in the story. “You are the gatekeeper; if it comes out of your mouth, it is your responsibility. Recently, after the China market took a big fall, there was a script in the show that said the U.S. stock market had fallen to its lowest levels since the start of the Great Depression. If I had not looked at it ahead of time and had just read it cold, who looks like the idiot? Not the writer – me!”
- Don’t be too proud. “If you don’t know something, ask. Don’t let pride stop you from finding out what you need to know. I always say I would rather look like an idiot in front of the 50 people in the newsroom than look like a moron on the air.”
Gadsden also says that the best anchors don’t go it alone.
“Sometimes you shine by letting others look good; be a generous person on the anchor desk,” she says. “Don’t be anchor hog and a know-it-all. You’re part of a team, you’re sharing the anchor desk. Don’t be the person who has to have the last word; when everyone is talking then no one is heard.”
Finally, what’s the best preparation for anchoring?
“If you do weather first, you can do everything. You have to adlib everything – no scripts, it’s just you talking to the audience.”
