A news presenter (also known as newsreader, newscaster, anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply anchor) is a person who presents a news show on television, radio or the Internet.

[edit] Newscasters and newsreaders

A newscaster (short for "news broadcaster) is a presenter of a news bulletins. This person may be working journalist and news gatherer as well as a participant in compiling the script to be delivered in a news bulletin.

Prior to the television era, radio-news broadcasts often mixed news with opinion and each presenter strove for a distinctive style. These presenters were referred to as commentators. The last major figure to present commentary in a news broadcast format in the US was Paul Harvey.[Dunning, John. "The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio."] Today, commentary is generally presented in the longer-form talk show format. The term "newscaster" came into common use to distinguish presenters of straight news broadcasts from commentators.

In the UK, ITN's news presenters (especially those on ITV News) are referred to as newscasters (and have been since the 1950s)^{[citation needed]}, whilst those working at the BBC are called newsreaders.

[edit] News anchors

In the United States and Canada, news anchors (also known as "anchorpersons", "anchormen", or "anchorwomen") present material prepared for a news program and, at times, must improvise commentary for live presentation. Many anchors are also involved in writing and/or editing the news for their programs.

News set for WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio. News Anchors often report from sets such as this, located in or near the newsroom.

The term "anchor man" was used to describe Walter Cronkite's role at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.^[1] Although it has been commonly reported that news anchors were called cronkiters in Swedish,^[2] this notion has been debunked by linguist Ben Zimmer.^[3] Zimmer (and others) also note that the term anchor was in common use in 1952 to describe the most prominent member of a panel of reporters or experts. For example, in the original format of Meet The Press, Lawrence E. Spivak, who served as the only permanent member of a panel of four reporters, anchored the panel. Later, the term was applied to hosts of special events coverage and, still later, news presenters.

[edit] See also

• List of news presenters by nationality
• List of ITV journalists and newsreaders
• List of television reporters
• Sports commentator
• STAR Anchor Hunt

[edit] References

1. ^ Zimmer, Ben (2009-07-18). "Was Cronkite Really the First "Anchorman"? How we came to use the term". Slate. http://www.slate.com/id/2223188/. 
2. ^ Walter Cronkite dies, a July 17, 2009 article from the Philadelphia Inquirer
3. ^ http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/1928/