Time was when a broadcast news station pinned it's future on Anchormen, and Anchorwomen. I once heard that an on-air personality was the face of a television station. Enter the age of the Faceless news outfit. Almost every local broadcast station in San Diego has undergone an Anchor transplant, or simply trimmed the salaries of their on-camera talent. It's not only San Diego. Top anchors in cities from New York to Los Angeles are getting fired. People who were once the face of the station, are now trying to save face, swallow some pride, and take a paycut.
Last week's announcement that Carol Lebeau is leaving KGTV after 28 years is just the latest round of departing anchors. Last year popular anchor Stan Miller left channel 8, Brian Christi, and Estha Trow left channel 6. Infact that station recently did away with not only the sports anchor, but the entire sports department. Who's next? Just stay tuned, Which brings me to the point. Are these Anchorpeople really necessary for an on-air or web style newscast? What about the long standing relationships many anchors have with their communities, and their viewers? Will those viewers come to rescue them in an hour of need. All the public has to do is tune-in, raise the ratings, and insure their favorite anchor stays put. That's not the case, and in these tough times some stations are using the high salaries they once paid anchors, and hiring up to 4 reporters. They call them backpack journalists, or one-man bands who shoot, report, edit, and present their product. What if you eliminate the anchor all together, and have reporters present their stories round-robin style. Is this what people want?
WNBC in New York is betting on the future by providing that city with a 24-hour news operation. That local station has fired many of it's long standing reporters, and some high priced anchors. So far the public response is negative. It is always sad to see friends you grew up watching leave the air. However, it's seen that some old-school type anchors stand in the path of progress. All safe-bets are off as local news operations evolve into the type of content generating centers simular to WNBC New York. Many news analysts point to Anderson Cooper, the face of CNN. He's the anchor who sprouted legs, and walked away from the traditonal news studio desk, and travels to hot-spots around the country. I propose a hybrid, a newscast that delivers news on demand, and people decide whether they need to listen to an anchor, or just click on the story, content, or video directly without all the set up. Anchors aren't what they used to be. Perhaps their job description, and place in a newscast, and community is destined to change forever.
