Announcers Presenting the News

A programmer friend let me know that his company was thinking of having the presenters also do the newscasts.

He asked me what I know about stations that work that way.

I can’t really think of any station where the announcer also does the news. In my experience, this is never done.

There are a number of reasons, all of which are very well known.

1. For all but teen stations, listeners need to be given a credible and properly prioritized view of what is happening in the world that affects them. That is a skill, and it is also a process that takes a lot of time between each newscast. The announcer does not have the time, the focus or the training.

2. Announcers serve a ‘buddy” role in most cases. They are not “authoritative”. But usually, that is what you need from the newscaster. At the very least, you need to know that the joking is over for a bit, and we are now serious.

3. The news, for credibility, needs to be rewritten from the original sources (newspaper, Internet, etc.) and put in the voice of the newsperson. And it needs to be both updated and rephrased from newscast to newscast. This is also a job for which the presenter could not possibly have the time and focus.

If it is felt that part of the service you offer is news, I’d suggest that doing it well is one of the most basic things you must do.

But what about you? Do you know of a station that combined the music presentation and news reading roles? Does it sound professional, credible, entertaining and compelling?