News Tv Anchors Major Real Watching United Networks

In the United States, anchors for the major TV networks are treated like "celebrities" (famous people, usually in entertainment) and may receive a very high salary. For many anchors, especially female anchors, "appearance" (how a person looks) is very important and part of how they are judged by viewers.

Some people complain that anchors today may lack "hard news" background because they started their career doing "lifestyle stories" (stories about topics like gardening, fashion, or home decorating), reporting sports, or interviewing celebrities about their latest book or movie. "In contrast" (very differently), they say, anchors from 30 or 50 years ago "paid their dues" (worked hard to prove themselves worthy) by reporting on difficult stories, such as from "war zones" (locations where wars are being fought) or from sites of major disasters.

Some people complain that TV news has become entertainment rather than a source of information. The major goal of the TV networks is to attract as many viewers as possible, in order to make as much money as possible from advertisers. "Critics" (people who point out the problems) of this present "trend" (change or development) say that television news has become "shallow" (lacking real information) and "sensational" (intended to excite or shock). Movies likeBroadcast News (1987) and Network (1976) explore this topic of real news versus entertainment.

The 2004 movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy shows a "stereotype" (commonly held view that may be wrong) of the TV news anchor in the United States. The main character, played by Will Ferrell, is not very intelligent, but is quite "vain" (interested in his own appearance). Anchorman makes fun of modern news programs that create "hype" (interest created by advertising and discussing something frequently) about what is not very important. For example, in the movie there is a story on the news called "Panda Watch: Day 46" that contains no real information about pandas.