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The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics
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Anchors Away: Media Framing of Broadcast Television Network Evening News Anchors

Paul R. Brewer

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, 117 Johnston Hall, Milwaukee, WI 53201, prbrewer{at}uwm.edu

Timothy Macafee

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, 117 Johnston Hall, Milwaukee, WI 53201, tmacafee{at}uwm.edu

Between 2002 and 2006, six newcomers took the anchor chairs at the evening news programs of ABC, CBS, and NBC. Collectively, they received extensive news coverage. This study uses content analysis to examine how three national newspapers framed the new anchors. A frame casting the anchors as competitors in a ratings game was especially common. At the same time, the newspapers regularly framed the anchors in terms of their reporting experience and reporting style, as well as in terms of personal characteristics such as personality, appearance, age, and sex. The newspapers were more likely to frame female anchors in terms of their sex; apart from this, no consistent differences across sex emerged. All three newspapers followed broadly similar patterns in covering the anchors, though some differences across sources emerged. Patterns in news media framing of anchors may carry implications for public opinion about anchors and the news media.

Key Words: framing • anchors • television news • ratings

The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol. 12, No. 4, 3-19 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1081180X07307526
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