They're also always equipped with an earpiece on air, so they can be fed late breaking information while reporting live on camera (we've all seen this).
They're mostly mouthpieces for the writers and producers who do the real storytelling behind the scenes, before the broadcast. Yes, these are mostly shallow, simplistic attributes, but that's why TV people don't need to be all that smart. Add a naturally empathetic demeanor and a knack for quick thinking under pressure (or the ability to fake either), and that's your ideal news anchor/reporter. It is a looks-driven field (it's a visual medium), and their definition of talent differs from most, but TV stations (larger, more profitable ones with more sophisticated audiences than Bismarck, ND, anyway) actually do look for poise, diction, delivery and the vague but definitive ability to 'connect' with the audience. News stations don't hire for talent, or poise, or the ability to count to 10, or much of anything else.
