Strong Work Ethic: A successful career as a news anchor requires hard work, dedication, and a strong work ethic. You must be willing to work long hours, meet tight deadlines, and be prepared to put in the effort required to deliver high quality news content to your audience.
Asa part of our series called “Five Things You Need To Create A Successful Career As A News Anchor”, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Christine Haas.
Christine Haas is the voice for video and communication success, and is one of the most popular brand reputation specialists and media placement experts, as the Founder and CEO of Haas Media. She is also the new host of Legal News Hour, a nationally syndicated TV news program, drawing on her 15 years in TV News. Her unique and skilled approach helps leading CEOs and other top companies simplify the design and delivery of their platform as they prepare for media tours and she and her team then facilitate the media placement. In addition, she and her team are on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence like ChatGPT, as one of the leading PR firms to help clients secure media to be recognized by ChatGPT. Haas Media also helps brands and companies streamline their workflow by using the latest AI with success.
She coaches on-camera presence and content, ruinously prepares executives for Q&A sessions with reporters and then pitches and secure targeted media for maximum exposure. Christine has provided particularly noteworthy campaign and fundraising service for two of the most powerful and impactful foundations in the county, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the largest and best-funded health care advocacy organizations in the world, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which is primarily funded by the U.S. Justice Department, was instrumental in the rescue of many thousands of kidnapped children and has become the most powerful and effective force against global sex trafficking.
As founder and CEO of Haas Media, she and her team select clients for whom she can guarantee media coverage and also orchestrates national and local media buys when appropriate. Christine previously spent 17 years in broadcast journalism, winning 17 Emmy awards honoring both her script writing and on camera hosting, adding to her national and regional Edward R. Murrow awards and more than two dozen Associated Press awards. Christine has anchored newscasts in some of the country’s top markets, including San Diego, Tampa, Minneapolis & Houston. In addition to her Emmy honors for network affiliates (Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC), she has also received national and regional Edward R. Murrow awards and more than two dozen Associated Press awards. Then, in one of her proudest professional achievements, Christine’s report on the small business administration’s misuse of Homeland Security funding was introduced as evidence into Congressional testimony. She is a graduate of Illinois State University and was honored at that University’s Young Alumni of the Year. In 2011, Christine added “author” to her title after writing her first book, “The Ranch”
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! I know that you are very busy and we appreciate your time. Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Yes, I grew up on an 80 acre farm in a suburb of Chicago. I had very humble beginnings, but was fortunate to have a passion for horseback riding and that hobby quickly turned into a passion for competing as an equestrian. I believe that led to my consistent desire for self improvement and endless desire for personal development.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
From a young age, I was on speech teams in high school and college and I really enjoyed the consistent demand of thinking on my feet and performance development.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I believe being a journalist allows one to experience some of the most joyous times of life and some of the worst anyone will ever have to endure. In my 15 years as an Emmy award-winning anchor, I have watched and documented (real-time) someone’s most momentous achievements …to witnessing another’s sheer agony when they learn of a loved one’s death either by the hands of a criminal or as a result of a freak accident. I could tell you the most interesting story was the investigation that led to the change in Texas law or when I was fortunate to have my investigation introduced as evidence to a Congressional Hearing. But, for me, the most interesting story, was following a young boy as he and his family awaited a heart transplant. We chronicled the story over months and watching the kindness this young boy exuded to his new friends in the hospital was astounding. He experienced a tremendous amount of physical pain, but he was always kind and unbelievably strong. While his heart transplant was successful, his other organs did not thrive and he passed away.
But, the amount of kindness and strength he displayed during his young life truly inspired everyone he touched. The memory of that boy and his family stays with me to this day.
As you know, sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting as a news presenter? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? Yes, I was fortunate to have my news station in Little Rock, AR send me to Oklahoma City to cover the anniversary of the OK city bombing and I was very green. I believe I was 23 years old at this time and quite inexperience in LIVE reporting. I had never been on risers ….shoulder to shoulder …with other LIVE reporters and I was extremely intimated to be standing near the network reporters that I had grown up watching and admiring. When my LIVE shot hit, all I could hear was EVERYONE else around me! I couldn’t even think straight and what came out of my mouth made absolutely no sense! It was an extremely good lesson and experience, but it ultimately became the butt of many jokes for years to come!
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I recently launched and now anchor the Legal News Hour. It’s a 30-minute legal news program delving into some of the most topical and impactful legal cases in real-time. My most recent program took me to Washington DC and I was privileged to cover the PACT Act and interview all the stakeholders involved. In addition, I work daily to help my clients use media to enhance their brand credibility and drive more revenue.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
The most important thing in my opinion is to be moldable. Seek out mentors and ask for help and always, ALWAYS, ask for guidance. In addition, it’s important to be able to report on stories as a serious journalist. Gone are the days where news anchors can just show up and read a teleprompter. Social media has shown us that ANYONE can report news in a timely manner with even a smart phone. Journalists who LOVE storytelling will thrive as news anchors, as well. But, news anchors who have no desire for serious storytelling ….will not survive in this world of new media.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Yes, Boyd Huppert of KARE 11 in Minneapolis, was extremely kind to me from the very beginning. I sought him out as a mentor and I would send him samples of my work and ask for his feedback and critique. This was from my VERY early days in TV. And he was always so helpful and when the time came for an opening at his station in Minneapolis, he put a good word in for me. And that’s ultimately how I got the opportunity to be weekend anchor and reporter at KARE 11 in 2001.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Never stop learning. And Never think you know everything. And if you are tired of the media or if it does not excite you to tell stories of others …. You should consider leaving the business. We become who we surround ourselves with and it’s important to always leave a strong, positive impression around our colleagues/co-workers.
Thank you so much for all of that. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience, Can you please share your “Five Things You Need To Create A Successful Career As A News Anchor”. If you can, please share a story or example for each.
1. Strong Communication Skills: As a news anchor, your primary job is to communicate the news to the audience effectively. Therefore, having strong communication skills, including good diction, pronunciation, and vocal delivery, is essential.
2. Knowledge of Current Affairs: A good news anchor must have a deep understanding of current affairs, both domestic and international. You must stay up-to-date with the latest news and be able to provide insightful commentary on the news of the day.
3. Passion and Perseverance: Starting and growing a career in journalism is a lot of hard work, dedication, and persistence. Successful journalists have a deep passion for what they do, and they are willing to work holidays and late nights or early mornings … to achieve their goals.
4. Confidence and Presence: A news anchor and reporter must have confidence and presence on camera. You need to be comfortable in front of the camera and able to deliver the news in a clear, concise, and engaging way.
5. Flexibility and Adaptability: The news industry is constantly changing, and news anchors must be able to adapt to new technology, changing news cycles, and new platforms. You need to be flexible, adaptable, and willing to learn new skills as required.
6. Strong Work Ethic: A successful career as a news anchor requires hard work, dedication, and a strong work ethic. You must be willing to work long hours, meet tight deadlines, and be prepared to put in the effort required to deliver high-quality news content to your audience.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Your past does not predict your future unless you allow it …. I came from humble beginnings (growing up) and then experienced some intense challenges as an adult…due to enormous emotional abuse that led to physical abuse in a personal relationship. Through an enormous amount of work in self-development, I am free from these circumstances and soaring again personally and professionally.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Due to what I went through, I would want to inspire young women to build confidence with their intellect and passion for whatever their goals are. Even today, women are still judged harshly if they are strong and confident. Social media is fake and women need to voice their honest challenges more to inspire others.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Jeff Bezos …. I’d love to find out what inspired his perseverance despite the initial challenges he encountered.