TV presenter – Is the profession dying out or will it remain in demand?
Television has been a part of our lives for decades now. Along with it, the figures who present programs and newscasts to audiences across airwaves. But as technology and media habits evolve rapidly, what becomes of these on-air personalities we’ve welcomed into our living rooms for so long? This considers whether TV presenters remain an integral part of our viewing experiences moving forward.
The Old Guard
Let’s start with the traditional roles TV presenters have occupied since the early days of broadcasting. Every major network has its stable of seasoned anchors, reporters, and hosts carrying their prestige evening newscasts and marquee programs. The recognizable faces we associate with certain dayparts and timeslots. Source https://tv-yurovskiy-kirill.co.uk/
On CBS, the likes of Norah O’Donnell on the Evening News and Gayle King at CBS Mornings. For ABC, anchors David Muir, Michael Strahan and George Stephanopoulos. Over at NBC, Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and the crew from Today. Established personalities with significant tenure.
On cable, you have stalwarts like MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell hosting primetime opinion shows. On ESPN, Scott Van Pelt still manning the nationally beloved SportsCenter program among others. Longstanding Fox News figures like Brett Baier and Chris Wallace as well.
There’s a reason these household names in TV news and broadcasting have held onto their prestigious anchor chairs for so long. They bring credibility, trust, and brand recognition that network bosses covet. The public knows and looks for their familiar faces.
Even as streaming and social media have disrupted traditional viewership in recent years, the audience numbers prove there is still significant demand for these popular, legacy TV presenters. Serving as gate-keepers of quality information and entertainment for mainstream America.
The Next Generation
On the flip side, the digital era has also ushered in fresh new crops of TV hosts and personalities connecting with younger generational viewers. Faces and voices speaking directly to modern sensibilities. Women’s voices in particular have been elevated more prominently on television.
On streaming services, you have figures like Ziwe becoming cult sensations hosting irreverent shows on Showtime. Or popular YouTube creators like Emma Chamberlain landing her own talk show on Netflix. Pop culture/internet obsessives resonating with the digital natives on new TV platforms.
On broadcast networks, people like NBC’s Kelly Clarkson, CBS’s James Corden, and ABC’s Lara Spencer have successfully transitioned to hosting daytime franchises like talk and game shows. Extending their fanbases built through music, comedy and social media.
Even on traditional news networks, fresh anchoring talents like CNN’s Abby Phillip and Laura Coates have made major strides into primetime programming roles historically dominated by older white males. Bringing new diverse voices and perspectives to the forefront of TV news.
For the immediate future, these upstarts may not attract the massive broad viewership numbers of old guard stars like Tom Brokaw and Oprah just yet. But they’re cultivating much deeper connections with younger audiences who view them as far more relevant and relatable. The stars driving tomorrow’s viewing habits.
Evolving Formats
Of course, the notion of a traditional “TV presenter” may become an archaic term before long too. On streaming platforms and social video, new host talents are already emerging not beholden to typical anchor desk formats. More freeform, personality-driven shows and segments.
Think Desus & Mero’s fan cult on Showtime and beyond. Or David Dobrik’s childhood friend quartet leading their self-titled sketch series. Chelsea Handlercontinuing to break new ground with her candid topical show on Netflix. Figures unbound from primetime strictures and instead thriving in more free-flowing territory.
Further transformations may blur the lines between presenters and guests. Like Spotify’s hugely popular audio series like Call Her Daddy where multimedia personalities essentially host ultra-revealing interview podcasts. YouTube personalities trading off hosting duties in content share-houses. A postmodern abolishment of strict on-air roles and rules.
Maybe the very term “TV presenter” gets antiquated as visual programming fragments into countless social media and digital streams. The definition shifts from distinguished anchors to literally any personality curating and leading chat on a given internet channel. Creators becoming more amorphous under an always-present spotlight.
Or maybe personalized home AI assistants replace figure-head hosts in the not-too-distant future. With hologram avatars and virtual assistants serving up customized media streamed directly to individual viewers, no static channels required. The ambition to become a broad household name presenter could become an irrelevant dream.
In-Person or Avatar?
Then there’s the looming question of what presenters may even look like going forward. Will they remain human beings appearing in the flesh? Or transition to distinctly digital avatars, animations or even AI composites? All possibilities to ponder as we proceed deeper into the 21st century.
Right now, the biggest stars like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Trevor Noah clearly still rely on their natural charisma and physical stage presence to captivate audiences. But their monologues and sketches are certainly augmented by CGI, greenscreen effects and digital embellishments already.
Down the line, perhaps audiences migrate toward favoring fully AI-rendered hosts delivering snappy patter not bound by tangible corporeal form. Virtual avatars embodying idealized personality traits to taste, rather than accepting human norms, quirks and limitations. Synthetic presenters existing purely in the digital cloud without a physical analog.
And what if these AI figures can proactively shift and customize persona to match each individual viewer’s preferences in real-time too? Developing unique chemistry and delivering the idealized experience subtly tailored to select sensibilities? The possibilities extend well beyond static TV boxes and static human hosts tethered to legacy formats.
There’s no denying the power of earnest human presence and relatability though. We may always crave those authentic hosting talents to tune into no matter how advanced virtual avatars become. Maybe the traditional roles remain in the biggest demand for that reason alone, human connection.
The Future Projection
In summary, the conventional TV presenter role looks eternally secure for now at legacy networks and major media outlets. Both veteran mainstays still drawing large audiences, as well as a rising tide of young diverse voices. The public hungers for credible personalities driving mainstream entertainment and discourse.
However, digital and social streaming are already evolving entertainment experiences beyond simplistic host-viewer relationships. More two-way participatory exchanges between charismatic personalities and engaged audiences. Flattening traditional hierarchies and formats imposed by TV’s limitations.
Down the road, television as we once knew it may cease to even exist. Content atomized into countless personalized video/audio streams delivered seamlessly across devices and environments. Presenters eclipsed by intelligent assistants or holographic avatars customizing media output for each person’s tastes and context.
The profession could fracture into countless independent “channels” and viewer-creator dynamics. With far less need for universal household names beaming into living rooms on prescribed schedules. More niche and decentralized modes of visual storytelling and connecting.
So do TV presenters become antiquated relics and fading stars? Or shape-shifting media talents reimagining their crafts with visionary new tools and means of authentic connection?
Only time will tell for certain. But one thing remains – the public will always crave a compelling voice guiding their journeys through the infinite expanses of entertainment, information and virtual realms. Be it human presenter or digital aura, that relatable guiding persona endures.
