What Type of Microphone Do Most News Anchors Use?
Most television news anchors use a small clip-on lavalier microphone fastened to a lapel or tie, because it stays out of the shot and keeps a fixed distance from the mouth. Radio news anchors and hosts, who don't have to worry about cameras, instead speak into large dynamic broadcast microphones — models like the Electro-Voice RE20, which the manufacturer positions specifically as a broadcast announcer's microphone, and the Shure SM7B. Same job, two very different tools, and the difference comes down to the setting.
In the TV studio: the lavalier
A lavalier solves the problems television actually has. It is nearly invisible on camera. It rides at a constant distance from the anchor's mouth, so the sound stays even when the anchor turns to a co-anchor or a monitor. And it leaves the desk clear and the anchor's hands free. The trade-off is that a tiny clip-on capsule picks up more of the room than a close-talked broadcast mic — acceptable in a treated studio, and worth it for a clean picture.
In the field: handheld dynamics
Reporters doing stand-ups outside the studio typically use rugged handheld dynamic microphones, often wearing a station-logo flag. Dynamics tolerate weather, drops, and handling, and they need no external power. Wind protection and a firm grip matter more here than pristine frequency response.
In the radio studio: the big broadcast dynamics
Radio anchors sit close to large dynamic microphones mounted on boom arms. The recurring names are the Electro-Voice RE20, the Shure SM7B, and the Sennheiser MD 421-II, a cardioid dynamic with a five-position bass roll-off switch that has been a broadcast fixture for decades. We compare the first two head-to-head in SM7B vs. RE20 for radio.
Why dynamics rather than the condenser microphones favored in music studios? A close-worked cardioid dynamic picks up the announcer strongly while rejecting the room — chair creaks, computer fans, a co-host's breathing — and it handles a loud voice inches away without complaint. NPR's training guide to choosing microphones walks through the same reasoning its own producers use when picking a mic for voice work. The deeper trade-offs are covered in our guide to dynamic vs. condenser microphones for broadcasting.
What this means if you're building a home studio
If your "news desk" is a webcam frame — you're on camera and on mic — the TV logic applies, and a lavalier or an off-screen boom mic keeps the shot clean. If you're doing radio or a podcast where nobody sees you, the radio logic applies: a cardioid dynamic on a boom arm, worked close. Close is a skill of its own; our primer on radio mic technique and working distance covers how near is near enough.
The short version: anchors don't use one microphone type because it is "the best." They use the type whose trade-offs match the room, the camera, and the job — which is exactly how you should choose yours.