“CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell’s pay back deal received slashed by a lot more than 50 percent this spring amid a brutal round of price cuts at the third-area network, The Put up has learned.
In accordance to insiders, CBS News re-signed the 48-yr-previous anchor in April with a annually wage of $3.8 million — down from the previous $8 million — adhering to studies that the network had been casting close to for a substitution as O’Donnell’s rankings keep on to sag.
CBS execs gave O’Donnell a “low ball” supply for the duration of the really hard-knuckle negotiations, which they “expected O’Donnell to reject,” in accordance to a supply briefed on the talks. When she approved it, some executives appeared surprised, the supply extra.
Insiders said O’Donnell’s capitulation arrived immediately after months of clashes with Neeraj Khemlani, the sharp-elbowed, value-slashing co-president of CBS Information who experienced been overtly searching for a new anchor to swap her for the duration of the months prior to her contract was up in April.
Khemlani achieved out to former MSNBC anchor Brian Williams, who turned him down, in accordance to a report from CNN. He also viewed as NBC’s Craig Melvin and, as reported by The Put up, even mulled marketing Tony Dokoupil, her old co-anchor at “CBS Mornings,” to the function.
Insiders said Dokoupil’s candidacy was particularly galling for O’Donnell, as Khemlani in January assigned the 41-yr-aged morning demonstrate host to anchor a specific broadcast from from Washington DC on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 capitol riots. And shortly immediately after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, CBS News once again established tongues wagging by originally sending Dokoupil as an alternative of O’Donnell to Poland to protect the unfolding war.
A spokesperson for CBS News denied Khemlani was trying to find to dump O’Donnell.
“Wrong once more. Neeraj led the work to retain and re-signal about a dozen of our major anchors and correspondents around the very last calendar year which include Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King – and recruited a number of new kinds like Nate Burleson and Robert Costa,” the spokesperson stated.
“While there are big key time openings somewhere else in the Information market, CBS Information has the No. 1 information broadcasts and concluded the time with various shows such as early morning and evenings in their most competitive position ever. Seemingly, the much more phony stories the NY Article writes, the improved factors go for CBS Information.”
Nonetheless, sources stated the thinly veiled career lookup harmed O’Donnell’s name and infuriated her staff. Tensions rose so large that her agent, UTA co-president Jay Sures, went above Khemlani’s head to negotiate her contract with CBS CEO George Cheeks and Shari Redstone, the chairwoman of CBS dad or mum Paramount International, resources claimed.
In accordance to 1 well-positioned source, O’Donnell had been “telling every person how shut she gotten to Redstone” for the duration of the contract negotiations.
In the meantime, it is rumored that O’Donnell’s camp leaked to the push that Sures experienced reached out to incoming CNN boss Chris Licht about hiring the anchor. The Each day Beast documented earlier this thirty day period that Sures’ attempt was “rebuffed” since Licht “could not negotiate ahead of his start date” on May possibly 2.
A supply shut to CNN, nevertheless, told The Submit that O’Donnell was “never below consideration” to sign up for the community. A next resource added that the power get “annoyed” Licht, with a third noting that Licht, who formerly labored with O’Donnell when she co-anchored CBS’ morning display, was adamant that the exec would not want to “reunite” with the “difficult” anchor. Reps for Licht and CNN did not return requests for comment.
In the end, O’Donnell is however doing the job at CBS News under Khemlani simply because “she didn’t have any selections and he did not both,” one particular perfectly-positioned resource told The Post.
As previously reported by The Article, O’Donnell has ruffled feathers with “toxic behavior” that involves chewing out dressing space stylists about her hair and makeup and putting staff members as a result of the abnormal each day ritual of a full “dress rehearsal” of the “Evening News” 50 % an hour in advance of the display airs.
O’Donnell’s day by day demands also integrated obtaining her Gucci slides waiting in front of her dressing room doorway so she can set them on as soon as she is off the set.
“Nobody wishes to work with her,” claimed a source. “She’s way too challenging.”
O’Donnell’s publicist Cindi Berger and CBS disputed the promises at the time.
Even though CBS seems to be doubling down with O’Donnell for at minimum yet another 3 many years, insiders convey to The Article that “CBS Night News” is now acquiring a challenging time discovering candidates who want to job interview for the nightly newscast’s govt producer work, which will be vacant when interim EVP Al Ortiz retires in July.
“By re-signing her deal, they’ve specified the message to the enterprise that final spot is very good more than enough,” a supply advised The Submit. “Now, they are acquiring problems finding an outside government producer in section since no person desires to offer with her and also simply because the rankings are underneath 5 million.”
Sources say that top contenders to run the “Evening News” are inner, and that O’Donnell’s proper hand, government story editor Adam Verdugo or senior broadcast producer Alturo Rhymes, will probable get the work.
In the past two months, “Evening News” has dipped underneath 5 million in whole regular everyday viewers. according to Nielsen. O’Donnell’s clearly show grabbed 5.4 million in the initial quarter, trailing “NBC Nightly Information with Lester Holt,” and “ABC Entire world News Tonight,” which nabbed 7.8 million and 8.9 million, respectively.
Media insiders say that Holt and Muir make among $12 million and $20 million, respectively. Meanwhile at CBS, execs have tried to shrink expenditures on the “Evening Information,” which resources explained, isn’t a income-maker for the community. As earlier described by The Publish, O’Donnell’s predecessor Jeff Glor was generating a modest $2 million.
Glor was changed by O’Donnell, who was promoted by then-CBS News president Susan Zirinsky. Insiders have criticized Zirinsky for padding O’Donnell’s salary and investing hundreds of thousands to shift the “Evening News” from New York to Washington DC with the promise that the application would reel in much better rankings.
Final spring, the network brought in Khemlani and co-president Wendy McMahon to trim the unwanted fat — and some say, potentially sell the company or spin off some of its property in the future.
“Neeraj did his career,” explained a supply, referring to the exec’s mandate by Cheeks and his boss, Paramount World wide CEO Bob Bakish to reduce prices and reorganize the community.
Although Khemlani has revamped the corporation by rehauling Gayle King’s “CBS Mornings” and restructuring the CBS News’ digital arm, there has been a drumbeat of superior-amount departures, as morale has cratered to an all-time low below the demanding exec.
“He has made enemies but what is his accomplishment?,” a resource mentioned. “He has broken Norah. The show is by no means heading to improve from 3rd. CBS is no for a longer period what it made use of to be. It is not even close.”
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