MSNBC's Olbermann Seeks Big Raise

[flowomo]

(snip)
Olbermann and MSNBC are knocking heads over a new contract. The controversial host of Countdown With Keith Olbermann is said to be seeking "north of $4 million" a year, according to an industry source, to re-up on his pact that comes due in April. That would represent roughly a four-fold increase over his current deal, believed to be in the $1 million-per-year range.

Olbermann is looking for such a big pay raise because Countdown has been on fire, playing a big part in the current audience uptick at the network. In the key 25-54 demo, its ratings are up 25% year-to-date and an astounding 75% so far in the fourth quarter.

But MSNBC brass may have their hands tied on how much they can pony up for Olbermann. MSNBC parent NBC Universal has mandated $750 million worth of budget cuts across all divisions, and this is hardly a politic time to hand out a gargantuan raise. Meanwhile, CNN may have interest. (snip)


more:http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6400553.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP

[NewJeffCT]

1. He deserves the raise

I think the request for $4 million is just something Keith's agent is putting out there as a starting point to negotiate. I'm sure he won't get that much, but he'll probably get a raise.

[kstewart33]

4. You bet. eom

[AllexxisF1]

2. Moving on up.

Wow, Olbie on CNN could be huge for his career. Moreover I could see the other big two picking him up as well. MSNBC is ok, but it sure is'nt Prime Time in the business news.

If CNN does pick him up I hope they keep to the same format that has made him successful. Not to mention his crack team.

He deserves to be in the hot seat, Keith deserves it.

[calimary]

55. Welcome to DU! I think Keith is worth EVERY PENNY.

Nobody else has brought in all those extra younger viewers. His show consistently rates highest of them all. He should go for it. If it were me, I sure would.

[waldnorm]

3. Only If He Replaces Glenn Beck

[trogdor]

37. Olbermann at CNN?

No way. He's not nearly obnoxious enough.

[PADemD]

56. or Wolf Blitzer

[Buzz Clik]

5. Not a good sign.

Usually, such moves mean one of three things:

1. The person seeking the enormous salary is sick of their job and only a huge salary will keep them in place.
2. The person seeking the raise is suffering from massive ego inflation.
3. The market would support such a salary -- it's a fair request or he's been offered another job.

I don't see Olbermann getting $4,000,000 anywhere else, so I don't think option 3 is the ticket. Although, anything is possible -- look at Limbaugh's salary! The other options are not signs of good things to come.

We shall see.

[TheWraith]

41. Fourth alternative.

That the rumor of CNN's interest is true, and he wants MSNBC to top CNN's offer. MSNBC counter-moves by leaking the news of the request, possibly inflated, in an effort to put Olbermann in a bad PR light.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Since the source appears to be MSNBC

it may indicate that General Electric wants to get rid of Olbermann and replace him with a rightwinger.

[NashVegas]

9. Wasn't There a Rumor, 'bout a Month Ago

That his show was going to be bumped over to CNBC?

Personally, I'd love it if he went to CNN. DishTV doesn't carry MSNBC for the tier I subscribe to.

[IndianaGreen]

13. There was a rumor about his show a couple of months back

but I can't recall the particulars. We were all worried he was going to get canned!

[Ellis Wyatt]

7. Greedy

he better be donating most of it.

[silvermachine]

15. Well, let's see...

...after death threats, fake anthrax mailings, villification from the RW/Faux echo chamber, etc., perhaps the person largely responisble for a substantial uptick in ratings at MSNBC feels that he should be fairly compensated. If you feel that strongly about it, take it up with MSNBC.

[Robbien]

19. Since you appear to be the greed monitor

Is head liar bill o'reilly donating most of his money?
How how doper Limbaugh? Most of the money left over from drug buys all going to charities?
How about the whole FauxNews lineup? I assume all big charity donors>

[Ellis Wyatt]

20. Oh

So Limbaugh and O'Reilly set the standards?

Does that mean that if right wingers assault pages and the Constitution, that it's OK for the left to do it?

One would hope that if Keith is truly a champion for progressive ideals, he may have a problem making 100x what his camera men or researchers or assistant to the junior writers are making. And that he'll either donate money to worthy causes or forego some of his obscene pay to the working families of those who create much of the content for his show.

Or is it OK for someone we agree with to make $4 million a year, but not someone we disagree with?

[Robbien]

21. There are no left wingers in the media with which to make comparisons

So when making comparisons about talking heads, one has to use the only thing out there, right wingers.

[Bake]

25. You apparently need to head over to the Socialist Underground

The camera persons, researchers, and junior writers you referred to are not responsible for the huge ratings jump on Countdown. Nor do they make the editorial decisions (e.g., the Special Comments) that have sparked the huge ratings jump. Keith is. I don't have a problem with Keith getting paid what he's worth IN THE MARKET, and I don't question his progressive ideals or his charitable giving.

And this is not like the corporate CEO who gets zillion dollar comp packages when he/she (and given the comparatively small number of female CEO's, I use "she" rather loosely) had very little to do with the company's profits. Keith is rather DIRECTLY responsible for the ratings on Countdown.

You lob a lot of bombs around here for a newbie. So if I may quote from one of your own posts, "piss off."

Bake

[Ellis Wyatt]

34. it actually is just like a CEO

The CEO sets the direction of the company (i.e. "editorial decisions") and is the face of the company much like KO is the face of Countdown. The CEO speaks with all the institutional investors who own upwards of 80% of oustanding stock in a company.

The difference is that Olberman is looking for $4 million for being in charge of a show that that makes about $50-$100 million in ad revenue (all of MSNBC is $250 million) or about 5% of the his shows's revenues.

Whereas, the fatcat CEOs get paid hundreds of millions of dollars for being in charge of companies with revenues in the multi-billions, which pays them about 1%-2% of revenues.

So KO is taking a MUCH larger % of the revenues than corporate fat cats. And if your position is that it's a smaller revenue base and the person in charge will obviously make a higher % of the income, I'll buy that. But you find me one single small business that makes $50 million in revenue where the CEO is paying himself or herself $4 million. It's obscene.

But hey, if he can get the money from MSNBC, that's great for him. But MSNBC is in the middle of cutting $750 million from their budget. How many jobs could KOs $3 million raise save? How many camera men, writers and researchers will have to get fired so KO can afford another house?

[mondo joe]

38. Keith IS his product. CEO's can be replaced. NT

[Katzenjammer]

67. The CEOs get hundreds of millions in SALARY...their total comp is higher yet

Olbermann isn't asking for a piece, is he? Should he?

[samsingh]

30. people on the left better have money to do battle with the

parasites on the right.

[mondo joe]

36. Why should he have a problem? If his work earns sufficient revenues

for the network to pay him this fee, why shouldn't he take it?

[Ellis Wyatt]

39. so you have no problem

that the $3 million raise that Olberman is going to get will be at the expense of other employees that MSNBC will have to fire to pay for it?

They are shedding $750 million costs (which means people), and Olberman is going going to get a 300% raise! $3 million dollars. That could cost 100+ low-end workers their jobs at MSNBC. Does Olberman not see this, or not care?

Either way, it's not very socially conscious

[mondo joe]

42. Keith is not their employer. He is negotiating for his pay just like anyone else.

If I get a 5% raise it's money someone else won't get - should I forego that so someeone else can have it?

[Ellis Wyatt]

43. Your measly 5% raise

is neglible and does not have the same cause and effect of one guy getting a $3 million raise, knowing it will cause other people in the organization to get fired.

The CEO (keeping consistent with the previous analogy) also isn't in charge of his own raise, that's the board of directors.

You all sound like a bunch of right wingers with your "hey, he is entitled to make as much money as possible. Good for him." I've already made a case that it's no different than all the evil CEOs that everyone hates, and in actuality, KO is asking for a much greater % of revenues than the evil CEOs.

[mondo joe]

45. And again, CEOs are replacable. The talent is less so.

And I don't begrudge anyone negotiating his or her pay.

[Ellis Wyatt]

46. I'm sorry

But if you think that CEOs are easily replaceable, you have little understanding about what they do day-to-day.

[mondo joe]

47. It's not opinion - it's a demontrable fact. CEOs in fact ARE replaced.

They work for the corporation.

Keith IS his own corporation.

[Psephos]

63. Keith works for the corporation called MSNBC n/t

[Ellis Wyatt]

69. supply and demand

Yes, CEOs are replaced sometimes, it doesn't mean that it's easy. Olberman has also been "replaced" numerous times in his career.

If CEOs' jobs were so meaningless and interchangeable, they they wouldn't be making a such a high salary. It's not like they determine their own pay

[havocmom]

22. Hey, shots for possible anthrax exposure are pricey

and he probably has to spend more on basic security issues since he started taking it to the junta.

In a world where barely literate ball players and starlets with personality disorders and addiction problems make way over what KO is asking, I hardly call him greedy.

Maybe if our society would stop begrudging paychecks going to teachers and REAL journalists, it might be better off on all fronts.

[Cha]

62. I second that logic. Just because

KO tells it like it is..why should he get less?

If they have to make budget cuts then cut out the deadwood.

[samsingh]

29. Keith deserves every penny of the raise.

[mondo joe]

35. Donations are a personal choice.

He deserves to earn what he can.

[Christa]

8. How much does Katie Couric make?

He deserves much more.

[momster]

66. Couric making 13 mill

NBC supposedly offered her 20 to stay but she took a 13 mill offer from CBS to do anchoring which is what she was making at NBC ever since 2001.

Keith deserves to earn whatever he can, just like everybody else.

[truthisfreedom]

10. Olbermann deserves anything he can get. He's money to any network that will have him.

I wouldn't want my salary splattered all over the internet.

[xultar]

11. They better give it to him too!

[baby_bear]

12. I just don't want him to dumb down his show

My concern is that he might not have the latitude he has now to speak his mind in another venue.

We don't want a diluted Olbermann!

b_b

[FormerDem06]

14. While I like what he says....

I'm still not convinced that he's really "speaking his mind". Some of his speeches seemed like ratings grabs to me. But, that is just my opinion. I hope I'm wrong because I really enjoyed watching him in the runup to the election.

But if you have a big contract negotiation coming up and there's an election and you sense you can make ratings by pandering to the ticked off and motivated side.....you might do some things to get said ratings.

I just didn't watch him enough in 2004 and it's aftermath to make a completely educated decision on his stance.

[silvermachine]

17. I think he probably is speaking his mind...

...mainly because his remarks have been so pointed and direct that I really feared that MSNBC would cave to RW pressure and cut him loose. There were more than a couple of times when I really wondered if he would be back the next day after he would push the envelope so much with his show. I'm sure the fact that so many of us wrote him emails of support has encouraged him to continue to give a brutally unvarnished look at the hypocrisy so endemic to this administration. I am so thankful that someone like him is around...

[MasonJar]

16. You must have not been paying close attention. There was "fire

in the belly" in his denunciations of the crooked and cavalier cabal.

[ripple]

18. Does anyone know what the industry salary tends to run

for someone of KO's stature? 4-5 million sounds like a lot, but it might be perfectly in line with what other personalities in similar positions earn.

[Ladydawnelle]

23. ALL HaiL Keith O~~

I love, love, LOVEEEEEEE Keith. He, along with Stewart, Colbert, Wes Clark, Mike Malloy, Max Cleland, (to name a few) ARE MY HEROES!!!

Give them the reins in their appropriate venues and let them HEAL the NATION!! It's so broken, lame, dirty and sad that it will take a whole TEAM of specialists to repair it!!

I am POSITIVE they deserve what EVER money is available and I'm sure they will ALL give their share in charities or donations. For they speak for ME and I am a giving soul that cares about this country (has served) and lived long enough to spot the real thing when it's in front of me!

Not that any of them couldn't FALL short on an occasion as they are all HUmans! I'd forgive them a moments greed, vanity, what ever.

I'm also SOOOO proud of the DEMOCRATS and us BLOGGERS!! WE deserve an accolade or two as well! CHEERS~

[samsingh]

31. i love Keith

[calimary]

57. Agreed, completely! Welcome to DU!

Keith is what's helping to turn MSNBC a little more competitive. His is the highest-rated show they have. Period. And week-after-week. Hell, he's gained so much on orally that they're almost literally neck and neck. If I were the NBC News brass, I'd do anything to keep him. I'd give him close to that money (well, I, calimary, would give him MORE if I were calling the shots), and make him a special correspondent on "Nightly News," where he'd also be able to do an abbreviated version of his Special Comments whenever he could come up with them. If I couldn't give him all four mill, I'd find a way to sweeten everything else. He's WELL worth keeping. He's the only thing worth watching on MSNBC, and I bet more of the target demos would tune in to Brian Williams if they knew they could get Keith there, too.

[Ladydawnelle]

59. Ooo good idea!

A Squid of an idea!! R U Navy? :-]

[calimary]

64. No, but I did get into a pair of Navy button-front pants once...

Barrump-bump!

Nah, nothing that exciting. A onetime Navy guy, friend of mine, was getting rid of them and I liked the way they looked. They happened to fit me, so he gave 'em to me. :D

[warrens]

24. They'll pay

One thing they have to do is start getting better advertisers for his show and Tweety's. Not everyone watching MSNBC is 68 years old in need of knee replacements and Medicare prescription plans. It's their own fault if they are not getting top dollar for ads for his audience, which is far younger than most cable news audiences. O'Reilly's average viewer is about 60, IIRC.

[troubleinwinter]

60. I introduced

my 78 year old dad to Keith about six weeks ago.

He is now a DAILY VIEWER. He calls me sometimes and says "DID YOU SEE KEITH LAST NIGHT!!!??? He had a special commentary....!!"

So not all Keith fans are under 68!

[partylessinOhio]

26. Rita Cosby played that a few years back and she was dead on FOX.

[Judi Lynn]

28. She was a blob to start with. Should never have been hired, anywhere. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

27. For visiting DU'ers who claim Olbermann has been so outspoken

in an effort to gain ratings, I should remind them, if they even watched him at ALL previously, that he is very much in keeping with the Keith he was at the start.

I have watched closely as he has gathered up steam and assurance over time, one step at a time, and then made the step from which he could never return editorially in an amazing commentary. Seeing his "going where no one has ever gone" in tv has been exhilarating, yet he has put his very life in jeopardy, obviously. Right-wing power feeders are completely violent. They wouldn't think twice about slaughtering him any way possible just for the "impertinence" of challenging their right to control the entire world.

[Ladydawnelle]

32. Absolutely!

That's it! He's been like an ever boiling pot and once he hit boiling point.............. I was worried that he'd never be able to TOP his latest wonderful rant...... yet he kept doin it!

as I said before........ ALL HAIL KEITH O~~ LOL (I'm even dreaming about him) now THAT's a treat! ;-)

[DubyaSux]

33. Say Goodbye Keith....

....I like KO as much as anybody. Maybe even more. I liked him with ESPN and everywhere else he's been.

But he doesn't last long. He's high maintenance and demanding as hell. MSNBC won't pay it because he's not worth the headache. He'll hold the dems as accountable as he's held Dubya accountable, and his ratings will tank. Talking heads like Chris Matthews are more nuetral (at least they pretend to be - not saying whether they are or not) and don't have a "base" to piss off.

However, KO has a base and it's not republican friendly. The minute he points out the inevitable problems with the dems, he'll lose his base while republicans rejoice. I don't think KO is a hypocrite (like Hannity and Limbaugh), so he'll cry foul loudly if/when the dems act like idiots like all parties do from time to time. That $4M/year deal will look really, really bad then.

Sorry, it doesn't make much financial sense for MSNBC to pay this given his track record. But honestly, I hope to be proven wrong so we can see more of KO for years to come.

[RamboLiberal]

44. I would hope the KO base wouldn't be as stupid as the dittoheads

If the Dems or a Dem screws up I'll be the first to cheer on KO. I would hope KO fans here at DU wouldn't be so shallow as to not recognize the truth if it's critical of a Dem.

If MSNBC doesn't find a way to pay KO they may as well fold up their tent and go to 24/7 DocBlocks.

Tweety neutral! HAH! I still can't trust Tweety even when he is dissing W after the way he creamed his jeans over W's Bullhorn moment or in the flightsuit.

[Judi Lynn]

50. He swoons over the mentally challenged governator of California, too.

He's helplessly attached to "authority" figures, unless they are Democrats.

[RamboLiberal]

51. And McCain as well - Tweety goes orgasmic over Big John!

eom

[KansDem]

40. They've got to be kidding!

MSNBC parent NBC Universal has mandated $750 million worth of budget cuts across all divisions, and this is hardly a politic time to hand out a gargantuan raise.

Since when is Corporate American sooooo concerned about handing out raises? I'm sure the "MSNBC brass" has no qualms about "increasing compensation" for themselves.

[stillcool]

48. wow...strange goings on around here...

I'm not a television news imbiber, nor am I up on the current salary's of the hosts,...but I am just floored that someone would actually insinuate that Keith should opt out of a pay raise, when he works for one of the mother-ships of our corptocracy. The 2%'ers can continue to grow their fortunes, but an individual has to forgo any raise, and instead ante up to feed the masses. Pretzel logic is contagious.

[Judi Lynn]

52. I think it's probably a bogus post by someone who sees Keith Olbermann

as an actual threat to the idiots in the right-wing. A return to sanity in our country is ALSO a threat to them.

[stillcool]

53. Ah...no wonder!

I keep thinking that people say what they really mean. Old habits die hard.:hi:

[laureloak]

49. He's worth more to me than any athelete. n/t

[against all enemies]

54. Show him the money.

[UTUSN]

58. He's worth more than Tweety n/t

[aaronbees]

61. Good for him

He's bringing the new viewers in and lays it on the line every night. Hope he gets it, and I'd hate to see him go to CNN.

[donheld]

65. I say give it too him

:bounce::bounce::bounce:

[Joe Bacon]

68. If CBS had any brains left, they'd match the offer!

But no, they got too much invested in Bimborella Katie!