Clear Channel signs Ryan Seacrest to 3 year, $60 million contract

[Rage for Order]

If corporate executives and other business people aren't worth $20 million per year (which they aren't, in nearly all cases), is an entertainer like Ryan Seacrest any different?

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/stopthepresses/330499/ryan-seacrest-60-million-man-most-trusted-american-tastemaker-or-milquetoast/

Ryan Seacrest is the $60 million dollar man, having just signed a three-year renewal with his radio sponsor, Clear Channel Communications. His expiring deal with the media conglomerate was worth a mere $35 million. That may seem like mad money to be paying someone whose principal (some would say only) talent is a gift for genial gab. But if Clear Channel had lost Seacrest, there would have been no nearest-runner-up for them to go after and build up. As the only game in town when it comes to pop hosting ubiquity, Seacrest can set his own price. And, apparently, he did.

Robert Pittman, Clear Channel's chairman of media platforms, led the brigade of laughable statements. He told the New York Times that Seacrest "has emerged as somebody who you believe is searching through everything out there and telling you what is the very best about popular culture at that moment. He's trusted." In another statement, the Clear Channel boss ladled it on even more, calling Seacrest "a true visionary who has firmly established himself as America's leading curator of popular culture."

The weird thing to remember about this $60 million deal is that it's for a part-time job. His Clear Channel radio (and web) responsibilities might officially count as full-time—plus overtime, by some standards—since he'll continue to host the American Top 40 countdown show, a national version of "On Air With Ryan Seacrest" that airs on afternoons (and is about to bumped up to four hours from three), and a five-hour local morning show in L.A.

But there's no indication the new deal will take any time away from his self-employment as a producer of programs like Keeping Up with the Kardashians (speaking of "what is the very best about popular culture at this moment"), or from his American Idol hosting duties. That sounds like two additional full-time jobs right there that have nothing to do with radio or Clear Channel. He explained his ability to do all this by telling the Times: "Dude, I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off. (But) if you love something, then you make time for it."

[Orrex]

1. As mindless radio hosts go, he's actually not that bad

Don't see how he's worth $60M, but that's just me.

[Canuckistanian]

2. Is he the new Messiah?

"a true visionary who has firmly established himself as America's leading curator of popular culture."

If that's true, is he being paid enough? Visionaries tend to get grumpy when their paychecks aren't up to their usual heavenly standards.

[AndrewP]

3. Well, if the Yankees are going to give an old guy $50 million to play shortstop....

[SoCalDem]

4. I've heard that name, but I could not pick him out of a line up

Is he a "Dancing with the Quasi-Celebutantes" guy?

[niyad]

5. who???

[thatgemguy]

6. I wonder

How much local talent and locally originated programming could be had for 60 million??

[KillCapitalism]

7. No one is worth that.

In a perfect world, we'd cap all salaries at a max. of $500,000 a year at most.

[Swamp Rat]

8. We're ALL 'curators of pop culture', and who the hell is Ryan Seacrest?

:wtf: