“CBS Night Information” anchor Norah O’Donnell’s pay bundle received slashed by greater than half this spring amid a brutal spherical of value cuts on the third-place community, The Put up has discovered.
In keeping with insiders, CBS Information re-signed the 48-year-old anchor in April with a yearly wage of $3.8 million — down from the earlier $8 million — following stories that the community had been casting round for a alternative as O’Donnell’s rankings proceed to sag.
CBS execs gave O’Donnell a “low ball” supply through the hard-knuckle negotiations, which they “anticipated O’Donnell to reject,” in response to a supply briefed on the talks. When she accepted it, some executives appeared shocked, the supply added.
Insiders mentioned O’Donnell’s capitulation got here after months of clashes with Neeraj Khemlani, the sharp-elbowed, cost-slashing co-president of CBS Information who had been brazenly searching for a brand new anchor to interchange her through the months earlier than her contract was up in April.
anchor Norah O’Donnell took a steep pay lower amid restructuring on the community.
Khemlani reached out to former MSNBC anchor Brian Williams, who turned him down, in response to a report from CNN.He additionally thought of NBC’s Craig Melvin and, as reported by The Put up, even mulled selling Tony Dokoupil, her previous co-anchor at “CBS Mornings,” to the position.
Insiders mentioned Dokoupil’s candidacy was significantly galling for O’Donnell, as Khemlani in January assigned the 41-year-old morning present host to anchor a particular broadcast from from Washington, DC, on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 capitol riots. And shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, CBS Information once more set tongues wagging by initially sending Dokoupil as an alternative of O’Donnell to Poland to cowl the unfolding struggle.
A spokesperson for CBS Information denied Khemlani was searching for to dump O’Donnell.
“Improper once more. Neeraj led the hassle to retain and re-sign a couple of dozen of our greatest anchors and correspondents during the last yr together with Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King — and recruited just a few new ones like Nate Burleson and Robert Costa,” the spokesperson mentioned.
“Whereas there are large prime time openings elsewhere within the Information business, CBS Information has the No. 1 information broadcasts and completed the season with a number of reveals together with morning and evenings of their best place ever. Apparently, the extra false tales the NY Put up writes, the higher issues go for CBS Information.”
Nevertheless, sources mentioned the thinly veiled job search broken O’Donnell’s popularity and infuriated her workforce. Tensions rose so excessive that her agent, UTA co-president Jay Sures, went over Khemlani’s head to barter her contract with CBS CEO George Cheeks and Shari Redstone, the chairwoman of CBS mother or father Paramount International, sources mentioned.
In keeping with one well-placed supply, O’Donnell had been “telling all people how shut she’d gotten to Redstone” through the contract negotiations.
In the meantime, it's rumored that O’Donnell’s camp leaked to the press that Sures had reached out to incoming CNN boss Chris Licht about hiring the anchor. The Every day Beast reported earlier this month that Sures’ try was “rebuffed” as a result of Licht “couldn't negotiate earlier than his begin date” on Might 2.
A supply near CNN, nevertheless, instructed The Put up that O’Donnell was “by no means into account” to hitch the community. A second supply added that the facility seize “irritated” Licht, with a 3rd noting that Licht, who beforehand labored with O’Donnell when she co-anchored CBS’ morning present, was adamant that the exec wouldn't wish to “reunite” with the “troublesome” anchor. Reps for Licht and CNN didn't return requests for remark.
In the long run, O’Donnell remains to be working at CBS Information beneath Khemlani as a result of “she didn’t have any choices and he didn’t both,” one well-placed supply instructed The Put up.
As beforehand reported by The Put up, O’Donnell has ruffled feathers with “poisonous habits” that features chewing out dressing room stylists over her hair and make-up and placing employees by way of the bizarre every day ritual of a full “costume rehearsal” of the “Night Information” half an hour earlier than the present airs.
O’Donnell’s every day calls for additionally included having her Gucci slides ready in entrance of her dressing room door so she will put them on as quickly as she is off the set.
“No one needs to work together with her,” mentioned a supply. “She’s too troublesome.”
O’Donnell’s publicist Cindi Berger and CBS disputed the claims on the time.
Whereas CBS seems to be doubling down with O’Donnell for at the least one other three years, insiders inform The Put up that “CBS Night Information” is having a troublesome time discovering candidates who wish to interview for the nightly newscast’s government producer job, which will likely be vacant when interim EVP Al Ortiz retires in July.
“By re-signing her contract, they’ve given the message to the corporate that final place is sweet sufficient,” a supply instructed The Put up. “Now, they’re having bother getting an outdoor government producer partially as a result of no person needs to take care of her and in addition as a result of the rankings are under 5 million.”
Sources say that prime contenders to run the “Night Information” are inner, and that O’Donnell’s proper hand, government story editor Adam Verdugo or senior broadcast producer Alturo Rhymes, will doubtless get the job.
Within the final two months, “Night Information” has dipped under 5 million in complete common every day viewers. in response to Nielsen. O’Donnell’s present grabbed 5.4 million within the first quarter, trailing “NBC Nightly Information with Lester Holt” and “ABC World Information Tonight,” which nabbed 7.8 million and eight.9 million, respectively.
Media insiders say that Holt and ABC host David Muir make between $12 million and $20 million. In the meantime at CBS, execs have tried to shrink bills on the “Night Information,” which sources mentioned isn’t a money-maker for the community. As beforehand reported by The Put up, O’Donnell’s predecessor Jeff Glor was making a modest $2 million.
Glor was changed by O’Donnell, who was promoted by then-CBS Information president Susan Zirinsky. Insiders have criticized Zirinsky for padding O’Donnell’s wage and spending hundreds of thousands to maneuver the “Night Information” from New York to Washington, DC, with the promise that this system would reel in higher rankings.
Final spring, the community introduced in Khemlani and co-president Wendy McMahon to trim the fats — and a few say, doubtlessly promote the corporate or spin off a few of its property sooner or later.
“Neeraj did his job,” mentioned a supply, referring to the exec’s mandate from Cheeks and his boss, Paramount International CEO Bob Bakish, to chop prices and reorganize the community.
Whereas Khemlani has revamped the group by rehauling Gayle King’s “CBS Mornings” and restructuring the CBS Information digital arm, there was a drumbeat of high-level departures, as morale has cratered to an all-time low beneath the demanding exec.
“He has made enemies, however what’s his accomplishment?,” a supply mentioned. “He has broken Norah. The present is rarely going to enhance from third. CBS is now not what it was. It’s not even shut.”
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