Hoda Kotb’s tearful departure from the Today show on Thursday revealed the changing salaries that female TV anchors are currently experiencing.
The reality is that network’s could be shifting away from utilizing veteran broadcast talents who have graced US television screens for years.
Money is the biggest factor in this potential decision.
Hoda, 60, was making more than $20million yearly at NBC, Puck News reported.
Her co-host Savannah Guthrie, who referred to Hoda as ‘our sunshine,’ makes around the same.
Hoda Kotb’s tearful departure from the Today show on Thursday revealed the changing salaries that female TV anchors are currently experiencing
Hoda, 60, was making more than $20million yearly at NBC, Puck News reported
Her co-host Savannah Guthrie, who referred to Hoda as ‘our sunshine,’ makes around the same
Hoda said her reasoning for leaving was to end her career at a high and spend more time with her children.
But the economic realities of broadcast media are putting a strain on the amount of payouts companies like NBC can make when resigning contracts with their experienced talent.
Today and Good Morning America were averaging around 5million viewers around a decade ago, now their audiences have been cut in half.
And as their viewers age, their hold on younger audiences is almost non-existent – with around 600,000 viewers in the 25 to 54 age range.
Companies like NBC are now relying on paying out their female anchors significantly less than the millions they were shelling to hosts such as Hoda and Savannah.
Kaitlan Collins, 32, is the host of The Source which airs at 9pm on CNN.
She’s pulling in $3million a year – which Puck News speculates would’ve been double if she entered the industry a decade ago.
Kaitlan Collins, 32, is the host of The Source that’s on at 9pm on CNN. She’s pulling in $3 million a year – which Puck News speculates would’ve been double if she entered the industry a decade ago
Rachel Maddow of NBC seems to be an outlier in this trend, earning $30million a year to host one night a week
Rachel Maddow of NBC seems to be an outlier in this trend, earning $30million a year to host one night a week.
But Puck News said sources informed them the next contract wouldn’t offer a raise.
Even Skydance-Paramount’s CBS News is experiencing a cost-cutting future that revealed the company plans to phase Norah O’Donnell out of CBS Evening News and replace her with a rotating cast of less economically demanding anchors.
Not even Savannah could crack the heights that Matt Lauer made at a staggering $25million – before he was ousted over a sexual harassment scandal in 2017.
But the phasing out of veteran talent will most likely accelerate when its comes time for contracts to be renewed and renegotiated.
