Rachel Maddow Pay Cut, Brutal Lineup Shakeup Coming

On By Littum

CABLE CHAOS MSNBC talent (clockwise from left) Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough, Katy Tur, Ali Vitali, Rachel Maddow and Rev. Al Sharpton. (Photo illustration by The Ankler; image credits below)

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Lachlan Cartwright writes about media. He previously broke the news of Chris Wallace’s pay cut that led to his departure CNN’s star salary “beheadings” and that paltry payday for Brian Williams for the Anklet.

This Ankler feature is a 10-minute read.

The bombshell announcement on Wednesday that Comcast will spin off NBCUniversal’s cable channels added fresh rocket fuel to the anxiety-consuming talent and executives at MSNBC.

I can exclusively report that the business has rebuilt marquee talent Rachel Maddowthe network’s leading election night and best-known anchor. Three years ago I broke the news Maddow’s $30M deal to live on MSNBC. Now, people familiar with the matter say she was quietly renewed in early fall — but for a much smaller amount (below I’ll tell you exactly how much less and for how long).

I’ve also learned of MSNBC executives’ new plan to jumpstart both daytime and weekend programming and to name a new host for Morning Joe lead-in (I’ll tell you who). And keep reading to find out which household news names are gaining airtime and losing it.

The nerves are as raw in 30 Rock right now as the oysters down at Oceana. Follow Donald Trump‘s resounding victory, the network’s ratings have cratered — two days after the election, its numbers were down a whopping 40 percent year-over-year, according to Nielsen data. The ratings are in an uproar and two of MSNBC’s iconic faces, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinskiare accused of ruining their anti-Trump cred by traveling to Mar-a-Lago to meet with the president-elect. (A spokesman for MSNBC and a spokesman for NBC declined to comment.)

On election day, Lorne Michaels, Andy Richter, Michael Che and Quest laws everyone made a surprise appearance in the MSNBC control room to catch the excitement (before it fizzled). In four years, you won’t see NBC’s comedy executives and stars lurking behind the scenes as Comcast’s spin-off of its cable assets — a drag on the stock price — will set MSNBC (along with CNBC) loose from the NBC mothership.

The development signals major cost savings at both cable news networks. It also calls into question the future of NBCUniversal News Group’s chairman Cesar Conde – an ambitious executive who always has his eye on a bigger prize and instead now faces a reduced mandate overseeing NBC News, NBC News Now, Telemundo Enterprises and NBCU Local stations (plus pursuing “other growth opportunities” together with Comcast president Mike Cavanagh).

I spoke with a dozen MSNBC executives, producers and reporters over the past week, and in this broadcast, you’ll learn:

  • The size of Rachel Maddow’s pay cut

  • Which star in the air is out and who is in

  • MSNBC president Rashida Jones‘ plans to shake up daytime and weekend programming

  • The soon-to-be-appointed new host of Morning Joe introduction

  • Questions surrounding on-air talent doing double duty at NBC News

  • Who gets airtime – but why it’s not necessarily a good thing

  • How Mark LazarusCEO of the new “SpinCo,” pivots its strategy

  • The star boosting ratings as “Viagra ratings” for MSNBC

  • Who fills the void in leadership left by uninspired and uninspiring leaders

  • The pressing and multiplying questions about the future of the network

  • How Joe and Mika’s critics view their Mar-a-Lago pilgrimage

  • Keith Olbermann‘s blistering words to me about Scarborough

  • Employee concerns about platforming “this Star Wars freak show bar” by Trump’s cabinet appointees

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