Keith Olbermann and MSNBC are at odds over a new contract as the wildly popular host of "Countdown" is said to want "north of $4 million" a year in the wake of a huge ratings surge for his show. His
contract expires in April, and the target figure would be a fourfold increase over his current deal. He wants the big bump because "Countdown" has been one of the hottest properties on cable: In the
25-54 demo, ratings are up 25% year-to-date and an astounding 75% so far in the fourth quarter. But, the trade magazine notes, "MSNBC brass may have their hands tied on how much they can pony up for
Olbermann." Parent NBC Universal has decreed $750 million in budget cuts across all divisions, "and this is hardly a politic time to hand out a gargantuan raise." While CNN may have some interest in
Olbermann, he likely wants to stay put--as he has been given a lot of creative freedom in his second stint at the network, which he left in 1998 after clashes with management over being pushed to
endlessly cover the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal.
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at Broadcasting & Cable »
