“Overpaid diva” Norah O’Donnell may lose her gig as anchor of the third-place “CBS Evening News” broadcast.
Executives are reportedly looking to cut costs, and O’Donnell’s purported $8 million per year salary may be coming under scrutiny, even after CBS shelled out big bucks several years ago to move the show from New York City to Washington, D.C. to accommodate O’Donnell and her family.
“CBS Evening News can succeed reputationally without spending a ton of money,” insiders reportedly told the New York Post in an exclusive. “They definitely want Norah out but have no clue how to replace her.”
O’Donnell’s three-year contract comes to an end next spring. New CBS co-president Neeraj Khemlani reportedly has engaged consultants to “trim fat” at the network. “Neeraj is charged with bringing down costs and boosting profits and he does not understand why the ‘Evening News’ is in DC, a source told the Post.”
The “CBS Evening News” show regularly trails ABC’s “World News Tonight” and NBC’s “Nightly News” in the ratings and is also failing to attract the advertiser-coveted 25-54 age group.
While pulling in viewership in the range of 6-9 million, all three of these liberal, corporate media legacy news programs, however, have obviously been rendered less relevant with 24/7 cable news stations in the mix plus the immediacy and accessibility of internet content. Thus, the business model may be obsolete or close to it.
CBS News’ crack reporting finds it’s not Biden, but something else causing record surge on border https://t.co/KiBzU2FwIz pic.twitter.com/7azz3oEey7
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) April 9, 2021
“She is a woman version of an outdated anchor,” an insider said about O’Donnell. “Her appointment was an example of the worst kind of change. It was about optics.”
In a behind-the-scenes scenario that is hardly unusual in the media/entertainment space, O’Donnell, 47, is also reportedly unpleasant to work with.
“Sources told The Post that O’Donnell’s diva-like behavior wouldn’t be missed in the network’s corridors. They said she continues to be rude to hair, makeup and wardrobe staff — despite years of complaints that she is ‘divisive’ and ‘toxic’ with colleagues. She also has demanded new designer threads throughout the pandemic, a move that rubbed some the wrong way, as she reports on COVID deaths, political upheaval and unemployment.”
Staff also supposedly bristled when CBS bestowed the managing editor sobriquet on news reader O’Donnell, “an esteemed title held by news legend Walter Cronkite that had been retired once Pelley was ousted from the anchor’s desk.”
Although this kind of statement can often be a precursor to the opposite when rumored shakeups emerge in various industries, Khemlani has provided an alternative narrative.
“There are no plans to move the Evening News from Washington. Norah’s presence in Washington has elevated the CBS Evening News’ coverage on all fronts – politics, breaking news, to big interviews including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen just last week. Her reporting on the military and domestic abuse has won awards and changed policies in Washington. And in addition to making headlines, the program is gaining audience share,” he told the Post.
O’Donnell originally “muscled her way” into the evening gig in 2019 because she didn’t get along with then-“CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King, a show now known as “CBS Mornings.”
King is reportedly held in high regard by CBS, which is currently negotiating a new contract with her that may include additional platforms. “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Tony Dokoupil, who only earns about $2 million a year, is seen by some as a potential bargain replacement for O’Donnell.
“I don’t see a world in which Norah O’Donnell anchors the show from DC. The network definitely needs to lower her salary — halve it or put someone in who costs less,” claimed an insider to the Post.
“CBS doesn’t need to pay someone $8 million to be in third place,” another source claimed.
Twitter is not exactly giving Norah O’Donnell a ringing endorsement. Here is a sampling:
Here is some free consulting advice, it’s not her but an indistinguishable format/business model that maker CBS the same as ABC and NBC. Hey CBS you want to leapfrog your competition try being more “Right Centered in the News”.
— KJHop (@kj_hop) October 24, 2021
Not news at all. More pressing issues then O’Donnell getting clipped. They bent over backwards to accommodate her and ratings went to pot. All 3 networks should be canceling their nightly news. Seinfeld repeats have better ratings then any of them.
— john stevens (@johnsteve3201) October 24, 2021
If no one watches her on the “CBS news” and CBS replaces her will anyone really notice?
— Kim Taylor (@KimberlyannT53) October 24, 2021
Really curious, who she is….besides my in-laws, do people actually watch’s nightly news? I haven’t done that in 20 years 🤷🏻♀️
— Terrence Maddoux (@Jrizzell) October 25, 2021
O’Donnell is very liberal. CBS is very liberal & biased network. Her firing doesn’t matter.
— brotherwatt1 (@brotherwatt1) October 24, 2021
One of the easiest jobs is to read 5 minutes of news off a teleprompter in a 30 minute segment with 25 minutes of commercials. she just lacks the enthusiasm of her competitors. At 8M a year, the network can absolutely do better
— Eric L. (@WolfofBagholder) October 25, 2021
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Robert Jonathan is a staff writer for BizPac Review. He is a longtime writer/editor for news aggregation websites and has also developed content in the legal and financial publishing sectors as well as for online education. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law, “a law school the basketball teams can be proud of.”
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