Gayle King’s 13-year CBS News career may be coming – Business News
Gayle King’s time at CBS may be working out.
The star host of “CBS Mornings” — who started her early a.m. stint on the Tiffany Network in 2012 alongside Charlie Rose and Norah O’Donnell — will face robust negotiations to resume a contract that’s coming due in September, sources advised The Post.
Insiders stated the 70-year-old King’s wage, pegged at more than $10 million, is way too high to justify her show’s plummeting scores. As beforehand reported by The Post, King’s yearly compensation bought trimmed final yr from $13 million when she inked a new one-year deal.
Gayle King’s future at CBS is trying murky forward of her contract negotiations. Getty Images
“This could be Gayle’s last year,” based on a media insider close to the Tiffany Network.
When King re-upped final yr, CBS father or mother Paramount Global was within the throes of steep funds cuts forward of its proposed merger with Hollywood studio Skydance Media.
The company continues to be in upheaval. On Monday, CBS News boss Wendy McMahon stepped down amid steep scores declines at “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Evening News,” which she tried to overtake with a new format and anchor lineup.
Now, No. 2 government, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski, will attempt to stem the bleeding — which might worsen if King leaves.
“Tom doesn’t have enough hands to plug the holes in the dam,” stated a CBS insider, who famous that shedding King would majorly shake up the morning program and be one other drawback the veteran programmer must remedy.
“CBS Mornings” co-anchors Tony Dokoupil (left), King (center) and Nate Burleson (proper) have seen the show’s viewership slip under 2 million. CBS through Getty Images
Paramount is predicted to kick off one other spherical of brutal cuts as half of its mandate to slash $500 million as quickly as subsequent month. Assuming Skydance and Paramount close its deal, new management from Skydance are anticipated to proceed reducing, a well-placed source advised The Post.
“The first year of the merger will just be consolidation,” the particular person stated.
Skydance declined to remark, however a source close to the company stated: “No one has given any thought to Gayle King’s contract as there are clearly other priorities to tackle.”
For King, one other large one-year deal will be a “miracle,” a third source added, explaining that CBS has been offering one-year contracts as a result of the anchor is “too expensive.”
CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon stepped down Monday as two of the community’s prime exhibits, “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Evening News” have suffered large scores declined underneath her management. REUTERS
Normally, expertise contracts are for roughly three years. Another particular person stated that King prefers one-year contracts as she is weighing her choices on what to do subsequent.
“Gayle sees the writing on the wall,” the particular person stated.
CBS News and King didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Although King is the face of the community, she doesn’t have a lot bargaining leverage, sources stated. While she might decide to take one other pay cut, it could possible be far steeper this time because the embattled information division’s scores proceed to sink.
Her last-placed show, which she co-hosts with Tony Dokoupil and Nate Burleson, hit a new low because it was relaunched in September 2021.
CBS News president Tom Cibrowski with King. Mike Coppola
In current weeks, this system’s whole viewership sunk under 2 million regardless of a main enhance on April 14 for unique protection of King’s space flight on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket.
The anchor took an 11-minute journey to the sting of space with an all-female crew that included pop star Katy Perry and the Amazon founder’s fiancée Lauren Sanchez – serving to her show flip in a uncommon first-place scores end.
The spectacle drew roughly 3.9 million whole viewers, rocketing previous ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “Today,” which reeled in 2.7 million and a pair of.5 million viewers, respectively, based on Nielsen scores.
The embattled CBS News faces a contemporary spherical of cuts forward of father or mother Paramount’s anticipated merger with Skydance, based on studies. AP
“CBS Mornings’” scores, nevertheless, have since come back to Earth, with 1.9 million viewers within the week of May 5, trailing NBC with 2.6 million and ABC with 2.7 million viewers.
“Skydance is definitely not going to keep her with those numbers,” the primary source stated.
While Skydance is extensively anticipated to merge with Paramount within the coming months, the deal is going through hurdles.
Currently, Paramount is in talks with Trump’s attorneys over his $20 billion lawsuit over “60 Minutes’” modifying of its sit-down with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump’s FCC chair Brendan Carr can also be trying into the matter.
