How will she survive?

…the players make billions for team owners.

Plus keys to the executive employees lounge.

Not to mention the men have assigned parking in the lot while the women have to park in the street...at parking meters.

Plus keys to the executive employees lounge.

Not to mention the men have assigned parking in the lot while the women have to park in the street...at parking meters.

From what I’ve been able to look up, Maddow is the highest paid personality at MSNBC. She literally makes three times as much as the next ‘anchor,’ for one day’s work per week. I doubt she ‘gave up’ the salary on principle. I think at $30 million or $25 million, it’s still the best money she could get for what amounts to a part time job. It gives her the time to write books, which is what she really wants to do.

I'm not trying to take anything away from her. I definitely like watching her program the most of any of the MSNBC programs. The only two that come close for me are Joy Reid and Chrish Hayes. Since we're paying for celebrity, and not work per se, she deserves what she gets.

Rachel Maddow $30 million (now 25)
Brian Williams $10 million
Joe Scarborough $8 million (too much for that Vishi)
Mika Brzezinski $8 million (too much for THAT Vishi)
Lawrence O’Donnell $7 million (stop the hammering!)
Chris Matthews $5 million until he quit.
Joy Reid $5 million
Ari Melber $5 million (unshaven anesthesiologist, if you ask me)
Andrea Mitchell $5 million (Send her to CNN, if you want my opinion)
Willie Geist $5 million (Not bad for a cleaned up version of Andy Richter.)
Katy Tur $4 million
Chuck Todd $4 million (too much for garden variety 'both siderist')
Ali Velshi (hardest working stiff at the network. He deserves twice as much.) $3 million
Chris Hayes $2 million (He’s getting screwed, blued, and tattooed)
Alex Witt $2 million
Stephanie Ruhle $1 million
Nicolle Wallace $1 million

My husband is a retired teacher, and used to spend about 6 days a week preparing his lectures — researching new material, reading new textbooks, thinking of new ways to get the subjects across. For 3 or 4 lectures a week he worked untold hours in preparation in his home office, more hours in his college office with appointments, and so on. He didn’t teach during summers, but other than that his days were much the same — prepping, learning. He never really retired from working — he went back into the industry when he stopped teaching at 65.

Do people think Rachel Maddow walks onto the set and bullshits off the top of her head? That someone else feeds a batch of notes into the teleprompter? Even if I didn't know she had a PhD and was a Rhodes Scholar, I could still detect the huge amount of research that goes into her programs — the one day a week at the MSNBC studio (that we know of — after all, she has a team she directs) , the multipart specials, the multipart podcasts. Every one of them requiring volumes of research, days of reading, writing, thinking. She’s meticulous, and it shows.

I don’t set salaries for any industry, much less TV and cable newscasting — but those businesses make money hand over fist. Should the bosses keep it all, and dole out salaries of $100,000/year — maybe $200,000? Or should they allow their best employees to negotiate for an equitable share of the pie? Why would that make her negotiated salary “obscene” as someone called it? Why isn’t Rachel as valuable as, say, a football player?

nt

delegate research, drafting, editing, etc.

She is way better than a whole bunch of those names. Really Willie Geist makes more then her is ridicules.

if she works 8 hours per week and 48 weeks per year... she is making 65,104 per hour.

The rest of her time she is either doing books ( which MSNBC should not pay for ) or her TV specials. But she doesn't do all this by herself either, so there are reporters and producers and fact checkers ( research staff ) and, presumably, production crew and writers.

not saying she doesn't earn the money she makes.

Down from $570,000 per hour. It's still the sweetest part time job in town. Especially for someone who really wants to be a writer.

I'd often thought that she was (almost) the only person worth watching on MSNBC. She's got them over a barrel. I thought she could easily start her own spin-off syndicated show. But that would take up too much of her time putting on a show five days a week, when she really wants to spend most of her time writing books.

So, in truth, I don't think she took the $5,000,000 pay cut as a sacrifice. It was the best option for both her and the network.

For easier comparison to us troglodytes.

She works hours daily putting the show together with her producers and staff.
Still, pretty good gig if you can get it.

I've followed her since her Air America days. No one provides such rationale, insight, historical relevance and connections as she does. Her style of reporting/discussion is compelling and articulate. She's earned her money and spotlight. She's a national teacher ... and I want her around now when we need her most.

She is the best journalist in America, as far as I am concerned. I would follow her anywhere.

She could be a pioneer in a new form of journalism that is the opposite of FOX and the propaganda brigade

Young people don't watch TV. People are cutting the cord all over. Most people only watch cable news if & when something big is happening. Fox's audience is primarily angry old white people. Where are the new viewers coming from?

We needed a break. But we began watching again, however, we quit watching Morning Joe after they went to Mar-a-Lago.

We currently watch Chis Hays, Rachel, and Lawrence.

but I'd add Nocile. (I don't bother with actual TV. But many things can be caught on MSN's YouTube channel.)

Every hour you stay near that place will give you a stink, like being in a bar where people smoke strong cigarettes. I know I do not pay your bills, but if you can, get out. That might be what it takes to tell the centrists who made msnbc as bait that they really did blow it this time.

than ever. She knows that, she reaches a lot of people who tune in.

I'm glad msnbc is there, warts and all.

she would go back on air five nights a week

hummm... i kinda doubt she will

I even woke up early to listen to her once she got her own show. Air America is also how I found Thom Hartman

is gross, obscene,. I respect her work but will never watch her again for the rest of my life.

How did the wealth gap become this disparate?

Noticed the story today about the $6.2 million art piece of a banana duct taped to a canvas.

We are a very very sick society.
!

Yeah.WELL ...

No big loss.

since about 2006. I think it was something called Air America. And You?

Now are you going to support her, or are you going to keep crying over the income she's well earned?

raise holy hell about ANYONE----- movie star, pro football player or news commentator , making such an obscene amount of money.
I am allowed to have my opinion and I offer it to you for much less than 30 million dollars. In fact, its free.

Are you gonna keep crying about me having an opinion?

I listened to her on my way to work. She was fabulous even then.
And then Randi Rhodes on the way home.
They had such a great roster at the beginning. Sad it didn’t last.

Who do you know who brings you more facts per second than Rachel? She's probably the single best journalist on the planet.

$30 million a year. Fucks sake.

Love Rachel. She is great at what she does.

She makes an obscene amount of money. I didn't know that.

Love all the discussions that have followed. Our Capitalistic system is a monstrous unfair disaster that is growing instead of shrinking. .

It's OK to talk about that. It's necessary to talk about that. We HAVE to talk about that.

I know too many good people who have dropped out of politics with "they are all the same" excuses.

So, one of our stars; a leading warrior for the poor, the abused, the ignored; is actually a multi-fucking-millionaire.

SHE should do one of her great, intense, extensive, "in depth" programs on just how in the hell that happens in a society where homeless people roam the streets, people can't afford health insurance and others work three jobs to try to make ends meet. A country where many old people live month to month on pathetic social security income and many more go without necessary healthcare because they can't afford the co-pays or the cost of prescriptions.

And some of their co-citizens make $35 million a year.

It's OK to think that that ain't quite right.

the corporate upper management is also taking a pay cut. Probably getting performance bonuses.

I do catch Lawrence occasionally on you tube or here, but don’t miss it.

I can’t help but think just like twitter and now bluesky, something will rise to replace it. Ppl who tune in to msnbc aren’t going to go to cnn or fux as a replacement, but instead turn it all off. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.

It has been wonderful. I will never watch again. Anyone with scruples in the news business will leave the legacies behind. Those who stay, are making a statement in and of itself.

…may have more to do with people like me fleeing ALL news media so they can begin healing. It doesn’t mean MSNBC won’t be my favorite channel when I am able to watch politics again, although I wish I could end the addiction altogether. What responsible citizen has that luxury?

of Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. As far as MSNBC goes, I will watch Nicole Wallace or Lawrence O'Donnell once in a while but nothing else. If they are going to bring in more right wingers, might as well throw in the towel and become another fox wannabe like CNN.

I try not to miss any of his "A Closer Look" segments on YouTube

I am subscribed to his channel too.

Am I the only one who is shocked by so many people here just giving up? I'm sure their demise will be celebrated by Putin and MAGA. Yes it’s a corporate company, but I can’t imagine losing Lawrence ODonnel, Jen Psaki, Rachel, Joy Reid, Ari and others. I learn a lot. You really want CNN to be our only option?

MSNBC may die, it’s true, but they also might become something better, something that doesn’t have Angela Mitchell or Morning Joe. If they keep Rachel, Lawrence O’Donnell, Joy Reid, and a few others whose names escape me at the moment they could become a foil to combat the right wing noise machine. Here’s hoping!

as illustrated by Joe Scarborough and Mika. MSNBC's corporate masters will no doubt pressure the rest of the hosts/anchors to move to the center. If they do that, MSNBC will die.

that has programmed Donald Trump 24x7 for 10+ years running. OK, they say they are against Trump, but they, above all other networks, have normalized him with many of the people we needed to be outraged by him. And instead of programming Trump for 40 hours of prime time every week, they could have been covering some issues that are highly relevant to the average American. They could have been featuring people who are trying to build grassroots operations. They could have used some of their airtime to help resistance groups organize. There are 1000 things they could have done instead of playing 5 hours of nonstop Trump every evening.

Maddow is a little different from the other anchors, who just ramble on about the same 3 Trump stories that the other anchors cover all night long. Maddow did bring some real perspective and insight back in the day. But since she cut back her hours, she has been basically entertaining herself with stories that interest her, but aren't really very meaningful when the very existence of our democracy is at stake. That is her choice, of course, but I don't see how that will be worth $35M, $30M or even half that to a network that is heading into a death spiral.

It is hard to see how that network will maintain an audience over the term of her contract. I hope she required her pay to be placed in escrow, because I doubt that MSNBC will even be a thing in 5 years. We really need to be talking about how to get the most out of the new media formats. The last thing the world needs is to put those same tired talking heads on a podcast every day. There really must be a better way.

I keep thinking of the phrase "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" which a lot of people here have repeated over the years. MSNBC can be really good, especially if you think about some of the guests they get. Thinking of people like Timothy Snyder, Anne Applebaum, Ruth Ben-Ghiat to name a few just on the subject of Authoritarianism.

I wouldn't want those voices to disappear from mainstream media just because Katy Tur does the both siderism thing way too often.

spot in the new channel. Heck, some may say no to a paycut. I think we have to wait to see the finished product.

Are they talking about Fox/OAN/Newsmax, or MSNBC? Why is a circle-jerk echo chamber bad for MSNBC and good for Fox News?

There's a lot of MSNBC bashing on DU. What else compares to it? Where will we go for less conservative national coverage?

The fact that enough libs ditched MSNBC after the election to cause financial hardship that threatens the very existence of the network is frustrating. MSNBC really didn't do anything wrong, like Fox News that platforms racists, homophobes and seditionist pigs.

I wish libs could be more loyal to progressive news outlets without demanding ideological purity. An MSNBC that is principally liberal, but with a few token cons for perceived balance is better than no MSNBC at all.

Asking hosts to maintain their integrity (although let's not forget Joe Scarborough has none) is not demanding ideological purity. It means speaking truth to power and not kissing the ring of an anti-democratic racist misogynist bent on vengeance and the destruction of our institutions.

If they let her go I don't think I would have many reasons to watch MSNBC anymore.

It looks like they don't want to lose her and she's smart to take a pay cut. She probably won't get a deal like that anywhere else, unless she starts her own network.

The best in the business is Amy Goodman.

Too much. And ultimately purists end up isolated and powerless.
I respect her and her choices, but felt that 1) it wasn’t impacting the seats of power and 2) it was stressful and depressing to know so many intricate details when the people and culture around me were so uninformed

I discontinued Sling - I was only using it for MSNBC. I can't watch any of the blame game BS right now.

From a business perspective - they don't have to do anything - but greed from corporate will probably dictate otherwise.
Democrats are in mourning. It's natural to turn away from things that cause despair.

There is no doubt in my mind that trump 2.0 will be a shit show. Viewers will tune in again. MSNBC can ride out the storm for a few months until the shit show starts and people feel like tuning in again.

Why not? If that's what viewers want to hear................. give it to them

Last edited Fri Nov 22, 2024, 12:03 AM - Edit history (1)

The lame attempts to equate MSNBC to Fox, which regularly dishes out lies and propaganda, are absurd.

Whoever this anonymous producer is who thinks MSNBC needs more conservative voices didn't count the numerous conservatives already regularly on MSNBC like Wallace, Steele, Scarborough, Jolly, Schmidt, Carbello, etc. Even Maddow is a former R. This producer also thinks Hugh Hewitt is credible? That's a laugh.

The only shows with true liberals are Hayes, Reid and O'Donnell.

MSNBC does cater to liberals because liberals are an underserved viewing audience. Unlike FoxNews and other rw media consumers however, liberals know how to think for think for themselves and recognize we are the choir being preached to.

Link to tweet

I thought Rachel Maddow was considering retiring back in 22, actually took a lengthy hiatus, but was inspired by her fanbase (and the network) to keep it going. A lot of people really appreciate her.

I know I won't be watching anything branded by the empire of Trump. It makes me ill just to think about the calculated 'programming' that would comprise that sort of thing.

Wow 30 million, that's about 29 million too much. I know she's popular with the base but I can't watch her show. She takes a 5 minute story and drones on for half an hour. She starts, backs up repeats, backs up repeats and on and on. If I was the brass at msnbc I would give her time slot to Jen Psaki, Jen does a way better show in my opinion.

are fleeing to FOX or anywhere else, really. I believe right after the election, we all just stopped watching most news on cable and everywhere else because of our rage and disbelief that so many of our fellow citizens would elect Trump and lying GOP again when they steadfastly sought to overturn with violence the legitimate election of Biden. Returning to news, I would seek news no where else except MSNBC and the written new of the Philadelphia Enquirer and the Guardian.

Why would a MSNBC viewer flee to a lying, anti-American, fascist-supporting, proven purveyor of fake information and misinformation and a consistent backer of the worst President in our history? Isn't there a group of liberal billionaires ready to pool their money to save at least one reliable American news source and resource like MSNBC?

I hate to see good journalists take a hit because of the nasty politics of the RW echo chamber.

He even praised Donald Trump a bunch.

At some point I stopped listening to him and other than learning that he had passed away, knew very little about his final years.

was becoming all about Trump and his misdeeds all the time. For example, Wallace used to have interesting guests sitting around her table for real discussion. She's a great interviewer, asks good questions and follows up after listening carefully to what her guest had to say. She called out BS, too. But after Trump was elected and especially after Jan 6th, her show because completely alarmist every day. It was literally some variation of that every single day.

Same with Chris Hayes. He used to have guests on to dive into policy issues and details. He rarely did that after Jan 6th. The most recent time he had a guest on to talk policy, it was the expert on the oil market and trades who explained how Biden basically broke OPEC and stabilized the global oil market. It was fascinating and great information to counter and correct misinformation or misunderstanding.

I realize some of this was a result of covid and not having guests in studio, but once the covid protocols were lifted, MSNBC could have gone back to what they were doing or focused on all the great legistlation Biden/Dems passed and how it did and would improve the lives of everyday Americans, but, presumably made a business decision that harping on Trump drew more viewers.

Maybe being spun off will cause MSNBC to reassess and return to its roots of information presented with a progressive slant. not to be the liberal version of FoxNews.

Rachel is worth every penny they pay her.

The nighttime hosts ignored the age issue with Biden. Then when he did so badly in the debate, because of the circumstances, we ended up with a candidate who could not separate herself from Biden's record. They have turned the Democratic Party into a fan club instead of a major political party.

Turn it all off.

Works for minimum wages only? Very conspicuously gives 90% to charity?

Thanks for the article, Bum Rush. The rest of you — carry on.

Not right leaning.