What’s Next For Sarah Palin?

By Alex Weprin 

Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is a free agent.

Now that her deal with Fox News Channel is done, the prominent conservative is free to seek out the next big thing. Based on her comments to Breitbart news, it seems clear that she has her mind set on going to another mainstream news outlet.

I encourage others to step out in faith, jump out of the comfort zone, and broaden our reach as believers in American exceptionalism. That means broadening our audience. I’m taking my own advice here as I free up opportunities to share more broadly the message of the beauty of freedom and the imperative of defending our republic and restoring this most exceptional nation. We can’t just preach to the choir; the message of liberty and true hope must be understood by a larger audience.

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Palin was not being subtle: she intends to seek out some sort of gig with another media company, and not necessarily with a conservative outlet.

The most likely new home for Palin would be CNN, which has a new president looking to generate buzz in Jeff Zucker. That said, Palin had a pretty sweet deal with FNC, and it isn’t clear that she would get anything remotely as sweet somewhere else.

Consider: FNC built her a studio in her home in Alaska. Alaska is not exactly a media or political hub. While it is possible that another TV outlet would be ok with the remote studio, typically contributors are expected to be on-set for a good portion of their appearances.

Furthermore, Palin routinely bypassed her exclusive FNC deal and talked to other outlets–often conservative websites and radio shows–where she occasionally broke news. Last year, Palin decided to give an interview to CNN, which had sent a team to Wasilla Alaska with the sole purpose of getting her on camera.

FNC and Palin have not always seen eye to eye with regard to these sorts of things.

A study from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs says that Palin was paid, on average, $15.85 per word during her time at FNC. Whether that is the appropriate return on investment is for future employers to decide, but it is something any potential media suitor would have to look at.

The bottom line now is that Palin is sending a message: she’s available and ready to talk, and not just to the choir. The only question is what sort of deal will she be offered, and which company makes the sweetest pitch.

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