The latest issue of TV Guide takes a look at the highest-paid personalities on TV, and many TV news anchors are present on the list. The salaries also give a taste at how some networks are saving money, and where others are clearly making a significant investment.
The highest paid news anchor is NBC “Today” anchor Matt Lauer, who brings in around $17 million a year. The network morning shows are by the far the most profitable of all the network news shows, so the high payday is not surprising.
Among the evening news anchors, “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams leads the way with a $13 million a year contract, followed by Diane Sawyer at $12 million. “CBS Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley makes less than $5 million a year, or less than a third of what Katie Couric was making on the program.
On cable, Anderson Cooper’s CNN/Warner Bros. syndicated show deal brings in $11 million a year, followed by Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly, who makes $10 million a year.
The full list is in this week’s TV Guide.