The Wall Street Journal takes a deep dive into Megyn Kelly’s move to NBC, asking whether her reported $23 million a year salary was a good investment by NBC News. Since taking over the 9 a.m. hour of the Today show, now called Megyn Kelly Today, the show is averaging 2.4 million viewers per episode, that’s down 18 percent from what the hour was pulling in a year earlier.
“I think any show needs about a year to just find its footing,” Kelly told the WSJ’s Joe Flint.
But beyond the chatter about her salary, and the show’s ratings, is what affiliates are saying:
Some of NBC’s affiliate TV stations are unhappy with the drop in viewers, and staffers on other NBC News shows have been grumbling about Ms. Kelly’s lofty budget.
At WAVE-TV, the affiliate station in Louisville, Ky., the audience for “Megyn Kelly Today” is more than 40% smaller than what the previous incarnation of that hour was averaging a year ago. “We’re certainly not happy with the Nielsen numbers,” said Ken Selvaggi, vice president and general manager of WAVE-TV.
In Raleigh, the gm of Capitol Broadcasting owned-WRAL-TV, Steve Hammell, told Variety recently, “There are times that she beats ‘Kelly and Ryan,’ and there are times she does not, but the viewers are seeing something that they like.”
“Megyn has continued to prove that she’s a tremendously skilled, hard-hitting journalist, who adds valuable insight and analysis to all she touches,” said Andy Lack in a statement for the WSJ story, which included the obligatory disclosure: “Fox News parent company 21st Century Fox and News Corp., owner of The Wall Street Journal, share common ownership.”
“I’m proud of the journalistic work we’ve been accomplishing,” Kelly said. “The ratings are important, there’s no question, but it’s not the only metric.”