I don’t know whether to file this under good news or bad news, but today’s Broadcasting & Cable magazine is reporting that Keith Olbermann is demanding "north" of $4 million a year in his next contract with MSNBC. That would be a four-fold increase from his present $1 million per.
Olbermann is looking for such a big pay raise because Countdown has been on fire, playing a big part in the current audience uptick at the network. [...]
But MSNBC brass may have their hands tied on how much they can pony up for Olbermann. MSNBC parent NBC Universal has mandated $750 million worth of budget cuts across all divisions, and this is hardly a politic time to hand out a gargantuan raise.
Okay, it’s probably good news, but when two negotiating parties are "knocking heads" over a contract, they sometimes fail to reach an agreement. Not likely here; I’ve been reading elsewhere that Dan Abrams loves Keith (and his ratings), and this story reports that Keith loves the editorial freedom he has at his MSNBC gig. Can you imagine how much editorial freedom he’ll have once they are paying him a few million more?
Of course this is all about ratings. "In the key 25-54 demo, its ratings are up 25% year-to-date and an astounding 75% so far in the fourth quarter." Astounding. B&C also reports that CNN may be waiting in the wings if KO and MSNBC fail to reach an agreement.