THE HIGH COST OF TALK
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Given all the budget slashings at the networks and given the salaries that are paid the anchor people, well, we figured that we could help.
Here’s how we figured: Anchor salaries reportedly run $3 million a year for Dan Rather on CBS, $1.5 million for Tom Brokaw at NBC and $800,000 for Peter Jennings on ABC.
On Monday, Feb. 16, we taped the evening newses and figured that Rather needed 855 words to give his version of the day’s events; Brokaw used 700 words; Jennings 850.
We projected across a year’s salary and computed that Rather gets $14.62 per word, Brokaw $8.93 and Jennings $3.92.
At the next bottom-line meeting, the network accountants might dictate brevity.
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