Monday, December 01, 2008

NYT: As TV ratings plunge, it's anchors away

Some on-air talent in top markets can still command million-dollar salaries -- like Chuck Scarborough on WNBC in New York, The New York Times says today in a new story. But the high-profile jobs are becoming more vulnerable to market forces roiling local TV, analysts say. "The ratings for the broadcasts have gradually eroded over the years,'' the story says. "The typical late newscast now reaches 12% of viewers watching TV in a given market, down from 21% 10 years ago."

In October, Gannett's KUSA-TV in Denver dumped anchor Bob Kendrick (left); he'd been with the station since 2003. The month before, WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C., didn't renew anchor Todd McDermott's contract; he was reportedly paid at least $500,000 a year.

Has your GCI station dropped a pricey anchor? Please post replies in the comments section, below. E-mail confidentially via gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous12/01/2008 1:21 PM

    KPNX in Phoenix has three anchors (not including weekends), which seems to me two than they need. Maybe a few of the real workers could keep their job if they got rid of at least one of the bloated personalities.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12/01/2008 3:09 PM

    I know at our station, the anchors are the most waste of money. Some work 4 hours or less and make three times the salaries as the rest of the staff.

    ReplyDelete

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