Tucker Carlson Given Job Offer with Salary Up to 3 Times More than He Was Making at Fox News
Fox News might be in a rough place after Tucker Carlson’s dismissal, but it looks like the host himself will be fine.
According to the Times of San Diego, an online news outlet, San Diego-based One America News might be willing to pay $25 million to Carlson to join its network.
“It would be great if we could get Tucker! I might give him around $25 million,” OAN CEO and founder Robert Herring told the outlet in an email, the Times of San Diego reported. “And he would be well worth that!”
The move came after a tweet from OAN that said that perhaps “Fox News’ loss could be [OAN’s] gain.”
“@RobHerring would like to extend an invitation to Carlson to meet for negotiation,” the network said in a Monday tweet.
Tucker Carlson Leaves Fox Nation
Maybe Fox News’ loss could be @OANN‘s gain, Founder and CEO @RobHerring would like to extend an invitation to Carlson to meet for negotiation.https://t.co/O5KmsPyhyx#OAN #TuckerCarlson #FauxNews #FoxNews @TuckerCarlson pic.twitter.com/MEU3f5CG77— One America News (@OANN) April 24, 2023
It’s unclear whether the number Herring gave was annually or over the course of a longer deal. However, Carlson’s yearly salary as host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News was in the area of $8 million, the Times of San Diego reported. If Herring’s offer was a yearly salary, that would be over three times more than Carlson was making at Fox.
It’s also unclear what OAN can afford. The Times of San Diego talked to a former employee of the network, who said that the network’s limited distribution — it lost its deal with DirecTV after liberal pressure — might prevent it from landing Carlson.
Eddie McCoven, identified by the Times of San Diego as a broadcaster who worked at OAN until 2020, told the outlet that he didn’t think the Carlson deal would be in the works “because with such a small reach now, what budget do they have for such a big name?”
“It remains to be seen if OANN will survive the lawsuit it is facing from Dominion,” McCoven continued. “Many colleagues tell me they can’t even keep basic newsroom positions staffed. OANN lacks the programming direction needed to support top-tier talk show talent.”
However, it would go a long way to restoring OAN’s reach. And there are other landing spots, too — including one with former Fox News host Glenn Beck, founder of TheBlaze and host of his own radio show.
“We would love to have you here,” Beck said, addressing Carlson during his Monday show, shortly after Fox issued a terse statement announcing that “Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways.”
“You won’t miss a beat,” Beck added. “And together, the two of us will tear it up. Just tear it up.”
Beck also said — certainly not alone among observers — that the move would end up hurting Fox News a lot more than it would end up hurting Carlson.
“I think that will kill Fox, I really do,” Beck said.
“I know so many people that – you know – still kind of like Fox. And they watch the other shows. But they’re like, ‘Tucker, Tucker is the only one that I really trust.’”
As for Fox, Mediaite reported that Tucker’s first of what will be a rotating cast of replacements for now, Brian Kilmeade, drew 2.6 million viewers.
The Monday prior, Carlson had drawn 3.2 million viewers — and keep in mind that at least some of Kilmeade’s viewership must have come from straight-up curiosity regarding Carlson’s firing.
That drop is a pretty clear message.
In the end, there might be more people watching the drama over where Carlson goes next than whoever ends up replacing him at Fox News.
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