CBS executives are reportedly contemplating making a change at the “CBS Evening News” anchor desk.
According to the New York Post, CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani is on a cost-cutting mission that may spell the end of Norah O’Donnell whose contract is said to be worth between $6 – 8 million a year.
The latest Nielsen data indicates the network has taken big ratings hit since the start of the Ukraine war nearly three weeks ago. For the week of Feb. 28, CBS’ total viewers sank to less than 5.1 million, trailing NBC’s 7.4 million and ABC’s 8.8 million.
“It’s not a money maker,” a source told the paper. The report called O’Donnell’s behavior “toxic.” Another source called her a “news actress” and said she had to be coached by the show’s producers on how to look and read the teleprompter.
O’Donnell is the only network news anchor who isn’t covering the war on location.
“David Muir, Lester Holt and Anderson Cooper are all in Ukraine. Where’s Norah? We are in the middle of a war and she’s reporting from Washington, DC,” said a source. “Either she didn’t want to go, or the leadership didn’t want her to go. It’s bad either way.”
O’Donnell’s multi-million dollar salary reportedly includes a $65,000 a year clothing allowance.
