New Fox News Book Reports Sean Hannity's Salary

CNN anchor Brian Stelter will release his new book, "Hoax," this Tuesday. Several excerpts of the book, that will undoubtedly mirror a long hit piece on Fox News and President Donald Trump, have been published. One such drop included an Amazon preview that offered a line reporting the salary of Fox News stalwart Sean Hannity.The language here is key. Stetler says the "network Fox News." Hannity is also employed through iHeart Radio, which airs his nationally syndicated daily radio show. Hannity's radio show trails only Rush Limbaugh's in listenership. Presumably, Hannity receives another eight-figure salary from Premiere Networks.Hannity's athlete-like salary is sure to infuriate detractors, which is likely why Stelter reported it. But this number fits his current market value.Before his ousting at NBC, Matt Lauer signed an extension that paid him $25 annually. Hannity's value above replacement exceeds what Lauer's was.His primetime show, Hannity, routinely draws over 4 million viewers. At worst, Hannity ranks second to Tucker Carlson, who should be next-in-line for a groundbreaking extension. Even if Carlson's future contract doesn't match Hannity's – Hannity is still the more famous, more impactful personality — it should eclipse all other news hosts.Carlson and Hannity are in a nightly race for the top show in cable news. In the second quarter of 2020, Tucker Carlson Tonight recorded the highest-viewed cable news quarter ever with 4,331,000 million viewers. The record-breaking average was only 20,000 higher than Hannity's. In July, Hannity topped Carlson with a slight 4.1 million to 4 million victory.In recent years, media contracts have grown larger for the stars as lower-level talents have taken cuts. This spreads beyond political media.Due to a bidding war between ESPN and CBS, Tony Romo re-signed with the latter for $18 million a year. This figure was first reported by the New York Post. Last fall, Stephen A. Smith inked a new contract with ESPN that, sources say, pays him around $8 million annually.In a changing media landscape, the money for big-name talents is shifting toward those who own their content digitally. In 2020, Dave Portnoy, Bill Simmons, and Joe Rogan all cashed in for around $100 million. Now, all eyes are on the expiring contract of Howard Stern.