CNN's Anderson Cooper earns $18M a year as network faces spinoff amid ratings collapse, reveals report
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A new report claims Anderson Cooper earns $18 million a year from CNN, but that hefty salary may be at risk as the network faces a spinoff and declining ratings.
The broadcaster’s salary is believed to be nearly five times more than the Chief White House Correspondent, Kaitlan Collins.
Cooper’s future, however, now appears uncertain following an announcement by CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), about the impending split, The New York Post reported, citing the Puck newsletter.
Warner Bros Discovery plans to ‘empower iconic brands with sharper focus’
The plan is to split the company into two separate entities — one dedicated to streaming and Hollywood blockbusters, and the other, tentatively named Global Network, focused on cable TV and international networks.
Commenting on the plan, Warner Bros Discovery boss David Zaslav said that the aim is to “empower these iconic brands with the sharper focus and strategic flexibility they need to compete most effectively in today’s evolving media landscape,” as per The Post.
Zaslav has reportedly tapped WBD Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels to lead Global Network, tasking him with implementing changes and cutting costs.
“The separation will enable both companies to focus on their strengths,” Wiedenfels mentioned.
Dylan Byers speculates Anderson Cooper may lose his job
But according to an insider who spoke with The Post, “Gunnar news is not good. He is slash and burn.”
Also, Puck media writer Dylan Byers suggested that Cooper’s future does not seem bright.
He noted, “Why, for instance, would Gunnar pay Anderson Cooper $18 million a year when Kaitlan Collins draws the same ratings at roughly a fifth of the salary?”
He further stated, as per the Daily Mail, “This is the beginning of the end. With the industry in inexorable decline, ratings at a nadir, and younger audiences turning to YouTube and TikTok, [Wiedenfels] will inevitably look at CNN.”
CNN declines Dylan Byers’ speculations
As per the latest Nielsen ratings, ‘Anderson Cooper 360’ pulled in 647,000 total viewers on Tuesday, June 10, while on the other hand, ‘The Source with Kaitlan Collins’ got 829,000 views.
“By the time Gunnar gets around to it, Anderson will likely have determined that he no longer wants to read the day’s news to less than a million people every night, either,” Byers added.
But a spokesperson for CNN has dismissed Byers’ comments. “This is a complete fabrication. There is zero truth to this,” they asserted.
