Has Erin Burnett “Contract Negotiated” Her Way Out Mornings?
Erin Burnett made her morning-show debut yesterday on CNN with Chris Cuomo for Pope Benedict XVI’s last day on the job. But it doesn’t mean she’s going to end up there permanently, sources tell The Post’s Michael Shain. It seems Burnett is digging in her high heels and refusing the new morning assignment. She has a clause in her contract that requires CNN to air her show in prime time. If new boss Jeff Zucker wants her to get up at 4 a.m., Erin is demanding a sizable chunk of cash — more than her $2.5 million salary — to buy her out of the prime-time clause. Insiders say Zucker believes she should be grateful she’s being offered a marquee job and he has started to look elsewhere for an anchor to partner with Cuomo. Burnett is telling her staff she doesn’t want to go to the morning. “What she means is she doesn’t want to go at the old price,” sniffed a source.
Oh boy. Burnett is in trouble whether she knows it or not. That this is leaking out is a sign that someone wants it known that Burnett isn’t on board with the Zucker program. She’s on the Burnett program apparently. She should be grateful. Her early prime show hasn’t been tearing it up in the ratings. Going to mornings would mean a clean start and a new lease on life. That much should be obvious.
March 1, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Maybe Erin isn’t a morning person?
March 1, 2013 at 12:44 pm
I’m guessing Erin feels been there done that since she did mornings at CNBC.
March 1, 2013 at 12:51 pm
Burnett behaves like a diva. But yeah, her real problem is that this is leaking in this way. Not a good sign for her.
March 1, 2013 at 2:21 pm
Erin isn’t stupid..she knows CNN morning is where CNN careers go to die. If I were managing her, I would tell her to hold on to OutFront until the bitter end while praying for a call from FNC.
March 1, 2013 at 2:54 pm
Where would FNC possibly put Erin in primetime? Make her a pure “newscaster” and replace Shep at 7? (Doubtful FNC would even consider — although fine with me). Replace O’Reilly or Hannity? (Not a chance their audiences would like it, and no way she’d bring more new viewers than she’d lose.) Greta would be the only possibility, but even Greta consistently draws 1 — 1.5 million viewers, and those numbers depend on her steady featuring of strongly conservative political guests and her crime/legal coverage. Can’t really see Erin doing as well with either.
Anybody know how many years Erin has left on her contract?
March 1, 2013 at 3:01 pm
Average length for a virgin contract is 2-3 years…
March 1, 2013 at 3:02 pm
The naughty ones, maybe five.
March 1, 2013 at 3:03 pm
And Joe her 7pm show is doing as bad as mornings. It makes little difference…except that mornings would mean a clean break and a do over. Stay at 7 and she’s just about guaranteed to get canceled within a year
March 1, 2013 at 3:09 pm
I agree with Spud, she’s gone within a year.
March 1, 2013 at 3:19 pm
And I don’t see Erin Burnett at FOX or CBS either. If FOX was going to make any changes, Megyn Kelly would be anchoring 10pm and Gretchen Carlson would’ve been replaced on the morning right wing snarkfest program already. CBS already has Rebecca Jarvis who is Erin Burnett on steroids… why would they want her?
She just “contract negotiated” her way out of an on-air career.
March 1, 2013 at 4:05 pm
If Burnett fails at 7pm and by then they don’t have another spot for her I’m sure she would get an offer from Fox Business or (stranger things have happened) head back to CNBC.
7pm is like the bermuda triangle over at CNN.
March 1, 2013 at 4:23 pm
She’s done. She’s essentially made the statement that it’s on her terms. FOX Business doesn’t need a name anymore. In a few years, they’ll be mopping the floor in ratings with CNBC.
March 1, 2013 at 5:08 pm
It’s hard to understand how CNN wants to continue to be the prime Network in news by downgrading Burnett, and keeping Bolduan interrupting Blitzer every time he is making a important comment about a report. I have personally been having trouble to understand the situation room from 6PM to 7PM when Bolduan comes to play a role. So, so annoying!
March 1, 2013 at 5:54 pm
Mark – agreed re: Kate Bolduan. I’m guessing they are getting her experience and will eventually shift her over to the day side but all too often she breaks up the flow of Blitzer’s interview. There are probably journalists out there with twice the talent but they just don’t have the looks that Bolduan has, but such is cable news these days spare some exceptions.
March 1, 2013 at 8:09 pm
I don’t see any problem with Burnett holding out for more money to go to mornings; if the story on Page six is true. She has, what in sports, is called a no-trade clause and more power to her and her agent for negotiating such a clause.
She now hosts a single hour of PT and is being asked to move to early mornings to co-host three hours of a morning show.
I would fully expect her agent to ask for a renegotiation of her contract; it would be malpractice for him to do otherwise. I expect she and CNN will come to an agreement where both parties are satisfied.
March 1, 2013 at 8:14 pm
I don’t think she should go back to CNBC. Why did she leave in the first place? If I was someone at CNBC, I’d ask her before I hire her back.
Though if she wanted to do business again, if I were FBN/FNC, I would would try to reach out to her.
March 1, 2013 at 8:55 pm
she doesnt fit in in the mornings. to me she comes across not so friendly.
March 2, 2013 at 8:28 am
She left CNBC when she didn’t get a Today gig, to prove she was news material when Klein was aimlessly running CNN. I believe around that time there also was from her camp articles in page 6 etc, about her being a value to NBC more than just being on CNBC. I mean in this business I don’t fault her for standing her ground, as you have too, but to me it looks like she tries to clear her own path when it comes to this stuff. Which is fine, but in this industry you burn yourself out quickly. If I were her I’d chill out on usual tactics, and try to jump back to CNBC before her imagined value decreases. CNBC is in need of talent post Fox hiring away their loud personalities.
March 2, 2013 at 9:00 am
bushleaguer And to think that used to be 8PM between Zahn and Brown. Then again, that could explain how Anderson has been kind of non-eventful at that hour as well.
Still, Burnett is better with a co-host. Watching the Pope coverage, Cuomo and her appeared to make a good duo. The question I have is whether whatever replaces Starting Point is essentially American Morning R2 and only does as well as anything else has in the mornings.
March 3, 2013 at 10:28 am
Just say NO to CNBC! Let them self destruct, this weeks Booking scandal is one example. The only reason why I hate CNBC is they will NEVER go back to covering markets and business news. It’s going to be pundant financial channel. Erin doesn’t need to settle for shallow news programming.
Like I said earlier If she left CNBC in the first place, then why would she want to come back? One you leave an institution, its hard to return.