NOTE: This also appears today on our sister site, Leblanguage. Please visit it regularly for musings on media, politics and life.
Two supposedly struggling “mainstream” networks somehow found a few spare shekels to reward a couple of their personalities yesterday. In an era where their owners are literally wailing to whomever will listen–especially investors–that they’re cash-strapped we learned–ironically through some good old-fashioned reporting–that at least a couple of personalities warranted pay raises.
Late in the afternoon the ever-news-breaking Oliver Darcy, himself a victim of austerity, broke news within his paywell-protected STATUS newsletter that THE DAILY BEAST’s Julia Ornedo quickly spread beyond it:
Even in the face of a ratings war that has forced staff cuts, CNN found a way to grant its token MAGA panelist a hefty pay hike. The network and Scott Jennings are in the final stages of contract negotiations that will see the conservative pundit receive a substantial pay increase, according to Status News, run by former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy. Sources told Status that the terms of the contract are expected to be favorable to Jennings, though it appears CNN turned down his request for his own online or cable news show. The network declined to comment.
And the reliable Rick (don’t call him Rich) Ellis at TOO MUCH TV provided Darcy’s commentary in full to provide even more evidence of how well-received this news is being received in some circles:
Honest people, however, don’t defend dishonest behavior. Yet, that’s exactly what Jennings does, night after night—and it is now what CNN will pay him to do more of. Whether it’s downplaying Trump’s assault on democracy, deflecting from his legal troubles, or framing his authoritarian rhetoric as mere political theater, Jennings consistently provides a veneer of respectability to a dangerous anti-truth movement. He offers CNN the illusion of “balance” while reinforcing Republican narratives that erode trust in democratic institutions.
His new deal is also emblematic of CNN’s broader shift toward “both-sides” commentary under its current leadership. Under the ownership of the David Zaslav-led Warner Bros. Discovery, the network has made a concerted effort to appear less adversarial toward Trump and his movement—giving significant airtime to figures who present themselves as reasonable conservatives while toning down loud criticism of him. In that context, Jennings isn’t just a commentator; he’s a strategic asset.
And so, in a year when CNN journalists have lost their jobs and continue to see their salaries trimmed down, a MAGA pundit is getting a hefty raise. It’s an indictment of the priorities of television news—where the demand for a commentator seen as a respectable Trump defender is on the rise, while those who produce fact-based reporting in an era saturated with disinformation are facing steep cuts
And yet, in the same light of consternation and frustration, Jennings somehow provides fodder for sites to actually get clicks that are keeping them alive, at least for now. Not to mention helping to boost the profiles of some other talent that CNN is hoping to continue to grow. Witness what MEDIAITE’s Tommy Christopher was given to work with yesterday:
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins called out GOP analyst Scott Jennings when he accused Democratic strategist Alencia Johnson of saying something she didn’t say. Trump DOGE czar Elon Musk traveled to Capitol Hill Wednesday to meet with lawmakers the day after President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress, and reportedly got an earful — behind closed doors. One detail that emerged from those meetings is that Musk reportedly gave his phone number to some Republicans. On Wednesday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Johnson and Jennings got heated during a discussion of Musk’s DOGE cuts, and Jennings ridiculed his colleague by claiming she accused Musk of “causing measles.” Collins tried to referee the exchange to a close, and joined Johnson in calling out Jennings’s wisecrack.
And this from THE DAILY CALLER earlier in the week:
CNN NewsNight” host Abby Phillip quickly changed the subject to polling about President Donald Trump Monday night after Republican strategist Scott Jennings asked the show’s panel to name a Democrat “more popular” than the president. Rather than naming a popular Democrat, Phillip instead cited a CNN poll saying 52% of Americans felt Trump was focusing on the wrong issues. “Scott, I know you like numbers and you like polls. So, let’s put the poll up. The question is, ‘Has Trump had the right priorities since he’s been in office?’ 52% say no and just 40% say yes. So —” Phillip said before Jennings responded, “His job approval is roughly 50%. Congressional Democrats, 21%.”
Okay. He is underwater. And yes, he’s —” Phillip said before Jennings said, “According to us, but not according to the averages.” Trump has an average approval rating of 48.6% compared to a 47.4% disapproval rating in the Real Clear Polling average of polls from Feb. 13 to March 3, with only CNN, NPR/Marist and Quinnipiac showing Trump’s disapproval rating exceeding his approval rating.
Getting Collins and Philips’ names out there at all is desperately needed publicity for CNN in any medium, and respectfully, Jennings’ oil-on-a-fire style has been more effective in doing that than anything Darcy did during his tenure. And as someone else who likes numbers and polls, even I can appreciate the messaging of how it’s important to consider as many data points as possible before drawing conclusions–uncomfortable though they may be.
And if that weren’t enough, we learned how many chips ESPN is willing to put on one of its driving forces. FRONT OFFICE SPORTS’ Michael McCarthy and Ryan Glasspiegel dropped this expected but still head-turning news a few hours later:
Stephen A. Smith is not going anywhere—at least not for a while.
Front Office Sports has confirmed that the prolific sports media host and opinionist reached a five-year contract extension with ESPN worth over $100 million. The Athletic first reported that the deal was finalized. Smith’s primary focus will be on First Take, and he will continue to be involved with NBA programming. Sources say he will also play a bigger role in the network’s NFL coverage. As previously reported by FOS, Smith will also get a crack at Monday Night Football like his childhood idol Howard Cosell, said sources. Look for him to make appearances on the Monday Night Countdown pregame show starting this season.
Smith told FOS that the freedom to do projects outside of ESPN was important for him to secure before signing the deal. Alone among ESPN on-air talents, Smith is allowed to sound off on national political and social issues. That’s made him a possible contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028—even if Smith says he has no intentions of actually campaigning for the job.
And Smith certainly had the bullet of precedence to help his pursuit of side hustles. After all, a few months ago Jennings was named to the editorial board of the LOS ANGELES TIMES, yet another cash-strapped legacy media company. Earlier this week he put his name to a VOICES piece with the deliberately inflaming headline President Trump came through for Los Angeles, where he proceeded to meticulously lay out just how much the current administration has done to assist the city’s efforts to deal with the aftermath of January’s fires. Funny, we haven’t seen anything quite that matter-of-fact written–or even spoken–by the mayor, the governor or even the now former fire chief.
It wouldn’t be the worst idea for those Democrats to consider an alliance with a presence as outsized and as established as Smith to perhaps better be able to debate the likes of Jennings. Maybe even find a way to repurpose the format of ESPN’s beloved AROUND THE HORN, which is sunsetting after a 23-year run this coming Memorial Day. For the uninformed, that’s a format where sports issues of the day are debated in a faux game show format by working writers, including Jennings’ LOS ANGELES TIMES colleague Bill Plaschke. As the TIMES is ramping up its multimedia business to a point where during daylight hours its digital feed autoloads some more tedious content, perhaps they could offer Smith a deal to shepherd a hand-picked generation of approved voices (possibly himself on occasion) to spar with someone like Plaschke where the spirit of ATH could be preserved? It wouldn’t be the first time a good idea went from one place to another.
Yeah, I know that’s not quite as bright an idea as CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER. That has apparently gone viral on TikTok and seems to be in the same spirit that saw some of its subjects sporting magenta blazers and repurposing auction paddles Tuesday night. But I’ll contend my vision might have some merit with perhaps a somewhat wider audience. Perhaps a CNN poll might be in order?
Courage…