MEDIA

Sarah Palin Was Paid $15.85 per Word at FOX

Value for money?

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Jan 28, 2013 by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t

Image: David Shankbone, Wikimedia Commons

Palin was paid $15.85 per word she spoke on FOX News, according to a University of Minnesota study.

Their calculation is based on Palin's reported $1 million salary, received since Jan 2010. "She spoke 189,221 words on air," U. Minnesota's report revealed, "for an average pay rate of $15.85 per word."

Was Palin's pay out of line with other cable news anchors and pundits? Matt Lauer, Bill O'Reilly, Diane Sawyer, and Anderson Cooper all make upwards of $10 million per year, dwarfing Palin's annual salary. And while those celebrity anchors likely put in more hours than Palin, their take-home pay per word was perhaps quite similar to hers.

Via Politico and the University of Minnesota.

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?	Did Fox get value for money?

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On the whole, yes

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It's debatable

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Definitely not

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Jan '13

AceLuby

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"Ooohhhh, yaaaahhh.... yoou betcha!"
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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yah...don't make fun of that Mineeeesoootah accent, there...
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Jan '13

AceLuby

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@woodtick57 Apparently it's also an Alaskan accent... who knew besides the 600 people that live there ;)
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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@AceLuby

well, that area of AK was populated by people from the MInnesota area, which is why they have that classic MN accent, donchya know...
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Jan '13

AceLuby

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@woodtick57 Learn something new every day, lol
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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@AceLuby

Oh, you betcha... a lot of us Minneeesohtaans thought she sounded like us and it was in the news about why she talks like that so the mapheads went to work and looked up the history of that area. our long lost cousins...

Oh, for fun!

(do not try the Oh, for _____, saying unless you are a second generation Minnesotan or more. we are trained professionals at sounded hick...)
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Jan '13

Libertyiskey

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I don't need to read the article all I know is that I would be reciting the Illiad and Moby Dick and the Bible word for word every time they had me on there.
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Jan '13

GmanGSW

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LOL! I get to read the Oddesey(sp), War and Peace and others!
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Jan '13

marine1

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Would anyone on here tell fox no thanks, thats too much?
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Jan '13

ctc

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Knowing how limited her vocabulary was....they SHOULD have paid her by the word.
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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But not for the same word twice in the same day.
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Jan '13

armed_liberal

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Sarah Palin could speak all kinds of crazy and it was good for ratings.
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Jan '13

Raptor

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Fox got ripped off and they deserve it.
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Jan '13

martydotcom

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Thanks to Fox News, Drudge, Limbaugh she convinced many of the dumbed down American voters she was an "expert" on politics, U.S. history, world history, foreign and domestic policy, The Bible, The Constitution, Economics, Women's Health, Climate Warming, War Strategy, everything!!!! and there are plenty who think she walks on water!!
Fox has Karl Rove back on screen, so much for any concern they got ripped off
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Jan '13

Neo_NtheMatrix

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@martydotcom - And you are an expert on all those things? Why were you never governor?
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Jan '13

Zazziness

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@martydotcom I always appreciated Comrade Palin's attitude toward communism. I mean, the way she took windfall profits from the Alaska oil companies and evenly distributed them among The People of Alaska was truly a bold step. I'm surprised The American Socialist Party isn't wooing her.
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Post @Zazziness
Jan '13

martydotcom

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@Neo_NtheMatrix. I never had a desire to run for office beyond my being elected President of two condo assocs. I was also elected Chair of a civic lobbying group, Chairman of the Board of a Philanthropy managing millions of assets and overseeing the dispersing grant $'s; plus I was president/CEO of a global company; One thing for sure, I kept pretty busy until my wife's failing heath led me down a different path.
If I had ever tried to run for public office I can assure you I would not appear to be an blithering idiot as she did with Katie Couric and every subsequent interview
We both nave one aspect in common and we've both enjoyed a good deal of success at making $$$$$
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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@Neo_NtheMatrix Come to think of it why haven't you run for office?
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Jan '13

Your_Name_Here

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The job counting how many words people say on the air... How much does THAT pay?
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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No idea, but listening to Palin should pay double, it's dangerous that could cause brain injury.
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Jan '13

stepped_in_it

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Bahaha......and somebody had to count 'em. Talk about cruel and unusually punishment in the work force!
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Jan '13

mtkopf

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ALL of these pundits are overpaid pompous windbags who just love to hear themselves talk. Before I get attacked, I'm talking about conservative AND liberal pundits.
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Jan '13

Neo_NtheMatrix

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Especially the liberal ones.
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Jan '13

mtkopf

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@Neo_NtheMatrix lol. Your partisan rhetoric is the one constant that I have come to expect here Neo. I'm not saying that it is wrong rather I find it somewhat comforting and a tad bit scary at the same time.

For the sake of my 2 y.o. son and unborn son please don't change. I would probably suffer a coronary if I ever saw you arguing in favor of a liberal policy.
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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@Neo_NtheMatrix Oh don't underrate yourself, I'll bet you could give em a run for tge money...
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Jan '13

NTBFW

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Everybody cuts their own deal. I would take it if offered.
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Jan '13

PNWest

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I'm sure that Sarah Palin brought in viewers for a while. Now she doesn't. Rupert Murdock didn't get rich by overpaying his employees. Palin was worth it to him a few years ago and isn't worth it now.
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Jan '13

Neo_NtheMatrix

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Don't let the ignorant liberal biased media lie to you. Palin rejected the last Fox offer, in essence, she dropped Fox. The leftist media will lie to you and say that Fox dropped her, it's just not true.
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Jan '13

Zazziness

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@Neo_NtheMatrix What -- are you on Comrade Palin's twitterfeed or something?
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Jan '13

PNWest

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@Neo_NtheMatrix Why would she turn down such a large platform to speak her message unless Fox wouldn't let her say what she wanted to say. And if that is the case what does it say about other Fox pundits?
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Jan '13

Dan_Tien

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@Neo_NtheMatrix It's not true? "

"In a Facebook post during the Republican convention last August, Palin lamented that the news channel had 'cancelled all my scheduled interviews tonight.' "

http://politix.topix.com/homepage/4299-fox-ne...

Do you think that Sarah Palin is working for the lying, leftist media then? Maybe she has changed her story now, like some jilted adolescent girl: "He didn't break up with ME, I broke up with HIM!"
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Jan '13

Neo_NtheMatrix

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@PNWest

http://www.drudge.com/news/165019/sarah-palin...
http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/01/p...
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Jan '13

Angela

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All I know is it was time for her to get the steppen.
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Jan '13

falco_alba

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She got paid to speak? She should have been paid to shut up.
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Jan '13

Denizen_Kate

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I would have been willing to contribute to that.
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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McCain tried that, but it didn't work...
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Jan '13

Neo_NtheMatrix

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Palin was a huge asset to Fox news, not only that, she's been a huge asset to America period. Look up the word patriot, you'll see a picture of Palin next to the definition.
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Jan '13

Zazziness

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No, you're thinking of the word "parrot." Don't feel bad. It's an easy mistake.
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Jan '13

stepped_in_it

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@Zazziness it is said the "cleanliness is next to godliness" I looked it up in Webster's.. it isn't!
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Jan '13

Knightkore

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Excellent observation....
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Jan '13

Starsplash

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I looked up the word "attention whore" and her name popped up in the definition.
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Jan '13

DARSB

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I suppose a good case can be made for Fox getting its money's worth.When she signed on, the Tea party was more of a presence than now and Glenn Beck was still chalk boarding his way through conspiracy theories. Even though she had no influence on real world politics she did pump up ratings.

Uber liberal blogger Jason Easley theorizes that this parting of the ways is evidence of Fox's failure to defeat Mr Obama and the Democrats and the re-thinking that Mssrs Ailes and Murdoch must be going through.
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Jan '13

harold_lloyd

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They wanted Palin, they got Palin.

I would surely love to see her and Limbaugh do a show together, that would be a great match.

It would keep The Daily Show in material for years.
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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It might be good enough to put the Daily Show out of business!
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Jan '13

jessejaymes

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10 years ago I might have watched Palin in a Porno. My interest in Palin doesn't extend beyond that.
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Jan '13

Chromalord

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By value if you mean return on ad revenues, then yes. If you mean any redeeming value of what she espoused, then a resounding no. Fifty year-old workers in China, India, etal, who break their back for 50 cents a day are far more qualified to speak than her. Its stuff like this, and its aggregate piling-up of our similar types of injustices and unfairness, which will ultimately play out, in an apocalyptic karma event for the USA.
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Jan '13

WaterHaMarlin

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She go ripped. I would have went for 15.85 per syllable.
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Jan '13

mimi57

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I met her briefly, as I campaigned for John McCain. He is a very humble and sweet man. She is very pretty and has a very soft voice, and when she has to speak loudly
she sounds screechy. I think she's more intelligent than people give her credit for, I
don't think pretty women do well in politics, as they are seen as 'fluff' and not taken
as much as men or as women who are not as good looking. I don't feel she was VP.
material for a number of reasons, and sadly, I think it may have cost McCain the election. What a brave, heroic, and humble man he is!
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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I've met pretty women in politics. I detest michelle buchman's politics, but she at least can articulate them and handle an interveiw. Sarah palin sounded like an idiot. She made my post her sound like reasoned debate. I'm having fun, she was running for vice president. I will give you that mccain is a humble decent man who
puts country ahead of party, but in that year no republican was going to do well, bush had hurt the brand too
much.
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Jan '13

Kellso

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Well, I can tell ya that she is a nice looking woman and would make good conversation BUT she isnt President potential and netehr is Hillary for that matter, but NO BODY is worth 15.85 a word!!!!!!!!!! Not even if she cooks!!!!!!!!!!
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Jan '13

mimi57

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I agree...Gee, I'd take half of that!!! LOL
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Jan '13

woodtick57

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yeah, a former Senator and SoS couldn't possibly be qualified, huh?
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Jan '13

Kellso

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@woodtick57 In those 2 instances, NOPE!
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Jan '13

PoliticalSpice

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How many women do you know who can cook moose? In that regard she is a previous commodity.
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Jan '13

mimi57

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*taken seriously*
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Did Fox get value for money?

Did Fox get value for money?