After Tucker Carlson’s dismissal, Fox News may be in a difficult position, but it appears that the anchor himself will be alright.
According to the Times of San Diego, an online news source, One America News, based in San Diego, may be willing to pay Carlson $25 million to join its network.
“It would be great if we could get Tucker! I might give him around $25 million,” OAN CEO and founder Robert Herring told the outlet in an email, the Times of San Diego reported. “And he would be well worth that!”
The move came after a tweet from OAN that said that perhaps “Fox News’ loss could be [OAN’s] gain.”
“@RobHerring would like to extend an invitation to Carlson to meet for negotiation,” the network said in a Monday tweet.
Tucker Carlson Leaves Fox Nation
Maybe Fox News' loss could be @OANN's gain, Founder and CEO @RobHerring would like to extend an invitation to Carlson to meet for negotiation.https://t.co/O5KmsPyhyx#OAN #TuckerCarlson #FauxNews #FoxNews @TuckerCarlson pic.twitter.com/MEU3f5CG77— One America News (@OANN) April 24, 2023
It is unclear whether Herring’s estimate was annual or for the duration of the contract. The Times of San Diego reported that Carlson’s annual salary as anchor of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News was approximately $8 million. If Herring’s offer was an annual compensation, it would be more than three times what Carlson was earning at Fox.
In addition, it is uncertain what OAN can afford. A former employee of the network told The Times of San Diego that the network’s limited distribution — it lost its contract with DirecTV due to liberal pressure — could preclude it from hiring Carlson.
Eddie McCoven, who was identified by the Times of San Diego as a broadcaster who worked at OAN until 2020, told the outlet that he didn’t believe the Carlson agreement would go through “because they have such a small reach now, and what budget do they have for such a big name?”
“It remains to be seen if OANN will survive the lawsuit it is facing from Dominion,” McCoven continued. “Many colleagues tell me they can’t even keep basic newsroom positions staffed. OANN lacks the programming direction needed to support top-tier talk show talent.”
However, it would go a long way to restoring OAN’s reach. And there are other landing spots, too — including one with former Fox News host Glenn Beck, founder of TheBlaze and host of his own radio show.
“We would love to have you here,” Beck said, addressing Carlson during his Monday show, shortly after Fox issued a terse statement announcing that “Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways.”
“You won’t miss a beat,” Beck added. “And together, the two of us will tear it up. Just tear it up.”
Beck added, and he was surely not alone among observers, that the move would ultimately harm Fox News considerably more than it would Carlson.
“I think that will kill Fox, I really do,” Beck said.
“I know so many people that – you know – still kind of like Fox. And they watch the other shows. But they’re like, ‘Tucker, Tucker is the only one that I really trust.’”
Brian Kilmeade, the first of a rotating ensemble of replacements for Tucker on Fox, attracted 2.6 million viewers, according to Mediaite.
Keep in mind that at least a portion of Kilmeade’s audience must have been directly attributable to speculation about Carlson’s dismissal.
This plummet is a fairly obvious message.
In the end, there may be a larger audience for the intrigue surrounding Carlson’s future than for his eventual replacement at Fox News.