Do "guests" on news shows or late night talk shows get paid?

[wiley]

For that matter do people who get interviewed as a representative of one side or the other of an issue get paid? What if the person being interviewed is being paid through a federal or foundation grant - say one of those people who talked up the NCLB act as the best thing since sliced bread - is really just shoring up a politician's agenda? Wouldn't that be considered a contribution to that candidate? Would the interviewer or their media owner have to report that as a contribution?
Fran Drescher is on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. Is she getting paid? Who knows these things?

[wiley]

1. Anybody know?

:shrug:

[Holly_Hobby]

2. If they belong to the SAG or other union

they get union scale.

[Booster]

5. Holly wins - and welcome to DU.

[wiley]

7. So does that include talking heads?

Do they belong to SAG or some other union? Does this only apply to TV. Why does Colin Powell get $50,000 everytime he speaks somewhere?

[Stephanie]

10. I think professional talking heads would be paid

Expert witnesses, such as a legal expert, would be paid. But someone who is a subject of news, such as Lacy Peterson's mother, would not be paid. The relevant union for news shows would be AFTRA.

For evening talk shows like Leno, it is probably SAG scale - when Julia Roberts goes on Letterman they probably have to pay her scale, maybe around $700. It would be a union thing.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Yes, I think I've heard all talk show guests get the same

(the union rate), so Julia Roberts etc. only go on when they have a film to publicise. For the person you've never heard of, it's a proper pay day.

[KharmaTrain]

12. Yep...and Depends On Their "Role"

A guest...as in someone being interviewed rarely gets money. That falls into that "paying the source" game.

Instead, many networks have an army of paid pundits...the "consultants" and "experts" you see...ranging from retired Generals to Rachael Maddow. Some work on a retainer basis, others do it for a per diem, but it's still not bad money...considering the networks always make sure you get a nice ride to the studio.

There's one more level that gets onto these shows and they're not paid by the networks, but by the RNC or various other special interest groups. Those are a lot of the real rabid dogs you see out there. They represent "think tanks" but are nothing more than high paid shills who are booked aggressively on these shows and by their constant appearance and repetitive message, the memes that pervade a lot of the corporate media were first hatched.

Plus this doesn't even get into the writer and authors who work for papers and publishing houses with their own political agendas.

Bottom line...everyone's on the take.

[wiley]

13. Sounds like it.

Thanks,all!

[rocktivity]

3. When Jesse Ventura was talking to Paul Reikoff on AAR last night

He said he's a paid consultant for MSNBC, but they don't consult him. That is, though he contractually cannot appear on other televised news programs, MSNBC doesn't have him on the air regularly, either. Come to think of it, when was the last time Wesley Clark was on Fox?

:shrug:
rocknation

[chalky]

9. Interesting. Blocked from appearing by contract.

Why am I not surprised at this tactic?

[jane_pippin]

4. No, they go on because they get "paid" by the airtime the show gives them

So Fran is on Jimmy Kimmel most likely to promote a book or show or movie or something. Kimmel gets her "star" power, she/the movie producers or whoever is behind her project gets his airtime.

Sometimes you hear flavor of the month types like Tonya Harding shopping her story around to places like Inside Edition. "I'll only talk if you pay me X amount of dollars." That sort of thing. But if I remember correctly it's at the very least frowned upon and ethically gray.

[FreedomAngel82]

6. I remember last year

on the Daily Show during the republican convention Chris Matthews appeared on there and he told how guests on his show appear for free and he was talking about his experience with Zell Miller and how he'd be back in the future to promote something.

[AlCzervik]

8. most of them get paid, it's not a huge amount of money

but they do get something.