Less than a week after signing scorned NPR “news analyst” Juan Williams to a fat new contract, Fox News announced on Wednesday that the cable network has inked a new, multi-year deal with its lead news anchor Shep Smith.
Terms of Smith’s new arrangement were not disclosed, though his last contract — signed in 1997 — was for three years at an annual salary between $7 million and $8 million.
Here’s the accompanying praise by Fox News chief Roger Ailes: “Shep is a rare journalist whose signature style leads the news industry while embodying the traits of great newsmen of past generations. His talent, passion and dedication to journalism is unmatched and we’re proud that he’ll continue in this role for many years to come.”
Usually, Ailes uses occasions like these to needle its lower-rated cable rivals. This time, it was Smith who did: “I look forward to my future at FOX News where Roger’s commitment to journalism has allotted me the freedom and resources necessary to execute the only one-hour newscast in cable news.”
Smith, who’s been with Fox News since its inception in 1996, has anchored the 7 p.m. newscast for 11 years.
The show currently averages 1.8 million total viewers — and has been number one in its timeslot for “100 consecutive months,” Fox boasts.
