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For as much as the upcoming election is a referendum on the direction of the country, it is also a test of the mainstream media’s continuing influence on the American public, especially when it comes to CNN.

In a sign that some belt-tightening could be in the offing at the self-proclaimed “most trusted name in news,” it’s been reported that some of the network’s top talent won’t get raises while others could take a pay cut, or be given pink slips.

The New York Post reported that CNN CEO Mark Thompson, who was brought in by Discovery boss David Zaslav to clean up the mess after an internal mutiny following last year’s disastrous Donald J. Trump town hall which forced Chris Licht out, has told highly paid big stars to “take it or leave it,” citing a report published by The Ankler, which bills itself as a showbiz insider newsletter.

According to the report, high-profile anchors Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer recently inked new deals but with no increase in pay over their previous contracts.

The whiny Democrat activist Tapper’s three-year deal pays the same $7 million a year as his last one while veteran Wolf Blitzer has seen a “freeze” in pay at $3 million annually to host “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

“Flat is the new up,” an agent who represents CNN talent told The Ankler.

“A question mark still hangs over Chris Wallace, whose contract is up and who’s been offered a new deal for significantly less than the $8.5 million pact he inked under former CNN boss Jeff Zucker,” according to the newsletter. “The 77-year-old Wallace was spotted in Thompson’s office Tuesday.”

Wallace was lured away from his previous gig as a Fox News anchor but has failed to make the big splash at CNN that Zucker anticipated after shelling out big bucks to land him. Other than sniping at Donald J. Trump, the son of “60 Minutes” legend Mike Wallace primarily interviews celebrities on his “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” show.

The Post notes that another online newsletter disputes The Ankler report, with Puck News stating that it “got almost all the salary figures wrong — in some cases egregiously” and that the top two anchors “make millions more than $7 million and $3 million, respectively.”

Puck did concede that “the broader point about talent being forced to renew at equal or lower comps is true,” according to the Post.

“If you are not getting an offer several months out, you are in a precarious place,” one CNN staffer told The Ankler which reported that insiders at the network are expecting a “bloodbath” this year. “That anxiety has trickled down and out and across the place.”

“That sentiment was echoed by everyone I spoke to — more than 15 current and former network insiders, including talent and execs — about what’s coming next and who’s expected to hold onto their role (and their salary) once Thompson starts making big moves,” The Ankler reported.

When contacted by the New York Post, a CNN spokesperson “declined to comment.”

Chris Donaldson
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