Breaking News: These TV Reporters Make A lot More Than you Think

We always see their faces plastered on our screen. Sometimes we even watch them during dinner. We receive the latest stories and breaking news through their mouth. We expect TV reporters convey trustworthy, sincere, and reliable stories no matter what the topic. They are a big part of all our lives, purely because we want to know what’s happening in the world. We see these reporters as composed, and even trendy, but in actuality, TV reporters are under a significant amount of stress because they are responsible for delivering the news to the world. Their lives aren’t as glamorous as they appear. They work a ton of hours, do serious research, and have to deal with exhaustive criticism.

Famous TV reporters
Source: thewrap.com

On top of all that, they have to work even harder to get loyal viewers who trust them. There is undoubtedly more to reporters than a pretty face on TV. Off the screen, these people work under a tremendous amount of pressure to make sure they are giving us accurate news. All this hard work pays off with the amount of money they earn each year.

From Megyn Kelly to Barbara Walters, stay tuned to find out about these reporters and their annual salaries; their paychecks will amaze you.

Tomi Lahren – $3M

Tomi Lahren is a conservative political reporter who received recognition on her show Tomi on TheBlaze. She was famous for her three-minute video segments at the end of the show, frequently called “final thoughts,” where she quickly expressed her opinion on different subjects. Lahren often criticized liberal policies, and quite a lot of her videos went viral so that she was labeled as a “rising media star” and was also advertised as “the young Republican who is bigger than Trump” on social media.

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In March 2017, Tomi was suspended from ‘TheBlaze’ because of her opinion that women should have the right to abortion when she appeared on ‘The View.’ Today she works at a Donald Trump support organization called ‘Great American Alliance.’ Tomi Lahren is also a sponsor of Fox News.

Anderson Cooper – $200M

Anderson Cooper had the brains and motivation to be a journalist, although he didn’t have technically have any formal education for it. He was a political science student at Yale while interning for the CIA. He was a fact-checker at a minor news agency as he was pursuing journalism. He created a news segment after flying to Myanmar to see student fighting the Burmese government. He later sold his homemade news segment to channel one.

Anderson Cooper reporter
Source: YouTube

He worked hard until eventually earning the position of co-anchor and ultimately became one of the most famous anchors on the news! He had his own talk show and is now the chief anchor for the CNN news show, named after him; the show is called ‘Anderson Cooper 360°’.

Katy Tur – $4M

At the beginning of her career, Katy Tur worked on multiple news outlets such as ‘News 12 Brooklyn’, ‘KTLA,’ ‘Fox 5 New York’ and ‘HD News/Cablevision.’ She also spent some time as a storm chaser on the weather channel, before earning a spot at NBC’s station in New York. She was then headed to the NBS national headquarters. Later that year she covered the Crane collapse in Manhattan, which earned her the AP’s Best Spot News Award.

Source: NBC

Katy was reporting for many of NBC News platforms, including, Meet the Press, Today, Early Today, and NBC Nightly News. She famously informed the Trump Campaign about Trump’s scandalous tape conversation about woman, while she was the reporter for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign for NBC. IN 2017 Katy Tur received a Walter Cronkite Award for excellence in journalism.

Erin Burnett – $15M

Erin Burnett was offered to work as a writer for CNN’s ‘Moneyline,’ after working as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs. She hosted shows such as ‘Sqack’ on the Street on NBS and anchored more shows in the next few years. She also randomly appeared as Donald Trump’s advisor on The Celebrity Apprentice.

Erin Burnett reporter
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Burnette anchored her show, Erin Burnett ‘OutFront’ when she returned to CNN in 2011. On this show, she hosted live from the borders of Afghanistan, Mali, Rwanda, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates. She filmed multiple documentaries outside of the United States and was named “The International Superstar” by Joe Scarborough.

Ainsley Earhardt – $8M

Ainsley Earnhardt was hired to work as a news reporter for WLTX-News19 while finishing up her education at USC. From 2000-2004 she worked as both, the morning and the noon anchor. She moved to New York in 2007 where she was hired by FOX News. There she continued to host several different shows such as ‘America’s New’s Headquarters,’ ‘Fox and Friends weekend,’ and more. She also hosted ‘All American New Year’s Eve’ in addition to being on the live panel.

Ainsley Earhardt reporter
Source: YouTube

Earnhardt also wrote two children’s books, ‘Through Your Eyes’ and ‘Take My Heart.’ Also, she also wrote a memoir called ‘The Light Within me.’ She currently has her own show named ‘Ainsley Across America.’

Megyn Kelly – $55M

Being a T.V. reporter is considered one of the most stressful, high-pace jobs in the USA, not to say in the world. Since news happens around-the-clock, the staffing of newsrooms usually follows suit. In Kelly’s case, at the start of her career, while she was still a defense attorney, one of Megyn Kelly’s first jobs was a general assignment reporter. She was assigned to cover the confirmation hearing for the U.S. Supreme Court live! She later became a host on her T.V. show called ‘Kelly’s Court’ when Fox News hired her. She also made a weekly appearance on ‘The O’Reilly Factor.’ Kelly later began hosting America Live in 2010.

Megyn Kelly reporter
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Later, in 2013, Megyn began hosted ‘The Nightly Program The Kelly file.’ This became the highest-rated show for Fox at the time, beating out ‘The O’Reiley Factor.’ She continued to host the show until she left Fox in 2017. ‘Time’ named her one of the 100 most influential people. At this time she hosted the third hour of ‘The Morning Show Today’ when she started working for NBC News. Her segment was called ‘Megyn Kelly Today,’ until 2019 when her contracted with NBS ended.

Wendy Williams – $50M

In 2008, Wendy Williams started and hosted her own talk show called “The Wendy Williams Show” She’s famous for her frank and outspoken character which may have gotten her in trouble with some of her guests. This isn’t shocking to most because Williams became a household name back when she worked as a radio DJ and Host. She was known for her on-air feuds with celebrities. This recognition made her the star of a reality show named “The Wendy Williams Experience.”

Source: YouTube

Wendy Williams used her fame to create a wig line, a jewelry collection, and even a fashion line. She has also written seven books including the New York Times best-selling autobiography. Notably, she has a street named after her, and in 2009 she was welcomed into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

Robin Meade – $10M

Meade has received a regional Emmy Award and adding to her achievements is her New York Times bestseller Morning Sunshine!: How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It Too. She also released two country music albums.

Source: Instagram/@robinmeade

Meade was given a regional Emmy award and wrote a New York Times Bestseller book called ‘Morning Sunshine’- about how to be and feel confident. Also, Robin Meade has released two music albums.

Jimmy Fallon – $70M

Jimmy Fallon is famous for his part in Saturday Night Live as well as hosting his own show ‘The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.’

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In 1998, Fallon was hired by Saturday Night Live to co-host their Weekend Update segment. It took him only six years to become a household name when he left SNL to focus on his acting career. He made appearances in a few movies including Taxi, Whip it and Get Hard, just to name a few. He soon returned to the screen as the host of ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’ on NBC, before 2014 when he became the sixth permanent host of The Tonight Show.

Kate Bolduan – $2-3M

After receiving her journalism degree, Kate Bolduan was hired as a general assignment reporter for WTVD-TV, where she began her career. She later worked for NBC AND MSNBC as a production assistant. In 2007, Kate started her work with CNN when she was hired as a national correspondent for the network’s News source. She then received jobs at Dateline NBC, NBC Nightly News, and House & Garden magazine.

Source: YouTube

Bolduan co-hosted CNN’s morning show ‘New Day’ with Chris Cuomo, and has also worked with Michaela Pereira in The Situation Room. Today Kate Bolduan anchors two shows for CNN, ‘At This Hour with Kate Bolduan’ and ‘The State of America with Kate Bolduan.’

Lindsay Czarniak – $3M

Lindsay Czarniak’s began her broadcasting career as an intern at WUSA. CNN then hired her as a production assistant. She became a News reporter when she lived in Florida while working for WAWS. She later co-hosted ‘The George Michael Sports Machine’ when she joined WRC-TV in 2005. Finally, in 2006, she earned a significant responsibility as a reporter when she covered the 2006 Winter Olympics. Czarniak and Dan Hellie later became co-sports anchors for NBC4’s after George Michael stepped down.

Source: YouTube

In 2011, Lindsay Czarniak began working at ESPN after leaving NBC 4. She reported the pre-season season football games on SportsCenter, before ultimately becoming the 6pm SportsCenter’s co-host. When she filled in for Brent Musburger and covered the Indianapolis 500, she was the actually the first female to host the telecast. Although her contract with the network ended in 2007, Lindsay just signed with Fox Sports where she was hired to be the studio host for their NASCAR coverage.

Andrea Mitchell – $8M

Working with NBC since 1978, Andrea Mitchell is obviously very loyal to the network. While completing her education at the University of Pennsylvania, she started her career for a student radio station called WXPN, and she was hired to work as a news director. Shortly after completing her degree, she worked as a reporter at KYW radio before becoming the station’s City Hall correspondent. She soon became the energy correspondent on NBC News.

Source: YouTube

Andrea Mitchell earned her position as Chief Congressional correspondent, after covering the white house since 1981.in 2008 she began hosting her own show called ‘Andrea Mitchell Reports’ which is where she is still currently working. She also makes frequent appearances in ‘Hardball with Chris Matthews’ and ‘The Rachel Maddow Show.’

Molly Qerim – $4M

Already at the start of her career, Molly Qerim was covering college football, the NCAA Tournament, National signing day and the US Open. She then furthered her career as a studio anchor and hosted, ‘SEC Tonight,’ ‘SEC Tailgate Show,’ ‘Full Court Press’ and ‘MaxPreps Lemming Report.’ She then worked for NF, hosting, their weekday morning show, NFL AM and NFL Fantasy Live. Molly Qerim continued to cover the UFC with ESPN, FS1. She even went on to co-host the annual World MMA Awards.

Source: YouTube

In 2008 ESPN hired Molly Qerim to work as the interactive host for College Football Live on both, ESPN and ESPN2. By 2015 she was temporarily hosting ESPN2’s First Take. When Cari Champion was promoted by the network, Qerim replaced her, and later that year became the permanent host of ‘First Take.’

Shepard Smith – $32M

Shepard Smith signed his first TV contract in 1986. His career continued, and in 1996 he began working at Fox News when they were just starting out. He hosted ‘Fox News’ ‘The Fox Report by Shepard Smith’ and studio B. He finished ahead of his competitors during his 3pm time slot, before being replaced by Shepard Smith in 2013.

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His efforts were recognized in 2003, he tied in second place, (alongside Peter Jennings and Dan Rather) for TV guide’s poll as the most trusted news anchor. Smith is still working with Fox News. He is working as the network’s chief news anchor, as well as an editor for their breaking news department.

Hoda Kotb – $35M

In 1986, Hoda Kotb’s career started when she for CBS News in Egypt as a news assistant. Her career quickly escalated when she became an anchor and was hired as the general assignment reporter to WQAD-TV and ABC Moline, Illinois. When she moved to NBC in 1998, her career furthered and she was now working as a national correspondent for NBS. She was also hired as the contributing anchor and correspondent for Dateline NBC. Finally, she took a job offer at ‘Today’ to become the 4th-hour co-host with Kathie Lee Gifford. In 2010 she received a Daytime Emmy award.

Hoda Kotb reporter
Photo by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC

Kotb earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism in 1986 at Virginia Tech. In 2008, she was the keynote speaker for the 2008 Virginia Tech graduation and was elected to the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2010. Kotb graduated in 1986 from Virginia Tech after finishing her degree in Broadcast Journalism. She was a crucial speaker during Virginia Tech 2008 graduation. Shortly after, in 2010, she was elected to the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Nancy Grace – $28M

Nancy Grace began her career as a prosecutor in Atlanta. After some prosecutorial misconduct, she was allowed to work with Johnnie Cochran on a legal commentary show. After he left the show, Grace went on to host Trial Heat from 1996-2004 and then continued to Closing Argument until from 2004-2007. Meanwhile, in 2005, she hosted a show on HLN called ‘The Legal Analysis Show Nancy Grace.’ Since then she made appearances on several shows such as The View and Good Morning America.

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Grace is well-known for her outspoken flair; her opinionated personality has been both condemned and criticized by audiences. Nancy Grace has also written the book called Objection. In her book, she explains how expensive lawyers, celebrities, and the media has taken over the justice system.

Billy Bush – $10M

Billy Bush is part of the Bush family but is more famous for his work as the correspondent for Access Hollywood, an entertainment newsmagazine. He worked there from 2001-2016 before making his TV debut on NBC. He starred in a short-lived show called ‘Make a Deal.’ However, soon after he worked as a correspondent for WNBC-TV’s ‘Today.’ He left Access Hollywood and was co-hosting the third hour of ‘Today.’

Billy Bush reporter
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After a controversial tape was leaked in 2016 Bush was fired from the network. The scandalous recording was a conversation between Bush and Trump, who was a presidential candidate at the time.

Martha MacCallum – $10M

Martha MacCallum began her career in 1991 working at Wall Street Journal Television until 1996. She was both the reporter as well as the news correspondent for The Wall Street Journal Report, Business USA, and World Market Outlook. She later got a job offer at a sports and business station where she worked as an anchor as well as a reporter.

Source: Twitter

In 2004, after joining Fox News, MacCallum got the opportunity to cover the presidential elections in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. When Pope Francis came to the United States, she went on to co-anchor the coverage of his visit.

Jon Stewart – $90M

Jon Stewart became a recognizable figure in the media after beginning his career as a stand-up comedian. Aside from being an actor and singer, Jon Stewart is also a TV host, writer, political commentator and more.

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His first talk show ‘The Jon Stewart Show’ aired on MTV as well as his second show ‘You Wrote it, You Watch it.’ However, Steward did not become a household name until the success of his show ‘The Daily Show.’ His show ran from 1999-2015 on comedy central. Other than being the host, Jon Stewart was also a co-executive producer as well as a writer for his successful show that earned 22 Prime Time Emmy awards.

Sage Steele – $1.5M

Sage Steele was born into sports. Her father was Gary Steele, the first African-American to play varsity football at West Point. She has two brothers who are also involved in the sports industry. It’s no wonder that she studied Bachelor of Science in Sports Communication at Indiana University Bloomington.

Sage Steele reporter
Source: ESPN

Steel hosts Sports Center on the Road, which allowed her to attend multiple well-known sporting events including ‘The Masters’ and ‘The Super Bowl.’ Steele has hosted the NBA countdown for both ESPN and ABC. She has also reported SportsCenter’s daytime coverage on the NBA Finals in 2012 and 2013. Stage steel is currently still the co-host of SportsCenter on ESPN.

Sam Champion – $12M

As a meteorologist, Sam Champion began his career at WPSD-TV in Kentucky and then continued at WJKS in Florida. In 1988 Champion made his way to becoming a weather forecaster at WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News. His career kept growing in 2004 when he Joined Good Morning America where he was making $1.5 Million a year! He continued to make appearances on other shows such as ‘Live with Jelly and Ryan and ‘Larry King Live’ on CNN. IN 2008 Champion hosted an educational program called ‘Sea Rescue.’ This informative show was centered around the rescue and rehabilitation of animals.

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In 2013, Sam Champion decided to leave GMA and took a job at The Weather Channel where he wasn’t only working as a host but a managing editor as well. Soon after, he anchored ‘America’s Morning headquarters’ and his own show ’23.5 Degrees with Sam Champion’. Sam left The Weather Channel in 2016 after they did not renew his contract. He then returned to ABC where he is currently working as a fill-in weather forecaster.

Ginger Zee – $1M

Ginger Zee attended Valparaiso University. There, she studied Mathematica, Spanish and earned a degree in meteorology. Her dream was to become a meteorologist on The Today Show by the age of 30, and by working hard, she managed to achieve that goal and much more! Before fulfilling her dream, Zee worked through several media outlets. She initially appeared on the weekend edition of The Today Show as a guest meteorologist.

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Zee joined Good Morning America Weekend in 2011. She continued to appear on other ABC programs like ‘ABC World News Tonight’ and ‘Nightline.’ By December 2013 Zee impressively managed to become ABC News’ Chief Meteorologist as well as their weather editor.

Charissa Thompson – $3M

Clarissa Thompson wanted to become a broadcaster, and she wasted no times gaining experience and learning where she can. She has worked in multiple different networks such as ESPN, GSN, Verus, and The Big Ten Network. She began making a name for herself when she co-hosted Sports Nation with Marcellus Willey, and in 2013 she was the host of Fox Sports Live on new Fox Sports 1. Thompson went on to host Ultimate Beastmaster, and she was even part of the Top Rank’s Broadcasting team for the paper-view event which was Pacquiao vs. Jesse Vargas.

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In 2014, Thompson joined Tracy Edmonds, and Mario Lopez as a co-host on a show called Extra, an entertainment news program. She worked at Extra until 2017 when she returned to Fox Sports is now the host of Fox Sports NFL kickoff show.

Tom Brokaw – $90M

In the ’80s ’90s and 2000s, Tom Brokaw was named one of the “Big Three” news anchors in America. Dan Rather at CBS and Peter Jennings at ABC News were considered the other two. For over twenty years they all hosted Flagship Nightly News programs. Tom was the anchor as well managing editor for NBC Nightly News from 1982. He left in 2004 to retire.

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Brokaw is actually the only person ever to host all of the three main NBC news programs which include NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press and The Today Show. He is currently a special correspondent for NBC News while working on documentaries. He has also written multiple American history books focusing on American society in the 20th century.

Lesley Stahl – $40M

Since 1991, Lesley Stahl has been the correspondent for ’60 Minutes’ and has been associated with CBS since 1972. Her broadcasting career began at Boston’s Channel 5, WHDH-TV where she worked as an on-air reporter as well as producer. Stahl became a correspondent just two years after joining CBS. She became known when she gained a lot of attention after she covered Watergate. As she was becoming more recognized, Stahl was hired as the White House correspondent. She remained the correspondent for the presidencies of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.

Leslie Stahl reporter
Source: YouTube

Between 1983 and 1991, Leslie Stahl hosted Face the Nation. In 2002, she anchored 48 hours Investigates and only worked there up until 2004. Stahl is now an author after writing two books, ‘Reporting Live’ and ‘Becoming Grandma: The Joys and Science of the New Grandparenting’.

Brooke Baldwin – $2M

Brooke Baldwin began her career in Virginia. She worked at a small station called WVIR-TV but quickly became the morning anchor at WOWK-TV. Later, Baldwin’s career continued to expand when she became a lead reporter for a station in Washington D.C.

Source: YouTube

In 2008, Brooke Baldwin joined The Rick List on CNN, and when Rick got fired, Baldwin took his place. Impressively, Brooke also managed to receive a ‘Silver World Medal for Best Investigative Report’ for her winning documentary called ‘To Catch a Killer.’ Baldwin has covered several significant events such as President Obama’s second inauguration in 2013. Today she is hosting ‘Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin’ which airs on CNN.

Lester Holt – $15M

Lester Holt worked at CBS for 19 years. Other than a reporter and anchor, he was also an international correspondent for the network. In 2000, Holt joined MSNBC. He began working as a substitute anchor for two of the network’s programs, ‘NBC Nightly News’ and ‘Today.’ When the network demoted Brian Williams, Holt was hired to become the show’s permanent anchor. At the time, this made Holt the first African American to be a solo anchor for a nightly newscast.

Lester Holt reporter
Source: YouTube

In 2016, Lester Holt was a moderator for the first presidential debate. He was praised for his brilliance and credibility after fact-checking, false statements made by both candidates. President Donald Trump even made sure to tell him that his moderation was “very fair.” Holt is currently still working for NBC and is the host on their program ‘Dateline.’

Jim Rome – $90M

Jim Rome started his career working as an intern for KTMS, a radio station in Santa Barbara. He then became a traffic update reporter before working at XTRA Sports as a part-timer. Since he was so good, Rome managed to impress the network and was given his own radio show called, ‘The Jim Rome Show’ also known as ‘The Jungle.’ For a few years went on to host sports television for several network programs such as The FX Sports Show on FX, Talk2 on ESPN2 and the Last Word on Fox Sports Net.

Source: YouTube

Rome began working for ESPN in 2003 when he was hired to host ‘Rome is Burning,’ the show ran until 2011 and then Jim left to join CBS. He hosted ‘Rome’ in addition to hosting a monthly sport and entertainment talk show on Showtime called ‘Jim Rome on Showtime.’ ‘Talkers magazine’ has named Jim Rome as one of the most influential talk show radio personalities.

Ann Curry – $12M

Anne Curry started her career as an intern. She worked at KTVL, an NBC-affiliate in Oregon; she worked her way up before becoming the station’s first female reporter. She worked at another NBC-affiliate station and then moved to Las Angeles. She was hired as a reporter for KCBS-TV and even received two Emmy Awards for her work. Curry anchored Dateline NBC from 2005 to 2011. After being the news anchor since 1997, in 2011, Curry began working as a co-anchor for ‘Today’ for just one year. In 2012, after working her way up, NBC News finally hired her as the national and international correspondent anchor.

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Curry has reported from numerous countries such as Darfur, Syria, Congo, Lebanon, Iraq, and Israel. Her reporting focused on human suffering, whether it was from natural disasters or war zones. In 2015 Ann Curry founded and created her own media startup. While working on her startup, she continues to do important news interviews on network television.

Kelly Ripa – $120M

In 1986 Kelly Ripa made her first television debut as a dancer when she appeared on ‘Dancin’ On Air.’ She was soon cast as Hayley Vaughn on ‘All My Children,’ a soap opera on ABC channel. Although Kelly Ripa got to act and dance on screen, she always wanted to be a newscaster. When Regus Philbin held on-air auditions to replace Kathie Lee Gifford, Ripa took a chance and went for it.

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Ripa was hired and received the co-hosting job before officially replacing Gifford in 2001. The show was called ‘Live! With Regis and Kelly’. When Regis left, he was replaced by Michael Strahan, but when Strahan moved to Good Morning America, Ryan Seacrest ultimately took over. In 2014, Hollywood reported named Ripa one of the most influential people in the media. Aside from reporting Ripa appeared in several films, most notably in the movie ‘Marvin’s room.’

Maria Bartiromo – $60M

In 2013, Bartiromo moved to Fox Business Network and Fox News. She hosts Mornings with Maria, Wall Street Week with Maria Bartiromo, and Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo. She also writes a monthly column called “One-On-One” for USA Today.

Maria Bartiromo reporter
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Bartiromo moved to Fox Business Network and Fox News in 2013. She currently writes a monthly column for USA Today called One-On-One while hosting three shows: ‘Mornings with Maria,’ ‘Wall Street Week’ and ‘Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.

Michael Strahan – $80M

Before beginning his job as a broadcaster, Michael Strahan was on a different career path. He was a professional football player in the NFL. Strahan played for the New York Giants for 15 years ultimately helping them beach the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XLVII during his final season. After retiring from the NFL in 2007, Strahan worked as a sports analyst and began trying different types of reporting.

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Michael Strahan was hired to be a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday. He appeared on the talk show ‘Live! With Kelly and Michael’, where he received two Daytime Emmy Awards before co-hosting ‘Strahan and Sara’ on ABC. in 2014, Strahan was working on Good Morning America but eventually left in 2016 so that he can work with GMA full time.

Samantha Steele Ponder – $15M

Everyone knows her beautiful face, so it’s no wonder she earns such a massive– salary. Samantha Steele Ponder is an ESPN sportscaster and is known for her work on College GameDay, where she replaced Erin Andrews in 2012. She is one of the most beloved reporters on ESPN and currently hosts Sunday NFL Countdown.

Source: YouTube

Samantha Steele is an ESPN Sportscaster and is recognized for replacing Erin Andrews on ‘College GameDay’ in 2012. Thanks to her good looks and hard work, Steele a favorite when it comes to ESPN’s beloved reporters. Samantha Steele is currently the host of Sunday NFL Countdown.

Martha Raddatz – $15M

Although Martha Raddatz did not complete her college education, it didn’t hold her back from her career. She began working at a local station while she was living in Utah and eventually became a chief correspondent at WCVB-TV located in Boston. She covered the Pentagon for National Public radio in 1993 and came to ABC news in 1999. She was hired as the State Department Correspondent, and in 2003 she was also the senior national security correspondent for the network. She reported from Iraq extensively, and in 2006, it was Martha Raddatz who broke the news of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s death and location on ABC News.

Source: ABC

Raddatz is now, deservedly so, ABC’s Chief Global Affairs Correspondent. She is still a broadcaster and reports for World News Tonight with David Muir as well as for Nightline. She is also the regular substitute anchor for ‘This Week with George Stephanpoulos.

Joe Buck – $15M

Given that his father, Jack Buck, is also a sportscaster, it’s safe to say that Joe Buck was born into the broadcasting world. He even began gaining experience while he was still a student at Indiana University Bloomington.

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Buck began his career calling play-by-play for a minor baseball team before he was hired by Fox. He was also reporting for the ‘Triple-A All-Star Game’ at ESPN. His hard work and effort paid off in 1994 when Fox Sports finally hired him as a reporter. At age 25, Buck was the youngest man to ever regularly report a slate of National Football League games on TV. Working his way up, by 2018 Buck managed to call 20 Word Series and 19 All-Star Games. This exceeds every other play-by-play announcer on TV. His talent is definitely recognized and received multiple Emmy Awards. Today, Joe Buck is hosting ‘Undeniable with Joe Buck,’ which airs on the Audience Network.

Amy Robach – $12M

Amy Robach began her career working at Fox’s WTTG in Washington D.C. In 2003 she moved to MSNBC where she anchored two hours every morning while regularly filling in on ‘Morning Joe’ and on ‘Countdown with Keith Olbermann.’ She spent four years with the network, and in 2007 she became a co-anchor for ‘Weekend Today.’ Robach eventually left the network in 2012 when she transferred to ABC News.

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At ABC, Robach was hired as a correspondent on Good Morning America. In 2014, she was promoted as the show’s new anchor. In 2018, Amy left GMA when she was allowed to be the new anchor of 20/20 with David Muir. After leaving the show, Amy Robach still continues to be part of GMA to cover major stories since she is the breaking-news anchor.

Dan Rather – $75M

Dan Rather spent forty years of his life working with CBS Evening News. He has covered the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and other significant historical events. He was even reporting on the scene of the Kennedy assassination in 1963; his coverage was so impressive that CBS promoted him. The title “Big Three” was given to Dan Rather alongside Tim Brokaw and Peter Jennings. They earned this title because of their dedication to working long years with their network nightly news programs.

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Dan Rather was a foreign correspondent in London and Vietnam, before ultimately becoming a white house correspondent. This meant he got to cover the Nixon presidency as well as the Watergate scandal. He contributed to ‘60 minutes’ before retiring from the network in 2005. Although Dan retired, he was still working as a host for three different programs: Dan Rather Reports, Dan Rather Presents and The Big Three Interview with Dan Rather on AXS TV. In 2018, Rather began hosting an online newscast called ‘The News with Dan Rather on YouTube.

Michelle Beadle – $2M

Michelle Beadle started her career as an intern for the San Antonio Spurs before becoming a reporter. She was hired to host Fox Sports Net’s Big Game Hunters but moved to TNN where she got to cover the Professional Bull Riders’ Bud Light Cup Tour. Beatle then got her shot of the Travel Channel where she became the host for the show ‘Get Packing.’

Source: YouTube

Michelle continued working other hosting jobs for different networks such as Yes Network and College Sports Television. Beadle Hosted various entertainment-themed shows as well as reality-based ones. She also has experience on the red carpet reporting for the Golden Globes, Grammy awards, and other red carpet events. She didn’t seem to shy away from entertainment news and has made appearances on shows such as Extra, Access Hollywood, and entertainment tonight. In 2009 beadle joined ESPN before leaving for a year to work at NBC. She finally returned to ESPN in 2014 and is a regular host for the network.

Wolf Blitzer – $16M

Wolf Blitzer started off as a widespread journalist in the 1970’s; he didn’t even start reporting for CNN until 1990. His career started off with Reuters in Tel Aviv Israel, which helped him earn the job as the Washington correspondent for The Jerusalem Post. Blitzer was best known for reporting on the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty and was also recognized for covering the arrest and trial of Jonathan Pollard.

Source: YouTube

In 1990, he was finally hired by CNN where he worked as a military affairs reporter. In just two years Wolf Blitzer became the White House correspondent for the network. Today Blitzer is still a reporter and is currently the hosting the show ‘The Situation Room.’ He is also the lead political anchor for CNN.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck – $20M

Elizabeth Hasselbeck graduated with a degree in Fine Arts and worked on the design team for Puma. She then joined the show Survivor, an Australian reality show where she placed fourth. In 2002 she continued her reality show path and joined Style Network on their show ‘The Look For Less’ only this time, she was hosting it. Just one year later she left Style Network when she was hired to a co-host on the view.

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Hasselbeck and her co-hosts won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. After working on The View for ten years, Elizabeth eventually left the show and was hired co-host for Fox & Friends. In 2015 she retired.

Nancy O’Dell – $20M

Nancy O’Dell’s career began at WPDE-TV, a station in South Carolina where she worked as a reporter. She was later promoted to morning news anchor and crime reporter at WCBD-TV. She famously reported about how police aren’t strict enough when it comes to DUI cases which led to an investigation. Authorities made implemented strict order for DUI cases, and O’Dell’s report was well recognized. The associated press even honored her with the Best Report of the year award.

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Working her way up, O’Dell worked for ‘A Current Affair’ as an entertainment reporter before the show ended. She enjoyed reporting on entertainment and joined Access Hollywood in 1996. By 2011, Nancy O’Dell was working for entertainment tonight as a co-anchor.

Chris Matthews – $22M

Starting off as a print journalist, Chris Matthews worked for the San Francisco Examiner as the Washington, D.C. bureau chief. Also, he was a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. After working in the print industry for 15 years, he became known for his talk show on MSNBC called ‘Hardball with Chris Matthews.’ He was also hosting ‘The Chris Matthew’s Show’ for a while. Matthews can also add author to his resume since he has written eight bestselling books.

Chris Matthews reporter
Source: YouTube

With all his success, it’s no surprise that Matthews received multiple awards for his accomplishments. Just to name a few, he received The Pennsylvania Society’s Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement in 2005, the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in broadcast journalism, and the Tip O’Neill Irish Diaspora Award in 2016. Matthew has also been successful when it comes to his education, currently holding 34 degrees from different colleges and universities.

Sam Ryan – $7M

Sam Ryan graduated from the New York Institute of technology. Working her way up, Ryan finally gained the experience she needed. She got a taste of the broadcasting world when he worked for multiple networks including, ESPN, ABC, and CBS Sports.

Source: Runners World

In 2003 she joined ESPN, before working at CBS Sports and WCBS-TV in 2006. Eventually, the MLB Network hired her as a studio host and reporter. She made regular appearances on the network’s other programs such as ‘Quick Pitch’ and ‘The Rundown.’ Ryan received a local Emmy Award in 1999 for “Outstanding Series Feature-Soft” as well as another local AP award In 2000.

Scott Pelley – $16M

Scott Pelley is a recognizable name in journalism. He worked at CBS as a correspondent and anchor for about thirty years. His work in broadcasting began in KSEL-TV IN 1975 and then switched to KXAS-TV and WFAA-TV. In 1985, when Pelley reported on Guatemalan Refugees, CBS executives took notice, and he joined the network four years later.

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In 1997-1999 Pelley was working as the Chief White House Correspondent for CBS News. Pelley covered the president Clinton investigation and was often to break the news. He joined 60 minutes in 1999 and his still involved in the program today. In 2011 Scott became an anchor and managing editor for CBS Evening News. While working on the program, the network earned the highest audience ratings after ten years!

Christiane Amanpour – $15M

Christiane Amanpour was raised in Tehran Province in Iran. At age 11 she was sent to England for boarding school and moved to the U.S. to study journalism. Her career started in 1983 when she worked as a desk assistant at CNN. Reporting foreign affairs came naturally to her because of her international background. Her first significant coverage was when she reported on the Iran-Iraq War. However, it wasn’t until 1990 when she rose to fame after covering the Persian Gulf War, and she took CNN to a new level of news coverage.

Christiane Amanpour reporter
Photo by David Vintiner/Variety

Amanpour has hosted several other series including Amanpour, This Week and Good Morning America. She still works at CNN, only now she is the Chief International Anchor for the network. She is currently also the host of ‘Amanpour & Company’ on PBS and the Global Affairs Anchor of ABC News.

David Muir – $8M

In 2013, David Muir first joined ABC News. He worked as an anchor for World News Now. He was also the regular substitute anchor for World News with Diane Sawyer. David Muir also worked as a co-anchor of the ABC News magazine 20/20. He is currently hosting his own program, World News Tonight with David Muir.

Source: YouTube

Muir’s hard work hasn’t gone unrecognized; he has been honored with many including multiple Emmy awards for his national and international journalism. The Tyndall Report considered him as one of the most visible journalists in America in 2012 and 2013. His World News, Tonight with David Muir, is the most-watched newscast in the United States right now.

Thomas Roberts – $1.5M

Like most journalists, Thomas Roberts started off his career reporting for a small cable station in Maryland. He then moved to California where he was working as a field producer and writer for KNSD, a program affiliated with NBC. He relocated again, this time to Nebraska where he became a general assignment reporter with an ABC-affiliate station. His big break finally came in 2001 when he joined CNN. He got to be the weekday anchor on CNN Headline News. Roberts received an Emmy Award nomination in 1992, for his investigation into a local puppy mill. His report led to it shutting down.

Thomas Roberts reporter
Source: YouTube

He decided to Los Angeles and tried working for some time for Entertainment Tonight and The Insider. He quickly realized that entertainment news was not for him. Roberts was then hired as a news anchor for MSNBC Live and Weekend Today. Also, he anchored Live with Thomas Roberts and Out There with Thomas Roberts, Weekly News, and conversation centered on LGBT issues. Coming up, Thomas Roberts is set to anchor for WGCL-46, a network affiliated with CBS Atlanta.

Tamron Hall – $6M

In 2007, Tamron Hall gained recognition after joining MSNBC and NBC News. She managed to score an exclusive interview with Barack Obama right before he announced his candidacy for president. Hall attained more prominence when she became a substitute anchor for Keith Olbermann on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Since her big break, Tamron Hall hosted and co-hosted numerous shows including The Big picture, MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall, Today’s Take, and the third hour of ‘Today.’

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Currently, Tamron Hall hosts Deadline, A true-crime program where Hall investigates. She is a strong advocate against domestic violence and has been passionate about it since her sister’s murder.

Josh Elliott – $5M

Josh Elliott’s first significant onscreen television work was in 2004 when he joined ESPN as a panelist for Around the Horn and Jim Rome Is Burning. He also appeared as a guest co-host on Cold Pizza on ESPN2. He quickly worked his way up until he eventually became a co-anchor on ESPN News and reporter for SportsCenter. Elliot joined ABC’s Good Morning America in 2011 and was fill-in anchor on the weekend edition of ABC World News. He temporarily moved to NBC for about a year where he was mainly relegated to NBC Sports programming.

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In 2016 Elliot was hired by CBS to be the lead anchor for the network’s digital news service CBSN. However, on an on-air announcement in 2017, Elliot mentioned that he would be getting promoted and leave the position. The network executives were surprised by what he said, and this announcement ultimately got him fired. After leaving the network, Elliott was next seen on National Geographic Channel. He worked as a co-host for Yellowstone Live with wildlife expert Chris Packham.

Robin Roberts, $35M

After graduating with a degree in communication, Robin Roberts took a job in a small station as a sports anchor and reporter. She later worked as a radio host for a radio station in Atlanta. In 1990 Robert’s hard work paid off, and ESPN hired her. She remained with the network for 15 years.

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ABC News hired her in 1995, and she worked as a featured reporter for good morning America where she is still presently working. In 2001, Roberts was given the Mel Greenberg Media Award, and in 2012, she received a Peabody award for her coverage on the treatment of the myelodysplastic syndrome.

Katie Couric – $90M

Katie Couric worked numerous reporting jobs before becoming the renowned anchor that she is today. She got her first job at the ABC News bureau before moving to CNN where she worked as an assignment editor. At the start of her career, she already earned an Associated Press award as well as an Emmy. In 1989, NBC News hired her as Deputy Pentagon Correspondent while also working as anchor substitute. Initially, Couric joined ‘Today’ as a national political correspondent and a fill-in for a co-host for Deborah Norville. However, when Norville did not return, Couric became the permanent co-anchor for 15 years.

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Couric has worked for the biggest television networks. NBC News (1989-2006), CBS News (2006-2011), and ABC News (2011-2014). She has hosted her own talk show called, ‘Katie. Throughout her career’. Couric won the Peabody Award, and in 2004, and was welcomed into the Television Hall of Fame.

George Stephanopoulos – $50M

This memorable anchor did not start out as a journalist. Growing up, his father wanted George Stephanopoulos to be a lawyer or a priest. He graduated with a degree in Political Science, but while he was still a student, Stephanopoulos worked as a sports broadcaster for his university’s radio station. He later continued his education receiving a Masters degree from the University of Oxford in England.

Source: YouTube

After working for a few different politicians, Stephanopoulos was known as the Communications Direction for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992. Soon after, he became the White House Communications Director later, the senior advisor for policy and strategy. In 1996, When Clinton was re-elected, he resigned and began his journalism career. Today, George Stephanopoulos is the chief anchor and the chief political correspondent for ABC News. He is also currently the co-anchor of Good Morning America and the host of ABC’s Sunday morning This Week.

Gio Benitez – $4M

Gio Benitez started his career when he was a teenager! At just 17 years old he worked as an assistant at CBS4, WFOR Television. In 2013 he was welcomed onto ABC and had appeared as a correspondent on several news programs including, World News Tonight, Good Morning America, 20/20, and Nightline. He also got hired to be the host of the Fusion channel’s version of Nightline. Even though Benitez may be new in the industry, he has already won two Emmy Awards and has been nominated for 8.

Gio Benitez reporter
Source: YouTube

With a Cuban background, Benitez speaks both English and Spanish fluently. He graduated from Florida International University in 2008 where he earned his degree in Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology.

Sean Hannity – $300M

In 1989, Sean Hannity was just at the beginning of his career. He was just a radio talk show host at a college station Santa Barbara, while simultaneously working his job as a general contractor. He soon became a part of WVNN located in Alabama and later relocated to Atlanta when he joined WGST. Hannity finally got his big break in 1996. Fox hired him to host ‘Hannity & Colmes’ alongside Alan Colmes. The show was changed to Hannity when Colmes didn’t return in 2008. Also, he hosts a radio show called ‘The Sean Hannity Show.’

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Hannity has written three best-selling books. He is recognized for his hard work winning multiple awards and has also received an honorary degree from Liberty University. Hannity notably espoused conspiracy theories involving Barack Obama’s birthplace and the murder of Seth Rich. Due to his close access to President Donald Trump, Sean Hannity is one of the most-watched hosts on television.

Natalie Morales – $20M

Before pursuing journalism, Natalie Morales worked at Chase Bank. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in journalism and Latin American studies. She had her start in broadcasting as a morning anchor at News 12 – The Bronx where she worked another job as a camera operator, producer, and editor. In 2002, she was hired by MSNBC as an anchor and correspondent and stayed there until 2006.

Natalie Morales reporter
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In 2016, Morales began hosting Access Hollywood replacing Billy Bush. She was then hired as the West Coast anchor of Today while also working as a correspondent for Dateline.

Heidi Watney – $3M

Ever since she was a child, Heidi Watney has gravitated towards sports. She participated heavily in all her high school teams, and her passion led her to this career path. She started off as a weekend sports anchor for KMPH-TV and another sports talk radio host for ESPN Radio 1430 KFIG. She later worked for a Boston-based network called NESN. There she worked as an on-field reporter and hosted some Red Sox specials including, The Ultimate Red Sox Show.

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In 2011, she worked as a sideline reporter for Time Warner Cable SportsNet. She was then hired by MLB Network to host their show Quick Pitch.

Bill O’Reilly – $85M

The fallen journalist used to have a solid career with a few local Emmy Awards under his belt. Bill O’Reilly has worked in different TV stations including CBS News and ABC News. When Fox News Channel started in 1996, he worked with them and was the host of his own show, The O’Reilly Factor. It was the highest-rated cable news show for 16 years, and O’Reilly has even been dubbed as Fox News’ biggest star in their 20-year history. However, Fox News terminated his employment in April 2017 after finding out his scandals.

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O’Reilly is the author of numerous books and is now hosting his own podcast called No Spin News, which he created after being fired from Fox.

Elizabeth Vargas – $8M

Elizabeth Vargas joined NBC News in 1993 as a correspondent for Dateline NBC and substitute anchor for Today. In 1996, she was hired as the newsreader for ABC’s Good Morning America. Eventually, she became the anchor of Sunday’s World News Tonight and co-anchor of 20/20. Peter Jennings’ death in 2005 made her a permanent co-anchor of World News Tonight along with Charles Gibson or Diane Sawyer.

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Vargas is the first national evening news anchor of Puerto Rican and Irish-American descent and the third female anchor of a network evening newscast in the United States. She is currently the lead investigative reporter/documentary anchor on A&E’s Cults & Extreme Belief.

Meredith Vieira – $50M

Meredith Louise Vieira’s journalistic career began all the way back to 1975 when she was a news announcer for a radio station in Massachusetts. She then worked as a local reporter and anchor at WJAR-TV in Providence, which paved the way for her to become an investigative reporter until 1982. But she became a household name when she worked as a correspondent for 60 Minutes on CBS. She was also a co-anchor on the CBS Morning News.

Source: NBC

Vieira moved to ABC, and in 1997, she served as a moderator and co-host of the daytime talk show The View until 2006. She was also the first host of the American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? In which she won two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host. Today, she is a special correspondent for NBC News and a contributor to the NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, and Today.