B&C: Olbermann Wants $4 Million

The negotiations are going public: Keith Olbermann and MSNBC “are knocking heads over a new contract,” B&C’s J. Max Robins reports. The Countdown host “is said to be seeking ‘north of $4 million’ a year, according to an industry source, to re-up on his pact that comes due in April. That would represent roughly a four-fold increase over his current deal, believed to be in the $1 million-per-year range.”

Countdown’s #s are up, but NBC’s budgets are down: “NBC Universal has mandated $750 million worth of budget cuts across all divisions, and this is hardly a politic time to hand out a gargantuan raise.” Note this line: “Meanwhile, CNN may have interest…”

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.