News anchors are considered trusted sources for current news and events. The best TV anchors don’t just inform us with the news; they dissect world events and put them into a profound perspective, making us ponder our own opinions of the various topics flashed on the screen.
Back in the day, names like Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow carried much weight. They paved the way for today’s newscasters to provide us instantaneous access to information with a high degree of skill or competence. In the age of 24-hour news, more news anchors have showcased outstanding work, such as Anderson Cooper and Robin Roberts. Moreover, these newscasters show laudable courage and passion, dedicating their entire lives to relentlessly report and uncover world events.
Who are the most trusted news anchors in TV history? This article covers legends of news broadcasting. Find out who they are and learn more about their contribution to the broadcasting industry:
Anderson Cooper | $12 Million
Anderson Cooper currently hosts his eponymous news program on CNN. He has been hosting his show since 2003 after working as an ABC News correspondent in 1995. The Anderson Cooper 360° news show propelled the host into becoming a household name after his risky coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the war in Iraq. In addition to his CNN duties, Cooper also serves as a correspondent for CBS’s 60 Minutes.
Cooper has won numerous awards and credits for his work. In 1993, he won a Bronze Telly Award for his broadcast of famine in Somalia. He also bagged a 1997 Emmy Award for his coverage of Princess Diana’s funeral, a 2005 Peabody Award for coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and a National Headliner Award for his work on the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and earthquake. It’s no wonder he has an annual salary of $12 million!
Andrea Mitchell | $750,000
American television journalist Andrea Mitchell earned her degree in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania. During her years in college, she served as the News Director for the radio station WXPN. Immediately after her college graduation, she began working for KYW radio in Philadelphia and then went on to broadcast for KYW-TV.
Before moving on to work as a general correspondent for NBC, she relocated to Washington, D.C., as a CBS affiliate. She then became the correspondent for NBC News Energy in the late ’70s and was given her own show Andrea Mitchell Reports two decades later. For her decades-long journalistic work, Mitchell garnered a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2019. She also chronicled her work as a journalist and published Talking Back… to Presidents, Dictators, and Assorted Scoundrels. Well, with just the title of her book, you could already tell how tough this woman is!
Ann Curry | $10 Million
Born in Guam, journalist Ann Curry lived in Japan for a few years as a child. She and her entire family later hired a moving company to relocate to Ashland, Oregon, where she studied journalism. In 1978, she began her broadcasting career as an intern at the NBC affiliate KTVL in Medford, Oregon, where she was named the first female news reporter in that station.
Curry then moved to Los Angeles in the mid-80s as a reporter for KCBS-TV and garnered two Emmy Awards. She is acclaimed for her contribution to the Today show as the Anchor at Large. She was also Dateline NBC’s news anchor from 2005 to 2011. After leaving Today in June 2012, Curry ventured into leading a seven-person unit producing reports and content for NBC Nightly News with fellow journalist Brian Williams. The 64-year-old journalist also continues to host various NBC news specials.
Barbara Walters | $12 Million
Broadcast journalist Barbara Walters now has a net worth of $170 million. She is credited for hosting a number of television shows, including 20/20, The View, and the ABC Evening News. Walters started her TV career as a researcher and writer for The Today Show in the early ’60s, and by the following decade, she became the show’s co-host.
What makes Walters an unstoppable force in the world of journalism is that she was the first woman to co-host a TV news program in the U.S. Another feat she has achieved is that she was also the first woman to co-anchor an evening news show in 1976. While she retired from The View in May 2014, she occasionally returned as a guest anchor. Throughout her long and successful career, Walters has interviewed countless world leaders, including Margaret Thatcher, Fidel Castro, Vladimir Putin, and several U.S. presidents.
Bill Hemmer | $3 Million
Bill Hemmer credits his time as a disc jockey in his high school for jump-starting his love for broadcasting. He studied Broadcast Journalism at the Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and then launched his radio career when he started interning for a few radio stations, such as WOXY-FM, WMUB-FM, and Cincinnati’s NBC affiliate. He also served as the weekend sports anchor at WCPO-TV.
Hemmer prepared tapes and wrote dispatches during his year-long travels through Israel, Vietnam, Nepal, India, China, Egypt, and Eastern Europe, and this project was called Bill’s Excellent Adventure. He then landed a position at the International Headquarters of CNN, eventually becoming a host of various programs of the network. One of his most memorable stints was his coverage of the 1996 Olympics bombing in Atlanta. Hemmer also played an important role during the 2016 and 2020 elections, monitoring FNC’s “Billboard.”
Bob Woodward | Salary Undisclosed
Bob Woodward is one of the strongest personalities in American TV who dedicated his life to the world of journalism. He is an author and investigative journalist who has served at The Washington Post since the early ’70s. Thanks to his coverage of the Watergate scandal, he became one of the world’s most influential journalists.
Woodward also made contributions to two Pulitzer Prizes garnered by The Washington Post— the first was for Public Service in 1973 in connection to the paper’s coverage of Watergate, and the second was in 2002 for National Reporting, which was related to his coverage of September 11th. Aside from his broadcasting credits, Woodward also authored several books, 13 of which became #1 bestsellers. While his annual salary is not revealed to the public, the 78-year-old journalist reportedly earned $10-15 million from his books’ sales and royalties.
Bret Baier | $7 Million
Television reporter Bret Baier has an annual salary of $7 million, and he currently hosts Special Report with Bret Baier and formerly served as Pentagon correspondent and Chief White House Correspondent. He then became the White House’s correspondent in 2007, covering George W. Bush’s administration.
Baier kicked off his television career in Rockford, Illinois, working for a local station before joining the CBS affiliate WRAL-TV, which is based in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1998, he submitted his audition tape to Fox News and was hired as the network’s bureau chief in Atlanta. On September 11, 2001, Baier gassed up his car and drove from Georgia to Arlington, Virginia, to report the attack on the Pentagon. He did not return to the Atlanta bureau but was instead hired as Fox News’ Pentagon correspondent, working at the post for five years. He made 13 trips to Iraq and 11 trips to Afghanistan as a Pentagon correspondent.
Brian Williams | $6 Million
News anchor Brian Williams currently serves as MSNBC’s chief anchor and the host of his program The 11th Hour with Brian Williams. He began as a White House intern before serving the National Association of Broadcasters. Williams’ career in broadcasting started back in the ‘80s at KOAM-TV in Kansas. He then worked as a reporter in Washington, D.C., before moving to Philadelphia and New York City.
Williams’ big break came in the early ’90s when he joined as an anchor on the NBC’s program Weekend Nightly News. He also made frequent appearances on John Stewart’s The Daily Show and appeared on NBC’s comedy 30 Rock as himself. Notably, his team’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina won NBC a Peabody award. Moreover, he was highly acclaimed for his reporting on the hurricane, and the New York Times even credited his coverage “a defining moment.” Other awards Williams has bagged include the twelve News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
Brianna Keilar | $200,000
Australian-born Brianna Keilar is a commentator, journalist, the co-anchor of CNN’s New Day with John Berman. She formerly worked as a senior correspondent, congressional correspondent, White House correspondent, and general assignment correspondent in Washington. Before hosting New Day, she was the anchor of CNN Right Now with Brianna Keilar.
Keilar started her on-air career at the CBS affiliate KIMA in Yakima, Washington. She then landed a position at CBS News, where she served as a reporter and producer for a newscast that aired on MTV’s college network. As CNN’s general assignment correspondent, she covered various degrees of news and events, including the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, where she was the first correspondent of CNN broadcasting at the scene. The 40-year-old journalist also earned the 2009 NPF’s Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for her 2008 coverage of the $700 billion bank bailout.
Brit Hume | $5 Million
Brit Hume is a famous news anchor and author who has a $14 million net worth and peaked at an annual salary of $5 million. Hume began his professional career immediately after earning his college degree, working for publications such as the Baltimore Evening Sun, The Hartford Times, and at the United Press International.
In the early ’70s, Hume worked for renowned columnists Richard Pollack and Jack Anderson. By 1973, he was hired by ABC News and became their correspondent three years later. He also served as the managing editor of Washington news in 1997. He was one of the first news anchors to report about Monica Lewinsky when Fox News decided to launch his news show, Special Report with Brit Hume, in order to cover the debacle brought about by his report of the controversy. He also won an Emmy Award for his coverage of the 1991 Gulf War.
Carole Simpson | Salary Undisclosed
Carole Simpson, an alumna of the University of Michigan, started her career on radio in Chicago, Illinois. She then moved to television at WMAQ and onto NBC News in the mid-‘70s, becoming the first African-American woman to host a major network newscast. She also joined ABC News in 1982 and was the anchor for World News Tonight’s weekend edition from 1988 until October 2003.
Simpson was also credited as the first woman of color to preside over a presidential debate held between Bill Clinton, Ross Perot, and George H. W. Bush back in 1992. That same year, she received the Journalist of the Year Award. In 2006, at the age of 65, she retired from ABC News to start her teaching career at Emerson College in Boston, where she taught journalism until 2019. Today, Simpson serves on the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Advisory Council. She also published an autobiography title Newslady.
Charles Collingwood | Salary Undisclosed
Charles Collingwood was a journalist and war correspondent who was a member of Edward R. Murrow’s group of correspondents called the “Murrow Boys.” During World War II, Collingwood covered North Africa and Europe for CBS News. He was also among the ranks of founding TV journalists in the U.S., including Eric Sevareid, Walter Cronkite, and Murrow himself.
For his services for United Press in London, Collingwood covered World War II and was then hired by Edward R. Murrow to work for CBS in the early ’40s. He established himself as a spontaneously eloquent and urbane on-air journalist. He displayed his reporting abilities and investments when he covered the North African Campaign in 1942. Collingwood then served as CBS’ chief correspondent and host of its Eyewitness to History show. In the late ’50s, he succeeded his peer Edward R. Murrow as anchor of Person to Person.
Chet Huntley | Salary Undisclosed
The late American television newscaster, Chet Huntley, was widely known for co-anchoring the evening news show, The Huntley–Brinkley Report from 1956 to 1970. Huntley started his radio newscast career in the early ’30s in Seattle before hiring a moving company to work in Portland. A few years later, he worked for CBS Radio, then moved to ABC Radio back in the ’50s. While working at the NBC Radio network in 1955, he was called by network executives as “another Edward Murrow.”
During that decade, NBC News executives sought to counter the growing fame and success of CBS’ Walter Cronkite. They then decided to replace John Cameron Swayze, their current news anchor, with the two leading contenders being Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. They eventually came up with the decision to have both personalities share the task. The duo’s on-air chemistry was drawing audiences from the start, with Huntley’s straightforward report countered by Brinkley’s wit.
Chris Wallace | $7 Million
Chris Wallace worked for ABC for a total of 14 years before serving Fox News in 2003, and his show Fox News Sunday is currently airing on Fox Broadcasting channels. Wallace is one of the very few journalists who have served all four major networks throughout his entire investments on TV.
While working at Fox, Wallace has conducted a number of highly notable interviews. For instance, he interviewed Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin, with the latter earning him an Emmy award for Outstanding Live Interview. According to a 2018 poll, the 73-year-old journalist was ranked as being one of America’s most trusted TV news anchors. He also made history when he presided over the final 2016 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, which is the first time for a Fox News journalist. The New York Times even lauded his tough questioning of both candidates.
Christiane Amanpour | $5 Million
From a field reporter to the Chief International Anchor for CNN, Christiane Amanpour has indeed come a long way. The 63-year-old personality doesn’t only get credits as a journalist. She’s also the great TV host behind CNN International’s Amanpour and PBS’s Amanpour & Company.
She’s known for her distinctive fearless style of reporting, not minding to get on the most conflicted areas to deliver the truth to the people. Amanpour also makes her emotional reports her trademark. In her decades in the industry, the brave reporter has amassed $16 million net worth with a $5 million annual salary. Isn’t it just befitting for a veteran like her? Amanpour has been an inspiration to many. Did you know she even made an appearance on Gilmore Girls as an inspiration to the main character, the aspiring journalist Rory Gilmore, proving Amanpour’s status in the business?
Cokie Roberts | Salary Undisclosed
Cokie Roberts didn’t just make a name as a journalist. She’s also the bestselling author behind some of the most sought-after nonfiction stories about successful women. If there’s girl power, it may be safe to say that Roberts can be the epitome of it. She proved that a woman like her could have a place in the media world and be successful.
After spending decades as a political reporter and analyst, Roberts became the host of ABC News’s This Week with Sam Donaldson & Cokie Roberts. She also had a weekly column in newspapers across the US, along with her husband, Steve Roberts, syndicated by United Media. Her degree of fame and influence back then earned her a number of accolades, and some of which were the Edward R. Murrow Award, Everett McKinley Dirksen Award, and Emmy Award. She was also inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and one of the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association’s 50 greatest women in broadcasting history.
Connie Chung | $2 Million
Connie Chung has worked in the biggest networks in the US, like NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC, both as an anchor and reporter. She has held the most famous and controversial interviews of the lifetime. From the disclosure of Magic Johnson’s real health status to the disappearance of Chandra Levy—the 74-year-old personality has done it all.
Did you know she gets credits for being the only second woman to co-anchor a network newscast on CBS Evening News? Chung broke the boundaries for female reporters in the media world. She’s known for her series of brave interview questions, though it remains to be gentle and softer that only she can do. However, this doesn’t save her from controversy. When she worked on CNN as a host of her own show, Connie Chung Tonight, for which she earned $2 million annually, she was heavily criticized by critics. Despite the good ratings, it was eventually axed after a year.
Dan Rather | $4 Million
Dan Rather is one of the last broadcast news journalists from the Big Three –ABC, CBS, and NBC—network news primacy. He’s one of the most highly-regarded journalists in the business who has received a number of Emmy and Peabody Awards, not to mention a variety of honorary degrees from different universities. In his more than seven decades in the business, this is not surprising at all.
Rather became a national name after he saved thousands of lives during his report about Hurricane Carla in 1961, creating the first radar weather report by overlaying a transparent map over the radar image that helped 350,000 people in evacuating. Rather, however, it is not shy of controversies. After working for CBS for 44 years, he ended up filing a lawsuit against the network and its executives. Despite that, he still received a hefty paycheck from the network—a reduced $4 million from the original $6 million.
David Brinkley | Salary Undisclosed
David Brinkley successfully crossed from the end of the radio age to the start of the internet age. He’s one of the most influential journalists in the business, with over 50 years of service under his name. Of course, his stint as a newscaster earned him different accolades, like a whopping ten Emmy, three Peabody awards, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
He’s even the man behind the bestseller 1988 book Washington Goes to War, which is based on his time as a young reporter in the city, observing the war. In his transition to the small screen, he became the co-anchor of NBC’s top-rated news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report. He also hosted the hit Sunday program This Week with David Brinkley and became the top commentator of ABC News’ election-night coverage. His investments in the business brought him far until he eventually retired in the late ‘90s.
Diane Sawyer | $22 Million
Before Diane Sawyer successfully made a name in the media world, she first worked as a White House staff for US President Richard Nixon. From there, she became a journalist and one of the most well-known personalities in the business. The 75-year-old started to make it big as a host of the most famous news programs on major networks, being part of ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, 20/20, and Primetime.
Sawyer was also the host of CBS Morning and the first woman who became a correspondent of 60 Minutes. With her great talent, it was only befitting that she received a staggering annual salary of $22 million from ABC World News as its main anchor. She also got $12 million a year from Good Morning America. Today, Sawyer is worth $80 million, putting her far from any money loans. However, in 2014, she decided to quit as the anchor chair of ABC World News, though she stayed with the network to create specials and conduct high-profile interviews.
Don Lemon | $4 Million
From local news channels to the biggest networks of today, Don Lemon has successfully climbed the ladder of success. He started to work as a news correspondent for NBC’s Today and NBC Nightly News and later joined CNN. Here, he finally reached the prominence he had been dreaming of, becoming CNN Tonight’s presenter. The 55-year-old journalist also worked for NBC and MSNBC in the past.
Lemon’s hard work has never gone to waste. After all, he has received a number of honors since he started in the business, like an Edward R. Murrow Award and three regional Emmy Awards. The online magazine even credits Lemon as one of the Pride50, which honors and recognizes contemporary change-makers and veterans of the LGBTQ movement. Lemon is also one of the most influential LGBTQ people in the US in 2017 and the media in 2014.
Douglas Edwards | Salary Undisclosed
Douglas Edwards was one of the most prominent broadcast journalists who made his way on TV when it was rapidly emerging as an entertainment medium back in the day. After his six-year stint as a radio broadcaster in the ‘40s, he became the first presenter of a nationally televised newscast.
We bet that a lot of men and women alike were excited to see Edwards on their small screens then, and he did it successfully for 14 years. From a 15-minute program, viewers started seeing Edwards for 30 minutes as the news program evolved. It’s probably part of the network’s careful investment planning. However, the iconic news anchor eventually left the evening news and returned presenting news reports on radio and daytime TV. He’s also editing news features until he ultimately retired back in 1988. Edwards’ 46 years in the media world met a huge success that made him one of the most influential personalities in the business.
Edward R. Murrow | Salary Undisclosed
Edward R. Murrow successfully reached the pinnacle of his career as a war correspondent during World War II. Back then, he delivered a series of live radio reports from Europe to CBS’s news division. No gas or travel needed, just his distinct accounts of the war. Of course, Murrow couldn’t do it successfully alone, and he had the help of other people, so he created a team of war correspondents known as Murrow Boys. He worked closely with these people, composed of several newsmen and women, and with their fame, they became the early example of “celebrity journalism.”
Beginning his work in the mid-‘30s, Murrow is a pioneer of radio and TV news broadcasting. He produced his own reports on the TV show See It Now. With his incredible contribution to the business, several iconic journalists named him one of the greatest figures in journalism, known for his honesty and integrity.
Elizabeth Vargas | $750,000
As they say, no one started big, and every famous personality known today began working small. Take Elizabeth Vargas, for example. She started her broadcasting career at WOMU-TV while working on her degree in journalism. The now-58-year-old journalist then shifted to WBBM-TV in Chicago until she finally made it on NBC News, working as its correspondent and sub anchor. Vargas then moved to ABC and became Good Morning America’s newsreader and World News Tonight’s weekend anchor.
By the looks of it, Vargas has worked for the major networks when it comes to news reporting. She becomes the lead investigative reporter and documentary anchor for A&E Networks and is currently America’s Most Wanted host. It can’t be denied that she has already made it incredibly big in this business. Who would have thought that the hard-working University of Missouri student would come this far?
Eric Sevareid | Salary Undisclosed
Remember Murrow’s Boys? Eric Sevareid was one of Edward R. Murrow’s elite war correspondents. His first big report was the Fall of Paris in 1940, after the German forces captured the city during the Second World War. Like a true icon, the younger journalist followed in the footsteps of Murrow, eventually becoming a CBS Evening News commentator for 13 years.
The degree of his fame then became impalpable that he made his way to the popular culture. In fact, he had a number of movie and TV credits to his name. He was seen in The Right Stuff, The Best Man, The Jigsaw Man, and more. Sevareid was even Tony Banta’s (Tony Danza) fantasy on the TV series Taxi, while Ted Baxter wished he’s his father on Mary Tyler Moore Show. This particular episode gave birth to a running gag throughout the series as people mistook Baxter for Sevareid.
Erin Burnett | $6 Million
Erin Burnett started working behind the camera before she became the host of Erin Burnett OutFront on CNN. She used to be the writer and casting guest analyst of the show Moneyline, eventually climbing her way to the top and became the Vice President of Citigroup/CitiMedia. She then worked for the shows of Bloomberg Television and CNBC as a host. Burnett also worked as the co-anchor of Squawk on the Street, and magically, the show’s rating improved with her in it. No wonder Joe Scarborough dubbed her the “International Superstar.”
Burnett went on to do several documentaries with the right investment money, and those weren’t produced in the US alone. It was filmed in different parts of the world, from Libya to India and everywhere in between. Burnett is also one of the fearless anchors today, mostly focusing on reporting in the Middle East and files reports from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, and other countries in this region.
Eugene Scott | $75,000
You may say Eugene Scott is relatively new in the field of reporting, but he has already made a name for himself. He started his career when he joined the scholarship program of the former Washington Post publisher Donald E. Graham back in the ‘90s. No wonder he became a part of Washington Post’s The Fix in 2017, initially writing about identity politics.
However, even before he joined the Post, Scott was already working on establishing his name on the business. He’s a breaking news reporter on CNNPolitics and even led its breaking news team as a senior reporter. He also got credits for giving on-air analysis for MSNBC, NPR, and CBS. He’s also not shy of great experiences in the business as his starting point. He was TIME Magazine’s researcher and Arizona Republic, Charlotte Observer, and Cape Argus’ reporter. Sure, he has a lot of hard things to do, but he’s well compensated. As one of the Post’s top journalists, he earned an estimated salary of $75,000 a year.
Frank McGee | Salary Undisclosed
Frank McGee started his colorful and triumphant journalism career back in the mid-’40s, working for KGFF in Oklahoma and shifted to WKY-TV. After a decade, he became a news director. As this network was affiliated to NBC and the Civil Rights Movement came to light, NBC started to notice McGee’s talent. He received an offer to work on the network at its base in New York City. From there, he became one of the “most prominent newsmen” on TV.
Mind you, there are no online classes yet back then, but McGee was already known for his incredible skill in descriptive language. He could tell his viewers a clear picture of his topic just by detailing and describing it. McGee was behind some of the most important events in history. He managed to secure an interview with Martin Luther King Jr. after an attempted assassination and covered the early US-manned space flights.
Frank Reynolds | Salary Undisclosed
Another pioneer of TV journalism is Frank Reynolds, who started in the business back in the late ‘40s, beginning his broadcast career at WWCA-AM. He then became a TV anchor in 1949 until he turned to be a correspondent for CBS News, but he didn’t just stop there. He hoped for the best and became the main news anchor for the second WBKB, a station ABC owned and operated. Eventually, he joined ABC News and became its correspondent in 1965.
Reynolds had been famous for a lot of things, leaving an incredible degree of legacy that no one might manage to surpass or even match. One of his most notable stints was his optimistic prediction about a solar eclipse in 1979. During the live broadcast of the said event, he said this phenomenon would not be visible in North America again in 38 years, which was in 2017. At the time, Reynolds wished for the shadow of the moon to “fall on a world at peace.”
Fredricka Whitfield | $95,000 Per Year
Fredricka Whitefield is a news anchor and journalist who is based in CNN’s world headquarters in Atlanta. He anchors the CNN Newsroom weekend edition, and her works span more than three decades of reporting. She has work credit for stories from the Cuban-Haitian refugee crisis to the Bush-Gore 2000 presidential race and the Kosovo war crisis. Before being with CNN back in 2002, Whitfield served for NBC News as a correspondent, also appearing on NBC Nightly News and in the Today Show.
As a veteran journalist who has covered various important and historical events not only in the country but around the world, Whitfield has been paid millions during the course of her work, resulting in a whopping $3 million net worth. Growing up, she was exposed to diverse cultures. The Kenyan-born anchor went to school in Somalia and pursued studies in France before settling down in Atlanta. Whitfield proves that women can also excel in broadcasting just like men, with politics, crisis, and war coverage in her portfolio.
Garrick Utley | Salary Undisclosed
Garrick Utley was one of the journalists who covered the Vietnam War. He established his name in the broadcast journalist arena when he showed a degree of bravery for the challenges of going on-site the Vietnam War, something not many journalists preferred to do due to safety reasons. Utley was known as the one who covered the war full-time on TV.
Before being known for his achievement in covering the war, he started as a researcher for The Huntley-Brinkley Report. The reporter later joined NBC as the first bureau chief of Saigon. He also ran NBC’s London and Paris bureaus and served as a foreign correspondent for Europe. He also hosted the Sunday edition of Today entitled Meet the Press. In his later years, Utley was dealing with a health condition that eventually led to his untimely demise. In 2014, Utley passed away due to complications from his disease. Despite this, his memory lives on for many young and budding journalists who are covering today’s war and other world crises.
George Stephanopoulos | Salary Undisclosed
George Stephanopoulos has been in the broadcast journalism and political field for decades now. Before joining the media, Stephanopoulos was a young man who was interested in wrestling. As a young boy, he never imagined that he would appear on TV nor run for a public post someday. Upon entering college, he took a different path from his wrestling interest and graduated with a degree in political science and achieved his Masters’s Degree in 1984. As a political figure, he served as a Democratic advisor in the Bill Clinton administration. When Clinton was elected, he became the White House communications director. He also worked during the presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis.
Today, he is the chief anchor for ABC News and has made guests on shows such as Good Morning America with co-anchor with Robin Roberts and This Week. He has a yearly salary of $15 million each year for his reporting works on ABC.
Geraldo Rivera | Salary Undisclosed
Geraldo Rivera is a journalist and political commentator. For more than a decade, Rivera is regularly seen on Geraldo, his talk show which had its final airing back in 1998. He then continued his career as a TV show host with the airing of the live TV special The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults. Before this, Rivera reached fame for his investigative reports during the ‘70s and ‘80s. He has covered events such as John Lennon and Elvis Presley’s death and war coverage from Iran and Afghanistan, which received worldwide coverage.
In recent years, Rivera is into radio hosting while being a correspondent of Fox. With his own investment money, Rivera was able to establish his radio show in Cleveland. Rivera also showed off his other side when he appeared as a contestant for The Celebrity Apprentice and Dancing with the Stars.
Greta Van Susteren | Salary Undisclosed
Greta Van Susteren has gone from one media network to another, being an in-demand commentary and former TV news anchor. As an attorney who obtained her degree at Georgetown University of Law Centre in 1979, she is known for many political and socio-economic issues, making her a sought-after commentator. During the ‘90s, Van Susteren also served as co-host for Burden of Proof alongside Roger Cossack, where she showcased her expertise on criminal defense and civil trial law. Her legal analysis for CNN was sought during the O.J. Simpson trial.
The news anchor also made headlines back in 2014, when she publicly aired her criticisms over a republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Dwayne Stovall, when he ran an offensive advert against Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. She once hosted On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren, which ran for 14 years. She left her post on CNN for MSNBC’s For the Record in 2017.
Harry Reasoner | Salary Undisclosed
Audiences of both CBS and ABC News are most likely familiar with Harry Truman Reasoner who served as their journalist for years. Reasoner was given credit for his use of language during his TV commentaries, which made him even more popular among the viewing audience. The reporter is the founder of 60 Minutes, a CBS show which was described as a magazine on television. In the show, Reasoner tackled and reported on topics such as lifestyle, pop culture, politics, and health and science. His wit, humor, and charisma in front of the viewing audience also gave the network an increase in viewership while he was in the network.
During his career and until his untimely demise in 1991, Reasoner has received numerous accolades under his name including the George Foster Peabody Award in 1967, making him one of the pillars of news during his time.
Howard K. Smith | Salary Undisclosed
Howard Smith was a radio and TV reporter whose career spanned several decades until his passing back in 2002.
Smith was one of the members of the Murrow Boys, a group of war correspondents who covered World War II. He was one of the CBS broadcast journalists who were associated with Edward Murrow during the war coverage. Post-war, Smith worked for CBS in London as the chief European correspondent and later on hosted his show Behind the News with Howard K. Smith, a 21-week public affairs series. By the 1960s, Smith left his long-time home network to join ABC. He hosted shows such as Issues and Answers, which eventually was renamed into This Week with David Brinkley and ABC Evening News. Apart from being a news anchor, Smith also devoted his time to being a book author. Some of his books with his name on the credit are The Last Train from Berlin and Events Leading Up To My Death.
Hu Shuli | Salary Undisclosed
Hu Shuli is one of China’s media giants and is considered a great force. When it comes to journalism, business, and women empowerment, Shuli is always on top of the list. She has a reputation of being a savvy business journalist who is highly respected by the media and business industry. Her business Caixin Media, an independent news organization, established in 2010, received more than $800 million of venture capital fund that is associated with Robert Murdoch.
Shuli’s Century Weekly magazine, one of the titles under her media network, received a whopping amount of website traffic after the investment. Shuli is considered as one of the public individuals who are intelligent business- and career-wise. Aside from being a businesswoman, Shuli is a professor in the School of Communication and Design at Sun Yat-sen University and the School of Journalism and Communication at the Renmin University of China.
Hugh Downs | Salary Undisclosed
Hugh Downs was one of the best hosts of NBC. The reputation of NBC as one of the leading news networks today was given credit to Downs’ contribution to the network during the peak of his career as an award-winning journalist. He was known for being one of the co-hosts of Today and the game show Concentration, which was a favorite back in the days.
The Ohio-born news anchor landed a career in the entertainment industry in the ‘40s after earning a degree at Wayne State University. For a time, Downs was a radio program host for WLOK in Ohio before trying his luck in the NBC radio network at WMAQ in Chicago, Illinois. He was found going back to Columbia University to deliver political views and film appearances. Downs was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame for his valuable contribution to game show hosting.
Harris Faulkner | $2 Million Per Year
Harris Faulkner is one of Fox News Channels’ credible and notable women broadcasters. Before landing in Minneapolis, he worked in North Carolina and in Kansas City. Moreover, the award-winning journalist has worked for the TV series A Current Affair. In 2021, Faulkner started anchoring her show The Faulkner Focus while co-hosting Outnumbered. The news anchor also has a couple of books under her name, including the bestseller Breaking News: God Has A Plan – An Anchorwoman’s Journey Through Faith.
Faulkner earned her degree in mass communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara. After graduation, she started her career as a writer for LA Weekly and then transferred to TV station KCOP-TV in Los Angeles, California. Faulkner has been serving women empowerment among young wannabe broadcasters. She once sued a toy company that made a hamster toy named after her and her liking. After consulting her lawyers, the lawsuit came to a settlement at an undisclosed agreement.
Jake Tapper | $4 Million Per Year
Jake Tapper is a multi-talented media personality, journalist, author, and cartoonist. Currently, Tapper is the Lead Washington Anchor for CNN and also a host for The Lead with Jake Tapper, which started airing back in 2013. The journalist is also seen regularly as a co-host in the Sunday morning public affairs program State of the Union.
Before joining CNN, Tapper was with ABC News as Senior White House Correspondent. During his stay, he was given credit with three Merriman Smith Memorial Awards. The news anchor was also recognized for his coverage of the inauguration of President Obama by the Emmy Awards. For his coverage entitled Target bin Laden: The Death of Public Enemy #1, Tapper was given the Edward R. Murrow Award for Breaking News. When not reporting on TV, Tapper produces comic strips. One of his known strips was Capital Hell, which was published from 1994 to 2003.
Jane Pauley | $1.2 Million Per Year
Jane Pauley is one of the most popular TV hosts today. She is a well-known news reporter and TV host who has given service for shows, such as NBC’s Today Show, Dateline NBC, Real Life with Jane Pauley, and the Jane Pauley Show.
Aside from being a news anchor, Pauley is also an advocate for mental health. She has appeared on PBS’ Depression: Out of the Shadows and dedicates her time as the Ambassador for AARP’s Your Life Calling. In line with her ambassadorship, she has been reporting about people above fifty and how they cope with everyday life. With decades of being in the industry, Pauley has acquired millions of dollars, having a net worth of $40 million, which she has gathered from her years of experience in the field. She adds income to her fortune and investments by being a board MIT and the Children’s Health Fund in New York City.
Jessica Savitch | Salary Undisclosed
Jessica Savitch is one of the TV presenters and correspondents who was loved by many news audiences. She was considered as one of the women’s prime movers in the broadcasting industry when she gained the first-ever position of a women anchor to ever present on an evening slot. Her name was put side-by-side with other women anchors, like the footsteps of Marlene Sanders of ABC News and Catherine Mackin of NBC News. Before becoming a journalist, Savitch has accepted a few jobs to pay her bills and loans as a young working professional. She did on-camera and voice-over commercial jobs. While in college, she also became a disc jockey became a popular top 40 disc jockey.
She was best known for her work as the weekend anchor for NBC Nightly News and daily presenter of news for NBC News from the ‘70s to ‘80s. Before her passing, Savitch was hosting PBS’s public affairs documentary program Frontline.
Jim Lehrer | Salary Undisclosed
Jim Lehrer was a journalist who started his career back in the late ‘50s. He got his first job as a reporter for The Dallas Morning News in Texas and later on for the Dallas Times Herald. One of his biggest coverage was the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which further honed her journalistic skills. After working for a time on print as a publication editor, Lehrer jumped into the world of TV reporting. He then worked for National Public Affairs Centre for Television for a couple of years and then jumped to PBS to host his show. He would, later on, be known as a news anchor and executive editor of the PBS NewsHour.
Before his passing in 2020, Lehrer has a net worth of $48 million. He was regarded as one of the pillars of news reporting, having been able to impart characteristics such as versatility, discipline, and creativity throughout his line of work.
Joe Scarborough | $8 Million Per Year
Joe Scarborough is an attorney and political commenter who rose to fame when he co-hosted MSNBC’s Morning Joe with his wife, Mika Brzezinski. He also hosted Scarborough Country under the same network, which was aired from 2003 to 2007. Before having these shows, Scarborough began his career as a provider of commentaries on MSNBC on topics such as politics and law. By 2011, Scarborough has cemented his name in the world of commentaries as well as in politics.
He was included in the Time 100 Most influential people in the world. Before being a TV personality, Scarborough has served in politics for a time. He won a post for Florida’s 1st congressional district under the Republican Party. Aside from appearing on TV, Scarborough also dedicated his time to writing books. He wrote Mika and Joe: Our American Stories along with his wife. He is also the author behind Saving Freedom and The Right Path.
John Chancellor | $25 Million
The late John Chancellor was a beloved journalist who spent the bulk of his career with ABC News. Many regarded him as a pioneer when it comes to television news broadcasting. From 1970 to 1982, he served as the anchor of NBC Nightly News. After he left his post, Chancellor continued to produce commentaries and editorials for the same program until 1993. Throughout his career, Chancellor has received many accolades and recognitions, including his induction into the Television Hall of Fame in 1992.
Aside from his impressive legacy in journalism, Chancellor is also given credit for conceptualizing colors to represent the different states during presidential elections. If a Democratic candidate won, it would light up red, and if a Republican won, it would be blue. Today, different networks use this model, but with the colors switched. His legacy on television news continues to be unmatched.
John Dickerson | $4 Million
American journalist John Dickerson is best known for being a co-host on CBS’ This Morning alongside Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell. Before getting this post, he also served as the political director of CBS News, was a chief Washington correspondent, and worked as a political columnist for Slate Magazine. Dickerson also worked for Time Magazine for 12 years, covering politics for the publication. One can say that journalism runs in his blood. His mother, Nancy Dickerson, is also well-known in the field.
When it comes to his legacy, many regard him as a master when it comes to interviews. The Washington Post has once referred to his style as “Dickersonian,” noting the times the journalist has managed to knock politicians off-script during one-on-ones. There isn’t much to say about the secrecy of his investments, but we’re sure Dickerson tackles it with the same keen attention to detail he gives his work.
Judy Woodruff | $8 Million
Judy Woodruff is a news anchor, journalist, and writer. Throughout her career, she has worked for NBC, CNN, and PBS. Surprisingly, Woodruff began her career not too long after receiving her degree from Duke University. She joined CBS in 1970 and received a job as an anchor for a CBS affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia. Woodruff left the post in 1975 and moved to NBC News. Just a year later, she covered the 1976 U.S. presidential campaign and became chief White House Correspondent.
At present, Woodruff is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. On top of this, she also serves as a board member for the International Women’s Media Foundation. Needless to say, Woodruff is one busy woman. Aside from her work in broadcasting, she is also a published author whose work has gone on to become bestsellers. It won’t be long before the tamed anchor establishes a reliable income stream from her writing and book sales.
Katie Couric | $100 Million
It is a well-known fact that Katie Couric is one of the highest-paid news anchors at present. Even back during the mid to late nineties, she was already making $7 million annually. Today, reports say that Couric receives $11 million a year. However, it shouldn’t be a surprise considering how prolific she is as a journalist. Aside from being one of the most familiar faces in the field, she has also worked on several high-profile news programs.
Her first gig as a journalist was with ABC News. Even back then, the electricity she gave off had always been palpable. She later received recruitment to join CNN as an assignment editor. It wasn’t until the 80s that she started work as a reporter. Couric even won an Emmy and an Associated Press Award for the work she has done in the field with her wit and innate skill.
Larry King | $50 Million
The late radio and television legend is famous for being the host of his long-running CNN program, Larry King Live. He began his career in broadcasting on the radio back in 1957 on WAHR. Did you know that he initially received an offer to do odd jobs around the office, including cleaning, before he landed a job as a disc jockey? At the time, he received $50 a week doing both sportscasts and newscasts. After a while, he got to do interviews for a mid-morning show on WIOD. In just two days, he went from interviewing wait staff to chatting with singer Bobby Darin!
It wasn’t until 1985 that he achieved a great degree of fame. Hosting Larry King Live turned him into a household name and allowed him to interview many famous figures worldwide. The iconic TV host may have passed on, but his legacy indeed continues.
Lawrence O’Donnell | $16 Million
Broadcaster and TV writer Lawrence O’Donnell is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the industry. O’Donnel started taking writing seriously at Harvard and began working as a writer after he received his degree. His first novel, “Deadly Force,” was published back in 1983. The book eventually received a film adaptation entitled, A Case of Deadly Force. O’Donnell may have started his career writing fiction but switched to politics during the 80s. One of his first jobs was serving as a senior advisor to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
His experience working for the government helped inspire his writing for the West Wing’s hit TV show. O’Donnell wrote 16 episodes of the series and did the story editing for 12 others. With the investment money he has earned over the years, he became the producer for the series from 1999 to 2006.
Lesley Stahl | $40 Million
TV journalist Lesley Stahl began a professional career in broadcasting through WHDH-TV in Boston. As some might already know, she received a boost in popularity after she covered the Watergate Scandal. Following this, she received an assignment as the White House Correspondent for CBS. Stahl kept this post through various presidential houses, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.
Aside from being a correspondent to CBS News, Stahl also served as moderator for Face the Nation from 1983 to 1991. The younger generation might know her best for her appearance as a correspondent on 60 Minutes since 1991. With a career as prolific as hers, we wonder where Stahl gets the gas to continue forging ahead. After all, at almost 80 years old, she is still doing what she loves best and gaining new sets of fans each year.
Lester Holt | $35 Million
Lester Holt is one of the most recognized figures in broadcasting today. He first joined MSNBC back in 2000, and in just three years, he became a full-time substitute host for both the Today Show and NBC Nightly News. However, his real career breakthrough is landing the co-anchor seat on Weekend Today. Thanks to his wit and reporting skills, Holt was also given a chance to host his daily 2-hour newscast. In 2007, he became the permanent anchor for the NBC Nightly News weekend edition, replacing Brian Williams.
Aside from his work in broadcasting, Holt has also done a bit of acting. He has appeared in cameo roles for films such as Primal Fear and The Fugitive. The anchor even has TV credit for portraying himself on Warehouse 13, 30 Rock, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Indeed, Holt’s work as an actor helped catapult his wealth to the incredible value it has today.
Linda Ellerbee | $18 Million
Journalist Linda Ellerbee has held several different posts throughout her career. Ellerbee is known for her work with NBC News, including being a Washington correspondent for the program. She also hosted Nickelodeon’s Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, making headlines easier for children to understand. As a journalist, she has received multiple accolades over the years. In fact, her work for NBC News Overnight received praise from the jurors of the DuPont Columbia awards.
In 2015, Ellerbee announced her retirement from broadcasting after 44 successful years, and as one of the few pioneering women in the early beginnings of TV journalism, she certainly deserves credit. In an interview asking about her plans after retirement, the former broadcaster responded in jest that she was thinking of becoming a shepherd! It might be a surprising career change, but Ellerbee has always been a maverick.
Linsey Davis | $2 Million
Award-winning journalist Linsey Davis has built an impressive career over the years. She is a critical figure in NBC news and has covered various world issues. Davis is also known for her insightful interviews with some of the world’s most prominent personalities. The journalist began her career in Flint, Michigan, for WJRT-TV, back in 2001. She has had many notable broadcasts over the years, including her coverage of Hurricane Katrina, which showed the degree of dedication she has toward her profession.
In 2007, she became part of ABC News Live Prime. She is the first anchor for this pioneering live-stream newscast. During her time with ABC, she also became a correspondent for Good Morning America, Nightline, and 20/20. Davis also moderated the 2020 presidential and vice-presidential debates. Aside from her work as a journalist, Davis is also a published author. Her most recent books include Stay This Way Forever, and The World is Awake.
Louis Theroux | $4 Million
Louis Theroux is an esteemed news anchor and documentarist. He started his career as a journalist with the US-based newspaper Metro Silicon Valley. However, the anchor first found his niche for film journalism when he received an offer to be a correspondent on TV Nation. Theroux later worked with the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC), who created his own television docu-series entitled Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends. His show offers new insight into the lives of marginal sectors of American society. Some of his other credits include When Louis Met…, The Most Hated Family in America, and My Scientology Movie. He has published two books: Gotta Get Theroux This and The Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures.
Thanks to his colorful and influential career, Theroux’s estimated net worth runs at a whopping $4 million as of 2021. It won’t be a surprise if his wealth continues to increase in the next few years.
Maria Bartiromo | $10 Million
Maria Bartiromo is one of the most influential female broadcasters in the news world. She has several credits under her belt, such as Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo, On the Money with Maria Bartiromo, Mornings with Maria, Closing Bell, and Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street. Even during her younger years, Bartiromo has always known that she wanted to deliver the news to people. The famous broadcaster graduated with a degree in economics and journalism from New York University. Aside from broadcasting, she has also experience working behind the scene as an assignment editor and executive producer at CNN Business.
Her massive success and fame on TV have gained her a bounty of fortune. As of 2021, Bartiromo’s running net worth is around $50 million. She reportedly earns at least $10 million per year from her salary. At the rate of her riches, it seems like she is set for life.
María Elena Salinas | $27 Million
Maria Elena Salinas is among the most prominent female broadcasters in America. The New York Times credited her as the Voice of Hispanic America. Her resilience and dedication in her work have opened many audiences to various angles of worldly problems, especially in the US. Some of her shows include Aqui y Ahora and Noticiero Univision. A journalist of her stature has interviewed some of the world’s biggest names, such as Daniel Ortega, Barack Obama, Subcomandante Marcos, Bill Clinton, and Ricky Martin, among others. She serves as an icon to the Hispanic community in America. She is one of the founders of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and a volunteer for the organization behind Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
Her successful career and influence have earned her a net worth of around $27 million as of 2020. To this day, she continues to inspire her fellow Hispanics through her hard work.
Maria Shriver | $200 Million
Maria Shriver is one of the most influential and prominent figures in television. She is a multi-awarded journalist who has served as a co-anchor in Sunday Today. She takes credit in several shows, including Dateline, Nightly News, and The CBS Morning News. Shriver has been actively supporting her philanthropic causes, such as Best Buddies and Special Olympics, outside her journalism career. She has quite a knack for writing, too, penning the books What’s Heaven?, What’s Happening to Grandpa?, Ten Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Went Out Into The Real World, and many more.
Shriver’s estimated net worth as of 2021 is a whopping $200 million. However, her income does not only come from her job as a journalist. She is also part of the Kennedy clan, which comes with considerable assets. It’s very informative to study Shriver’s life story as she manages her money very well.
Marlene Sanders | $1 Million
Marlene Sanders takes credit for being among the pioneering female journalists who defied all odds in the once male-dominated industry. Her lifelong career has truly been impressive and came with a lot of firsts. She was the first woman to have reported on the Vietnam War from the field, the first woman ever to become second-in-command of the ABC News division, and the first woman nightly news anchor for an extensive network. Marlene’s appearance on television during that time was a rare sight for most audiences. Her achievements received accolades, such as the three Emmy Awards that she won to produce documentaries for CBS. Her influence on the industry and hard work have opened a lot of doors for fellow female journalists.
The iconic journalist has summed up an estimated net worth of around $1 million. Even up to this day, she remains an icon for women’s empowerment.
Martha Raddatz | $15 million
Martha Raddatz took pride as one of the most professional and prominent journalists working for the American broadcasting company ABC. More importantly, she became known as one of the network’s correspondents on national security. Raddatz began her tenure with the network in 1999 after working for NPR. Immediately, she rose through the ranks for her no-nonsense approach in acquiring data for the story. Soon, Raddatz achieved considerable success, eventually becoming ABC’s Chief Global Affairs Correspondent. Even today, many suspect Raddatz of having inside knowledge on the American defense scene, with the many contacts established over the years.
Aside from correspondence, she has also done some work as a writer, news anchor, and debate moderator. She has written articles for the commentary magazine The New Republic. She has acted as a news anchor in ABC’s news programs and has become a co-anchor on George Stephanopoulos’s show. All of this work experience, including some investments, has made Raddatz quite wealthy, with a net worth of $15 million.
Max Robinson | $3 million
While not many people may remember him now, Max Robinson was once an icon of American broadcasting. He is perhaps known for being co-anchor on ABC World News Tonight, alongside other well-known news anchors Peter Jennings and Frank Reynolds. He began his career back in 1959, working for a Virginia TV station. Already, he had a promising career rise, bagging two regional Emmys for his work on a documentary about black life in Virginia. He became the first African American to anchor a local TV news program during his time there. He eventually joined ABC in 1978, becoming co-anchor for World News Tonight. Again, Robinson made history for being the first African American to become a news anchor for a broadcast network in America.
While Robinson’s co-anchoring of the news program was well-received, he had difficulty working for the company at the time due to issues with the network’s upper management. Regardless, he extensively used his position as the first African American news anchor for a major network to promote the advancement of young black journalists. He boasts the credit of inspiring countless aspiring black journalists to pursue the profession further.
Peter Jennings | $50 million
Peter Jennings was one of the most iconic journalists in both his native Canada and the United States. He is perhaps recognized for his work as the sole anchor on ABC’s flagship nightly news program, ABC World News Tonight, from 1983 until 2005. He began his career relatively young, becoming a radio host at age 9 in Canada. Eventually, he achieved modest success as a news anchor and host in local Canadian shows. He became first associated with ABC in 1965 and has continued to work there since that year. His most iconic works for the network were his extended live coverages of some of history’s most impactful events, such as the 1991 Gulf War, 2001 September 11 attacks, and the Yom Kippur War.
As a result of his highly decorated work for the network, he was given credit via being designated as one of the ‘Big Three’ of male news anchors, alongside CBS’s Dan Rather and NBC’s Tom Brokaw. At the time, he has accumulated substantial wealth, with a net worth of $50 million.
Rachel Maddow | $25 million
Rachel Maddow is perhaps one of the most recognizable personalities in American media for decades. She is well-recognized thanks to her nightly show on MSNBC, The Rachel Maddow Show, where she provides her commentary on the day’s issues and news from a liberal perspective. In addition, Maddow has also acted as co-anchor, along with notable MSNBC personality Brian Williams, for the network’s special event programs. She is among the most well-respected lesbian anchors on American television. Thanks to her efforts over the years, she takes credit for multiple awards, including at least three Emmys.
Aside from her work at MSNBC, Maddow has also delved into writing and radio. With regards to radio, she began her career back in 1999, eventually becoming known for her syndicated program from 2005 to 2010. Regarding writing, she has written opinion and analysis pieces for various newspapers and magazines from a liberal perspective. Today, Maddow has accumulated considerable wealth, with a net worth of $25 million.
Robin Roberts | $50 million
Robin Roberts is one of ABC’s most well-known personalities. She is known for being the anchor of the network’s morning talk show Good Morning America. She began her career in ’83 as a sportscaster shortly after graduating with a communications degree at Southeastern Louisiana University. She has mostly followed the footsteps of her older sister, Sally-Ann, who is also a journalist. She subsequently worked for ESPN in 1990 and continued to be associated until 2005. Her long association with sports journalism in the past is thanks mainly to her collegiate years when she excelled as a basketball player.
She first became associated with Good Morning America in June 1995, appearing as a featured reporter for six years. After leaving ESPN, she received a promotion to co-anchoring Good Morning America in 2005. She continues to anchor the show and has generated some of the show’s most iconic moments in recent memory. Thanks to GMA and her various royalties and salaries, Roberts has accumulated a wealth equivalent to around $50 million.
Roger Mudd | $5 million
Roger Mudd is perhaps one of America’s most legendary journalists. His career spanned nearly 70 years, working for various major news networks and becoming a fixture on American televisions every night. Mudd began his journey in the ’50s as a news reporter shortly after graduating with a history degree. He subsequently worked for a local station in Washington, D. C. in the late 1950s. He then had his first work for a major network when he signed on in 1961 to CBS. His tenure in the network became well-known for his coverage of America’s most historical events, including the Civil Rights Movement and various U.S. election campaigns.
He eventually left the network in 1980 after not being chosen to be Walter Cronkite’s successor for CBS Evening News. He subsequently worked for NBC and continued to work for the network for years. In addition, he had also worked for the History Channel, becoming his primary anchor for more than a decade. Thanks to his long career, he has amassed a wealth of around $5 million.
S. E. Cupp | $6 million
S. E. Cupp is among CNN’s most well-known pundits. She is perhaps known as the network’s conservative pundit for nearly a decade now. She began her career shortly after graduating with an art history degree at Cornell in 2000. Cupp has written chiefly articles for various magazines and newspapers, including The Washington Post, Slate, Maxim, and The American Spectator. Moreover, she became a reputable source of information for the New York Daily News in 2009. She made her first foray into TV in 2012 when she became co-host of MSNBC’s The Cycle.
She became heavily associated with CNN in 2013 when she appeared on a revival of the network’s show Crossfire. She subsequently had her show, S. E. Cupp Unfiltered, in 2017. Initially airing on CNN’s sister channel HLN, it is currently airing on CNN on Saturday evening. Thanks to the royalties and salaries she has accumulated, Cupp has amassed a substantial wealth of around $6 million.
Sam Donaldson | $50 million
Sam Donaldson named himself one of ABC News’ longest-serving journalists for nearly 50 years. Initially, he worked as a correspondent in Washington from 1967 until 1977. From 1977 until his retirement in the mid-2000s, Donaldson became the network’s long-time White House Correspondent and is among the best White House Correspondents of all time. He covered some of America’s most meaningful events as its correspondent. Among the many events, including the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, the First Gulf War, and the impeachment of former U.S. Bill Clinton.
Aside from being a correspondent, Donaldson has hosted the Sunday political talk show The Week from 1996 to 2002. He is remembered fondly by many in Washington and on his long-time network. He has accumulated a wealth of around $50 million throughout the years, mostly from royalties, investments, and salaries.
Scott Pelley | $16 million
Scott Pelley has been a fixture on American television for years. For many, he is known as a long-time journalist for CBS for more than three decades and a correspondent, presenter, and reliable voice of 60 Minutes since 1999. He began his career in 1975 shortly after graduating with a journalism degree at Texas Tech University. He began working for CBS in 1989, with his first major assignment covering the First Gulf War from 1990 to 1991. He became the network’s White Chief White House Correspondent from 1997 to 1999.
He then joined 60 Minutes in 1999 and became one of its hosts in 2003. He became the anchor for CBS Evening News from 2011 to 2017. During his time as an anchor, the program saw its highest ratings in more than a decade. Due to his long and extensive career, he has won countless awards, including 40 Emmys and two Peabody Awards. He has accumulated a wealth of around $16 million, mostly from royalties and salaries.
Sean Hannity | $250 million
Sean Hannity is quite one of the most famous personalities in American media. He is perhaps famous for his nightly talk show, Hannity, on Fox News. In it, Hannity provides commentary on political happenings purely from a conservative perspective. He initially started his career on the radio shortly after dropping out of college. Fox News co-founder Roger Ailes discovered him in 1996, which propelled his career to new heights. Today, he has become probably one of the faces of American conservative media and is given credit for having supercharged the movement in the United States. He has also famous for his close support and friendship with former U.S. President Donald Trump in recent years.
He remains an influential commentator and presenter in TV, radio, and print. Thanks to many deals he signed on over the years, Hannity has been one of America’s wealthiest journalists, with a net worth of $250 million.
Shepard Smith | $25 Million
Shepard Smith was one of the pioneer news anchors of Fox News back in 1996 when it first started broadcasting and enjoyed a 23-year lucrative stint with the news network. He became a household anchor and one of the most famous figures across mainstream news channels during his tenure. The illustrious anchor took the helm of the newsroom on segments such as Studio B, Fox Report, and Shepard Smith Reporting. Upon leaving Fox, he shocked millions of viewers across America, and he subsequently joined the news team at NBC and CNBC. Over a year ago, Shepard started to host the segment The News with Shepard Smith and now enjoys his position as Chief General News Anchor for CNBC.
Shepard has fostered one of the most successful runs as a news anchor working for several major news networks. As such, he has amassed a hefty degree of wealth, which as of 2021, amounts to around $25 million.
Shereen Bhan | $1.5 Million
Shereen Bhan is a distinguished Indian news anchor and journalist. She finished her formal education at St. Stephen’s College in Delhi with a Philosophy and University of Pune degree with a master’s in Communication Studies. For most of her career, Bhan specialized in investigating corporate policies and business landscapes, which directly affect economic trends in India. Early in her career, she served as a news-researcher and eventually climbed the corporate news ladder leading to serve as a producer in shows such as Line of Fire at SAB TV and We the People at Star TV. In the year 2000, she joined the network CNBC-TV 18, where she continued to report on current economic trends and interview some of the big names in politics and business.
Shereen has been a household name in Indian news broadcasting. She hosts and produces shows such as India Business Hour, Young Turks, and The Nation’s Business. As a result, her earnings accumulate to an estimated net worth of $1.5 million.
Stone Phillips | $1.9 Million
Stone Phillips was a prominent TV reporter and news anchor back in the ‘90s. He has a famous stint as the co-anchor of the news magazine TV series Dateline NBC and is also an alumnus of Yale University, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. After graduating, Philipps worked several jobs while earning an entry-level position at a local news network WXIA-TV, an NBC affiliate. Through the ‘80s, he served as an on-air correspondent for ABC News, covering worldwide topics such as the war in Lebanon and the Rajiv Gandhi election campaign.
The fearless reporter started his tenure at NBC in 1992, where he would be known for his ground-breaking interviews. Philipps even received an Emmy Award for his interview with the notorious Bernhard Goetz. He co-anchored Dateline NBC from its beginnings and would end his long-running tenure in 2007. As of 2021, he has an approximated wealth of $1.9 million.
Ted Koppel | $30 Million
Ted Koppel is a famous American newscaster born in Lancashire, England, who moved to the US by 13. He has the credentials to back his esteemed stature with a Master’s degree in Political Science and Mass Communication Research, which he earned at Stanford University. Koppel started as a teacher before making the shift to becoming the youngest correspondent ever hired by the ABC network. Through the ’60s and ’70s, he served as a war correspondent and began hosting the segment Nightline by the ’80s. The British-born journalist would enjoy a 25-year tenure on the show and serve as a special correspondent for other segments on different networks, such as the BBC’s Rock Center.
Apart from his illustrious career as a newscaster, Ted also has written columns on New York Times and served as Managing Editor on Discovery Channel. As of 2021, he is at a wise age of 81 years old and boasts of an estimated net worth of $30 million.
Tim Russert | $1 Million
Tim Russert was one of the most influential journalists on American television. He was born on May 7, 1950, in Buffalo, New York, and would eventually earn a Juris Doctor at the Cleveland State University Marshall College of Law. To his credit, he ran a Buffalo-based law office of US Senator Daniel Moynihan and would also serve as his Chief of Staff. In 1983, he enjoyed his tenure as one of New York Governor Mario Cuomo’s top aides. By the ‘90’s, he was working at NBC network as the host of the widely famous morning program Meet the Press. He became the longest-serving host of the segment, and the broadcasting network would eventually change the show’s name to Meet the Press with Tim Russert. Russert would make a name for himself with his in-depth interviews with relative figures and high-profile guests.
Sadly, Russert passed away in 2008. At that time, he had an estimated net worth of around $1 million to $5 million.
Tom Brokaw | $85 Million
Tom Brokaw is a famous American TV journalist and author. He is widely known for his time as lead anchor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 until 2004. He originally co-anchored the segment with Roger Mudd until NBC executives decided that a single anchor would better serve their investments. In 1983, the show would take pride as anchor of The NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. In 1989, Brokaw was the first English-speaking broadcaster to cover the historic Fall of the Berlin Wall. Moreover, the South Dakota-native reporter was the first American reporter to do a one-one TV interview with Russians Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Putin.
Today, Brokaw is 81 years old and has an impressive estimated net worth of $85 million. Apart from his time as anchor of the long-running news show Nightly News, he also produces documentaries and other series for NBC.
Tucker Carlson | $30 Million
Tucker Carlson is one the most prominent figures in modern mainstream news broadcasting. He is a distinguished TV pundit with several published books and columns to his credit. Tucker’s father was Richard Warner Carlson, a journalist, and an LA news anchor. He graduated from Trinity College in 1991, where he studied History, and he began his career as a journalist at publications such as Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Policy review. Subsequently, he also wrote for the likes of The New York Times, Esquire, and Reader’s Digest, among many others. Tucker then transitioned to a TV career and made a name for himself when he landed a pundit position on CNN’s Crossfire, where he voiced out right-wing perspectives on relative issues.
Nowadays, Tucker is one of the household names on Fox News. Those in the know report that he takes home at least $6 million for his annual paycheck and has an estimated net worth of $30 million.
Walter Cronkite | $20 Million
Walter Cronkite was among the most famous news broadcasters on American television. He gained his degree of widespread popularity and esteem as an anchorman for CBS Evening News. In his tenure from 1962 to 1981, he would become the most trusted man in America. Cronkite covered both World War II and the Vietnam War, the infamous Watergate, and the reported assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and President John F. Kennedy. Throughout his career, the prolific journalist would receive dozens of accolades, including a Moon rock from NASA for his coverage of the US Space Program and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He also published three books throughout his lifetime.
Cronkite sadly passed away in 2009, at the age of 92. At that time, he had an approximated net worth of $20 million from his tenure as an anchor and a consultant for CBS.
Wolf Blitzer | $20 Million
Wolf Blitzer is a prominent news anchor and contributor to one of the most extensive news networks in the world, CNN. The anchor worked for the network since 1990 and has been given credit for his knowledgeable takes on American politics and international issues, particularly in the Middle East. The German-American journalist started his career with Reuters in Tel Aviv during the ‘70s. Subsequently, he also worked at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as an editor. Blitzer eventually landed the position as a Washington correspondent for the Israeli publication, Jerusalem Post. When he joined CNN, his work scoped military affairs and covered the first Gulf War in Kuwait. Simultaneously, the transition led to his prominence on the network, and he would become CNN’s White House correspondent from 1992 until 1999.
Currently, Wolf is a household name in American TV journalism, hosting several segments on CNN. By 2021, he has an estimated net worth of $20 million.
Yamiche Alcindor | $950,000
Yamiche Alcindor was born in Florida into a Haitian family. She found her passion for journalism at a young age, graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in English, and minored in African-American studies. During her university years, Yamiche embarked on her career as an intern on various major American publications such as The Seattle Times, Miami Herald, and The Washington Post. After graduating, Alcindor became a reporter for the publication Newsday and later joined the USA in 2011. By 2013, she became recognized by the National Association of Black Journalists as the Emerging Journalist of the Year.
Today, Yamiche has an estimated net worth of $950 thousand. She is known for being PBS’s White House Correspondent, and she intensively covered Donald Trump’s presidency until 2020. Recently, she became the moderator of PBS’s segment Washington Week.