I’ve thought about the salaries of high-priced talent when other significantly lower-paid employees with the company were facing layoffs. Last year, I read an article about how the Phoenix Suns were laying off employees and I thought about how much money Shaq and others got paid. I thought it would have been magnanimous to see Shaq agree to a pay cut to keep those employees in their jobs. It didn’t happen.
Let’s see what happens to Katie and her salary as CBS employees are laid off. Let’s also watch star salaries as movie studios start laying off.
I don’t begrudge people making large sums of money salary-wise, if it’s what the market demands. However, I do believe the monstrous sums allotted to certain markets such as entertainment and sports are ridiculous. Corporate executives? Sure. They’re expected to successfully run a corporation. But should they receive the mega-bonuses some get? That may be another story.
However, those ‘stars’ of television & screen, those media notables such as Couric, those sports stars, I seriously question the need for such salaries for these folks. Not to the extent they enjoy today.