Lester Holt — who’s primed to permanently take over for fibbing Brian Williams on “NBC Nightly News” — wants the same $10 million-per-year salary Williams was getting.
Holt’s agents want to quietly renegotiate his contract with NBC as the network tries to reach a resolution over Williams, who will not return to “Nightly News” following an internal investigation.
But insiders tell us it’s Holt who’s got the upper hand as NBC News has no backup anchor plan.
“There’s a lot of drama at NBC News,” said a source familiar with the upcoming negotiations. Holt is currently being paid about $4 million per year as the “Nightly News” weekend anchor and for other assignments. But the network so far has offered Holt less than lyin’ Brian was making to take over the newscast, a source said.
“Lester’s team feels that if he gets half of what Williams was making, the message to him and the newsroom is he’s half the anchor Brian was.”
The source added Holt “won’t walk away” from the talks, but “He’s got NBC by the balls — because there is no Plan B for them. This is Lester’s chance to get paid.” Holt can renegotiate his deal since his role is changing.
To make Holt happy, we hear NBC News could offer him what Williams was making before he signed his huge $10 million-a-year, five-year contract in 2014.
“Lester hasn’t ‘been there’ yet,” said an insider of Holt’s payday, pointing out Williams anchored “NBC Nightly News” for a decade before he inked the massive deal last year.
Under Holt, the ratings race with rival ABC has tightened since Williams’ tenure, but Holt has been hamstrung with no promotion and is still billed as a temporary replacement for Williams during the latter’s six-month suspension.
Page Six reported on Monday that Williams will likely lose his anchor chair, but could be brought back to NBC News in a different, lesser role. The negotiations are complex and still ongoing.
Reps for NBC and Holt didn’t comment.