PrintSarah Palin, Fox News part company
Sarah Palin will not renew her contract with Fox News, leaving the network in order to expand "her voice in the national discussion."
Fox News has indeed parted ways with Ms. Palin, the former Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee, a Fox spokeswoman confirmed on Friday, reducing if not altogether ending her exposure to the channel's millions of loyal viewers.
It was unclear whether the parting was Ms. Palin's choice, but several people described it as amicable. Bill Shine, an executive vice president at Fox, said in a statement, "We have thoroughly enjoyed our association with Governor Palin. We wish her the best in her future endeavors."
Ms. Palin, a prominent contributor to programs like "On the Record," last appeared on Fox News in mid-December. As of last week, she was negotiating with the network for a new contract. Her original contract, which started in January 2010 and ended this month, was reportedly worth $1 million a year to Ms. Palin. She had a small television studio built in her home in Wasilla, Alaska, for easy access to Fox's viewing audience. Fox had no comment on the terms that had been offered during this round of negotiations.
A spokeswoman for Ms. Palin referred a reporter to an article by Real Clear Politics, the Web site that broke the news of the split on Friday. The article quoted an anonymous source as saying that Ms. Palin had decided not to renew with Fox, but "will be expanding her voice in the national discussion."
CNN might make a play for her, but not at a million bucks a year. Many of her supporters wouldn't be caught dead watching CNN anyway which means her options narrow considerably.
She will still be in great demand as a speaker and can still make a big impact using social media like Facebook and Twitter. No doubt her profile will suffer a bit as far as exposure, but as 2016 approaches that will change.
The media will still seek her out for her opinions so there's no chance she will disappear. They will still have Sarah Palin to kick around when the time comes.
