Janice
06-15-2005, 11:20 AM
RUNAWAY DEAL AT NBC NEWS
DID NBC News pay for an interview with "Runaway Bride" Jennifer Wilbanks in a roundabout way, and has publisher Judith Regan turned into a booker for the Peacock Network?
Regan who runs ReganBooks, an imprint of HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corp. is widely credited with brokering the deal Wilbanks made with NBC.
Wilbanks became a huge "get" when she ran away from her fianc้, John Mason, without a word and fled cross-country. She later falsely claimed to police she'd been kidnapped and is repaying her hometown of Gainesville, Ga., $13,000 the amount the town spent looking for her.
It was speculated the NBC deal would involve a book, a TV movie, a "Dateline" special and a "Today" show appearance.
But word out of Georgia is that Wilbanks has no intention of writing a book about her marital misstep, and instead scored a whopping $500,000 for a mini-movie deal with NBC's entertainment division with the unwritten agreement that she would appear on "Today" with Katie Couric and do a Couric special on "Dateline," which are both produced by the news division.
Couric's interview with Wilbanks was taped Monday and is set to air next Tuesday and Wednesday. Her "Dateline" show will air Tuesday.
A network spokeswoman said: "NBC News has not, did not and will not enter any deals or put forth any money for an interview ever. It sounds to me that this is sour grapes from a competitor who's missed out on a huge get."
Wilbanks' friends say: "There is no book." But they hear she will get $500,000 for the rights to her life story."
Another industry source said: "It is well known that NBC likes to keep NBC projects on the NBC lot. If the entertainment side is doing something, it is often promoted on the NBC News programs."
A ReganBooks rep said: "$500,000 for a mini-movie and 'Dateline' is incorrect," and refused to comment on whether or not a book was in the works. An NBC News-er denied Wilbanks got any consideration. "Oh, please. Sean Hannity at Fox News is also interviewing her" albeit a day after Couric's interview airs.
DID NBC News pay for an interview with "Runaway Bride" Jennifer Wilbanks in a roundabout way, and has publisher Judith Regan turned into a booker for the Peacock Network?
Regan who runs ReganBooks, an imprint of HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corp. is widely credited with brokering the deal Wilbanks made with NBC.
Wilbanks became a huge "get" when she ran away from her fianc้, John Mason, without a word and fled cross-country. She later falsely claimed to police she'd been kidnapped and is repaying her hometown of Gainesville, Ga., $13,000 the amount the town spent looking for her.
It was speculated the NBC deal would involve a book, a TV movie, a "Dateline" special and a "Today" show appearance.
But word out of Georgia is that Wilbanks has no intention of writing a book about her marital misstep, and instead scored a whopping $500,000 for a mini-movie deal with NBC's entertainment division with the unwritten agreement that she would appear on "Today" with Katie Couric and do a Couric special on "Dateline," which are both produced by the news division.
Couric's interview with Wilbanks was taped Monday and is set to air next Tuesday and Wednesday. Her "Dateline" show will air Tuesday.
A network spokeswoman said: "NBC News has not, did not and will not enter any deals or put forth any money for an interview ever. It sounds to me that this is sour grapes from a competitor who's missed out on a huge get."
Wilbanks' friends say: "There is no book." But they hear she will get $500,000 for the rights to her life story."
Another industry source said: "It is well known that NBC likes to keep NBC projects on the NBC lot. If the entertainment side is doing something, it is often promoted on the NBC News programs."
A ReganBooks rep said: "$500,000 for a mini-movie and 'Dateline' is incorrect," and refused to comment on whether or not a book was in the works. An NBC News-er denied Wilbanks got any consideration. "Oh, please. Sean Hannity at Fox News is also interviewing her" albeit a day after Couric's interview airs.