Sean Spicer signs with NewsNation as contributor

By Matt Collins Article may include affiliate links

One of Donald Trump’s former White House press secretary has joined NewsNation as a contributor.

Sean Spicer’s first appearance was on the “The Hill,” the TV version of the political news outlet Nexstar, the owner of NewsNation, bought in 2021.

Spicer is fresh off hosting a show for the ultra-conservative Newsmax commentary network. He has also appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” since leaving the White House.

Nexstar also recently hired former Trump chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who has since become critical of Trump, as well as Johanna Maska, who worked for the Obama administration, and Chris Hahn, a left-leaning personality, so it appears to be filling both sides of the bench.

It’s not surprising the cable network, which was once known as WGN America, has been stocking up on contributors. It recently announced it would start broadcasting news and analysis programming 24 hours a day, five days a week.

This inevitably means the network will likely need to fill more time with panels, a favorite format of cable news that often attempt to bring guests from both viewpoints to debate a topic or the news of the day.

Contributors are generally not considered employees of the network, but are signed under exclusive deals that typically only allow them to appear as an analyst or contributor on one network. They are often paid per appearance or receive a flat payout that includes a certain number of appearances.

All major cable networks and network news divisions use paid contributors and analysts, particularly in the areas of politics and specialized fields.

Contributors are generally allowed to have other jobs — including for other media outlets. It’s not uncommon for a newspaper reporter to serve as a TV contributor of a TV network, an arrangement that allows these people to share their extensive knowledge of their beat more broadly and even cross-promote outlets.

NewsNation, meanwhile, has been struggling to attract a solid stable of viewers, but Nexstar says the venture is profitable.