The New York Post says NBC (and that includes NBC News) has agreed to pay that much for Paris' exclusive jailhouse exit interview, which would appear on the Today show the day after she gets out.
The Post says sources say the interview's been reserved for Meredith Vieira.
And guess who's steaming?
Everyone at ABC. They figured Barbara Walter's friendship with Paris' mother, all her schmoozing and the "Paris found God" PR work she did, would get them the interview for free.
Oh, those serious television journalists. Don't let anyone tell you the "mainstream" news networks don't pay for stories, or that there was ever any serious hand-wringing over the attention paid to Paris Hilton and her jailterm fiascos. NBC will deny paying Paris, they'll funnel the money to some secondary corporation or couch it as expenses and traveling fees, but don't buy it. If Paris' bony ass winds up on the Today, rest assured that serious lucre has passed hands. TV news is a business. They like to have their cake and eat it too, and despite those laws about criminals profiting from their crimes, the Paris interview will rate bigtime.