Cyber Monday Sale! 50% Off All Access

CEOs Who Appear on TV Can Get a Huge Pay Raise Media appearances can have a positive effect on companies -- and their leaders.

By Rose Leadem

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Shutterstock

Typically, CEOs already rake in a whopping amount of money through annual salaries and other bonuses. However, tack on an appearance on CNBC and they can see that number skyrocket.

The recent study, "The Relationship Between CEO Media Appearances and Compensation," examined 4,452 CEOs from 2,666 U.S. companies, 104,129 news articles and 6,567 CNBC interviews between 1997 and 2009. The researchers discovered a massive compensation increase for CEOs who appeared in the media. In fact, on average, CEOs who made an appearance on CNBC saw a $210,239 jump in yearly compensation.

Related: Here Are the 5 Highest Paid CEOs

Every company wants publicity. However, for smaller firms, press can be vital in growing the business. Many CEOs saw an average $130,925 increase because their companies saw the power that their appearance in the media had on the company's success.

"For highly visible CEOs of larger firms, media appearances will only have a small visibility-enhancing effect," said study co-author Jingoo Kang of the Nanyang Business School. "On the other hand, for CEOs of smaller companies who are less well known, media appearances will have a strong visibility-enhancing effect."

Related: More CEOs Are Being Fired for Ethical Matters Today Than Ever Before

In addition to CEOs at larger, established firms, CEOs who were also founders or had high equity ownership in their companies were not as affected by media appearances. The researchers found that these CEOs had less motivation because their stake in the companies was already so large.

Not all press is good press, however, and the tone of media coverage also impacted a CEO's compensation -- especially on CNBC, the researchers found.

Rose Leadem is a freelance writer for Entrepreneur.com. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

Elon Musk Still Isn't Getting His Historically High Pay as CEO of Tesla — Here's Why

A second shareholder vote wasn't enough to convince Delaware judge Kathaleen McCormick.

Growing a Business

Her Restaurant Business Is Worth $100 Million — Here's Her Unconventional Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Pinky Cole, founder of Slutty Vegan, talks about going from TV producer to restaurant owner, leaning into failure and the value of good PR.

Legal

How Do You Stop Porch Pirates From Stealing Christmas? These Top Tips Will Help Secure Your Deliveries.

Over 100 million packages were stolen last year. Here are top tips to make sure your stuff doesn't get swiped.

Leadership

Leadership vs. Management: How to Understand the Difference and 6 Ways to Bridge the Gap

Here are the key differences between leadership and management, highlighting their complementary roles and providing six strategies to develop managers into future leaders.

Business News

'Something Previously Impossible': New AI Makes 3D Worlds Out of a Single Image

The new technology allows viewers to explore two-dimensional images in 3D.

Business News

'I Stand By My Decisions': A CEO Is Going Viral For Firing Almost All of the Company's Employees — Here's Why

The Musicians Club CEO Baldvin Oddsson fired 99 workers at once over Slack for missing a morning meeting. But there's a catch.