Rivera Takes Anchor Deal on Fox; CNBC to Counter

NEW YORK — CNBC talk-show host Geraldo Rivera has accepted an offer to anchor a new nightly newscast and an interview show on the Fox News Channel, but NBC executives plan to make a counteroffer that they hope will keep him from leaving.

The deal with the 13-month-old Fox News Channel, according to sources involved in the talks, calls for Rivera to co-anchor a 7 p.m. newscast, probably with the network’s Catherine Crier, in addition to hosting the talk show he now does for CNBC. Rivera also would host several news specials every year on the Fox news outlet.

Rivera’s CNBC show, “Rivera Live,” is the highest-rated prime-time show on the cable channel, reaching twice as many viewers as any other program on the network.

NBC must decide what it is willing to offer to keep Rivera, who is said to be seeking some kind of presence (such as occasional guest-hosting) on the “Today” show and “Dateline NBC,” and possibly even occasionally substitute-anchoring on “NBC Nightly News.” Sources said that NBC News executives have been reluctant to use him in this capacity in the past.

“This isn’t about money--it’s about respect,” an associate of Rivera said.

Rivera gained fame as an investigative reporter at ABC but then was criticized for the tabloid turn he took with several syndicated specials and the syndicated talk show he hosts. In fact, on Monday and Tuesday, as part of an investigation of the death of child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, “The Geraldo Rivera Show” will conduct a mock trial of her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, even though they have not been charged with any crime. (The Ramseys will not participate.)

But in recent years he has gained more respect from TV critics with his CNBC show, which has focused on high-profile legal cases such as O.J. Simpson’s murder trial.

NBC has a brief period to match the Fox offer to Rivera, who is under contract there until the end of the year. One possible sticking point will be what constitutes a matching offer, since NBC and CNBC reach so many more people than Fox News Channel does.