QUICK TAKES - Feb. 10, 2009
NBC’s “Today” aired on Monday the second part of Ann Curry’s exclusive interview with octuplet mother Nadya Suleman, showing the first images of her tiny babies in the neonatal unit.
Not to be outdone, ABC’s “Good Morning America” touted its own get -- an interview with Suleman’s mother, who said her daughter was irresponsible for having more children when she has six at home.
Except the interview wasn’t actually done by ABC: The network licensed the footage from Radaronline.com, a Web-only version of the celebrity magazine that folded last fall.
ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider declined to say how much the network paid Radar, calling it a “nominal fee.”
Last week, “Today” faced questions about how it had landed the interview with Suleman, as the mother’s representatives had said she wanted to use the attention on her story to help provide for her large family.
NBC adamantly denied paying for the exclusive.
“Absolutely no money has changed hands between NBC and Suleman or any member of her family,” said “Today” spokeswoman Megan Kopf.
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--Matea Gold
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