Give her a Greyhound Bus ticket back to where she spawned.
This is a simple business decision. Any well run business has a backup identified for key people dealing with customers or the public.
The CEO should be asking, “If she leaves, and the replacement takes over, will we lose audience and/or advertisers. If so, how much?
If we pay her more how is she going to generate an incremental return on our investment? If no increase, why not?
If she leaves, where is she likely to go and why?
Can we use her departure to steal someone better from our competitors?
The CEO then tells the responsible executive to make the decision that results in a larger audience, higher profit, and more than pays back any increased spending. If the executive is any good, he already has a plan to do that.
Good CEO’s don’t let employees hold them hostage. A great company will churn along without missing a beat if anyone walks out the door. If CBS has good management, Ms. King may be about to learn a business lesson.