I agree with your assessment completely: Sarah CANNOT compete in the ABCNNBCBS news cycle if she needs 18 to 30 hours to make one speech allowing itself only 2 hours in front of the public discussing policy.
Her own show on Fox or CNN? Even better. And that too cannot readily/realistically be done from Alaska.
Recovering the money from speech and fees? Can only be done in the lower 48 states.
Ronaldus Magnus did lots of radio shows during his “interim” prioor to being elected POTUS.