Comcast’s Brian Roberts 13th highest paid CEO

In a report that was sneakily filed when most of the cable industry’s attention was turned toward The Cable Show industry trade show last week, Comcast revealed that CEO Brian Roberts received $24.7 million in 2008, making him the 13th highest paid CEO in the world.
Hating on CEO pay has, of course, been the thing to do lately, but Roberts’ 2008 salary was below his 2006 take. Roberts agreed to several concessions including axing his “golden coffin” clause that pays his heirs five years of his base pay plus a bonus should he pass away. Roberts also agreed to freeze his pay until 2010.
Still, Comcast cut 3,300 jobs last year while Roberts was making an eight figure salary.
Roberts’ pay package makes him the third highest paid in the entertainment/media sector behind Disney’s Bob Iger (paid $51.1 million) and News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch ($30.1 million).
While Comcast’s stock fell 7.6 percent in 2008, the company outperformed the NASDAQ index, which fell 44 percent.