CBS denies paying Jackson for interview

NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A CBS spokesman Wednesday denied Michael Jackson was paid $1 million for his interview on the network's "60 Minutes," as reported by the New York Times.

The Times said Jackson's associates demanded the payment as part of a $5 million deal with CBS for an entertainment special starring Jackson next Friday. However, a spokesman for CBS, Chris Ender, told UPI's Fred Winship that the only connection between the interview and the special was that CBS had informed Jackson that "we wouldn't broadcast the special if he didn't address the charges on a CBS news program."

"CBS News does not pay for interviews," Ender said.

In its Wednesday edition the Times quoted a Jackson associate as saying the $1 million didn't actually come out of the "60 Minutes" budget, but from the network's entertainment budget. CBS had postponed airing the special after California authorities issued an arrest warrant for Jackson on multiple counts of child molestation.