If Sarah Palin is being paid to "co-host" then NBC has essentially paid for an interview

Think about it:

Originally when NBC first announced that Sarah Palin was going to be on THE TODAY SHOW on Saturday it gave the impression that she would would be a guest. Then sometime on Sunday it was announced that she was "co-hosting." Palin has been reluctant to appear or be interviewed on any outlet other than FOX, which she is compensated for, so you have to wonder if she demanded compensation from NBC. NBC NEWS probably has a policy not to pay for interviews, but it is most likely completely possible for them to pay her to

"co-host," especially if Palin is member of SAG/AFTRA (which could be possible because of her position with FOX).

I have thus far been successful in not watching THE TODAY SHOW this morning but Mediaite has published a post with a video clip of Matt Lauer interviewing Palin, which of course for NBC was the purpose of her co-hosting.

So the question is, did NBC pay Palin to "co-host" THE TODAY SHOW? And if so, was this just a cleaver way to pay her for an interview? I hope Mediate, Media Matters, Howard Kurtz or anyone else with the interest and resources will further investigate.