Promoters don't want to do what they are supposed to do - which is to promote the sport. They all know about selling TV rights - that's all they seem to do.
I've thought for a while that going down the 'F1 route' of giving events to the highest payers was a recipe for disaster. The promoter should be picking the best events, and helping those who need to get sponsorship. Having the best, most popular, most iconic events is better for 'selling the WRC' than events that can afford the hosting fee. For example, Sanremo should always be in the WRC - nowadays it can't even get in the ERC.