Another shift in the TV-news landscape today, as Harry Smith--the former anchor of CBS's beleaguered Early Show--departs for NBC News, where he will work on Brian Williams's as-yet untitled primetime newsmagazine. The glossy allure of new projects (a new prime-time show luring talent like Mr. Smith, a new talk show for Katie Couric) just Read More
Decline and Fall below the belt
Paul Freidman, CBS executive vice president for news, flew to London earlier this week to layoff some of the network's cameramen at the London Bureau (according to
Another round of layoffs is coming to CBS News this fall, according to The Daily Beast's Rebecca Dana.
The network is already in tough shape after cutting 100 jobs in February. This summer Katie Couric's CBS Evening News saw its worst ratings in 20 years. Nobody at the news network has been able Read More
On Sunday night, 60 Minutes will air the first major TV interview with Conan O'Brien since he left NBC.
Today, CBS News released a few tidbits from Mr. O'Brien's interview with Steve Kroft.
At one point, Mr. O'Brien tells Mr. Kroft that (surprise, surprise) he would have handled the whole Tonight Show clusterfuck much Read More
Kimberly Dozier, the veteran correspondent and seasoned war reporter, is leaving CBS News for a job with the Associated Press.
Ms. Dozier will serve as the AP's new intelligence reporter.
Ron Fournier, the AP's Washington Bureau Chief, announced the move in a memo to staff members:
Colleagues,I'm pleased to announce the AP's new intelligence reporter: Kimberly Dozier.
You Read More
In a group email this morning, Sean McManus, the president of CBS sports and news, informed staff members that CBS Early Show executive producer Zev Shalev would be leaving the network in part to develop a new content project, called NewsTsar, which would launch "in the second quarter of next year."
What's the idea behind Read More
In a group email this morning, Sean McManus, the president of CBS sports and news, informed staff members that CBS Early Show executive producer Zev Shalev would be leaving the network in part to develop a new content project, called NewsTsar, which would launch "in the second quarter of next year."
What's the idea behind Read More
The Observer has learned that David Friedman will be replacing Zev Shalev as executive producer of CBS' The Early Show.
Mr. Friedman most recently worked as the executive producer on NBC's Last Call With Carson Daily. He has also had stints producing on Rosie O'Donnell's show and on NBC's Today.
He is the son of CBS Read More
The Observer has learned that David Friedman will be replacing Zev Shalev as executive producer of CBS' The Early Show.
Mr. Friedman most recently worked as the executive producer on NBC's Last Call With Carson Daily. He has also had stints producing on Rosie O'Donnell's show and on NBC's Today.
He is the son of Read More
Over the past year, Armen Keteyian, the chief investigative correspondent for CBS News, has reported on cyber-thieves in New Jersey, murder-for-hire plots in Wisconsin and teenage bomb-makers in Atlanta. But these days, Mr. Keteyian is hard at work on a story much closer to home—namely, alleged blackmail plots within his own newsroom.
On Oct.3, two Read More
Last week, on Friday, Oct. 9, Wayne Nelson, the executive producer for Dan Rather Reports, was sitting in his office at HDNet’s headquarters in New York when an incredulous staff member ran in. Have you seen the promos for this weekend’s 60 Minutes, producer Meredith Ramsey asked? The clips touted an upcoming piece by Bob Read More
For three days next week, CBS is abandoning its standard evening news format to examine in-depth the war in Afghanistan. The project comes at a difficult time for overseas news coverage.
Felix Gilette writes:
In recent years, the big three networks have all been gradually dismantling their traditional foreign bureaus and testing out new models for covering Read More
"We're not doing it for ratings," said Sean McManus. It was the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 25, and Mr. McManus, the president of CBS News and Sports, was on the phone with The Observer talking about an upcoming, multi-day initiative at CBS News, which will focus on the state of the war in Afghanistan. For Read More
Bill Clinton stood on stage at Avery Fisher Hall in Manhattan's Lincoln Center and gazed out over the expansive auditorium. Not too long ago, Mr. Clinton told the audience, Walter Cronkite had extended a great act of kindness to his family. It was the summer of 1998. The Monica Lewinsky scandal was at a fever Read More
Don Hewitt, one of the early pioneers of broadcast journalism, died today at the age of 86.
Mr. Hewitt, who spent more than a half century at CBS News, helped create 60 Minutes, and worked extensively with the late Walter Cronkite, who recently passed away.
Earlier this year, Mr. Hewitt had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
