CBS Early Show Staffers: Watch Your Backs

How is it humanly possible for the CBS Early Show to be so dysfunctional? And so early in the morning, at that? The show has been a nest of infighting for months, since the times of deposed mean boss Shelley Ross. Now, we hear that more scheming and devious machinations are underway. A tipster says that Zev Shalev, who was named a senior producer for the show in March (and who CBS execs are said to want to take over permanently as the show's top producer), may be in the crosshairs of Michael Rosen, another senior producer who was once described to us as "a tyrant to the staff." Laurye Blackford, a departing senior producer and "mean girl," may also be involved. Of course, anyone who has survived at the show through all of its internal turbulence must be presumed to be an expert Machiavellian corporate backstabber. Beware, CBS staffers! Do you have any more info on the Early Show's drama? Email us, please.

Man Charged With Saving CBS Leaves Second Failing Show?

CBS continues to be a total disaster. Last year they brought in former MSNBC president Rick Kaplan to save Katie Couric's Evening News (without asking Katie's opinion). We all know how that went! Not that Kaplan stayed there long—soon he was dispatched to take control of the constantly failing Early Show, where he replaced the scary, tequila-swigging Shelley Ross. Ross left, but her "mean girl" staff remained. So far, Kaplan has not righted the sunk ship. Now we hear it's curtains for Kaplan. Or at least he's taking a suspicious two-week vacation during sweeps. The kind of vacation you don't come back from. Speculation from a leaky CBSer, below. More »

All Is Not Well at CBS's Early Show

Are staffers at CBS's Early Show so much happier since holy-terror producer Shelley Ross left a few weeks ago? Maybe not! A mole tells us that Ross, while she had her issues, wasn't the only problem. No staffers that quit have returned, and even with Rick Kaplan as new producer, we hear that Ross's "mean girl" senior staff still survives and carries on her unfortunate ways. In fact, two more people have quit, and others plan on leaving soon. More »

Ben Sherwood Spotted In CBS Early Show Talks

On Friday we asked if former Good Morning America producer Ben Sherwood was in talks about running CBS' Early Show following the departure of disastrous producer Shelley Ross. Since then, TVNewser spoke to "insiders" who said Sherwood talked to CBS executives about the job, and we got a tip that Sherwood was seen last week having drinks with CBS Evening News producer Rick Kaplan, who is running the Early Show on an interim basis. The tipster said the two were seen "far, far away from the office." (Photo via BenSherwood.com.)

Ben Sherwood In CBS Early Show Talks?

Is there any truth to the rumor that former Good Morning America Executive Producer Ben Sherwood is the leading candidate to replace Shelley Ross, who was just fired from the top spot at CBS' "Early Show?" Sherwood, who is married to Imagine Films executive Karen Kehela, is said to be represented in the talks by Alan Berger. Email us: tips@gawker.com

New Media Firm Name Apparently Composed Via Txt Msg

Steve Friedman, a director who recently departed the Shelley Ross-terrorized CBS Early Show, is teaming up with another ex-CBSer to show needy clients how "the crazy quilt world of new media and old media work together." And you know that you're dealing with experts, because they have a wacky, new media name for their firm: Vir2L Media. That's the way these internet types spell things these days, seriously! They should have great success as consultants telling clueless corporate types what to do, as long as nobody uses The Google and gets them confused with Vir2L Studios, which already existed before they picked their name. Such a wild, wild media world. [TVNewser]

Mean Lady Leaves, Famous People Are Heroes

Shelley Ross, the crazed, "hard charging", possibly tequlia guzzling CBS producer may be leaving the network. Employees of The Early Show, some sort of morning talk show that Ross worked on, are saying that she hasn't been to work since Monday and that some boxes were hauled out of her office. A meeting had taken place where timid, probably bandaged and scarred workers were asked to air their grievances aloud and in public, under promise of protection from any bloody, horrific attack. A few brave, stupid sons of bitches spoke up, but of course it took the "famous" people to affect a lasting change. Reportedly Julie "Chenbot" Chen and some dude named Harry Smith, who anchor this probably mythical morning show, said it was either Ross's ass or they were out. It looks like the famous people won. As they always do. [NYP]

Crazy Woman Terrorizes Show No One Watches

Evidently there is some kind of television network called CBS that airs a program called The Early Show. This Early Show apparently has some mean producer boss lady who runs around making people say they're sorry for things and then makes them cry. Shelley Ross, who, according to the Post, is both "hard-charging", and "hard-driving" (and, oh look!, we've called "tequila swilling") has seen 21 staffers leave the show since she began in September. Those who have stayed on often grumble (or worse) about her demand for 18 hour work days, especially during sweeps. She even demanded that someone reschedule a colonoscopy. This, no doubt, offers grim foreshadowing of what a Hillary presidency will be like. Because, you know. [P6]

The Network TV Producer (Allegedly!) Who Swills Tequila Before Noon

Today's Page Six asks "WHICH slave-driving producer of a morning TV show was ordered by the network's legal department to cease and desist offering staffers tequila shots on Friday afternoons?" We haven't had a good poll here in awhile, but this one's pretty obvious. Over at the CBS 'Early Show,' producer Shelley Ross has been breaking balls since she arrived in September, prompting a number of staffers to walk. Ross herself was fired a couple of years ago from her ABC News gig in the wake of staff complaints about her um, rather intense management style. One CBS staffer, who sent a protest manifesto to network executives, complained that despite "tequila Fridays" being nixed, "there is much evidence that drinking tequila or alcohol but especially tequila with Shelley is considered the way 'in' with her and her group." Oh my God, the same thing happened to me in the ninth grade! After the jump, more bitchery and unrest at the consistently third-ranked network morning talk show. More »

Media Bubble: Bad Hair Day