Updated: Monday, Feb. 20, 2017
CBS Television Distribution's Inside Edition is moving into key access time periods this fall in three top markets: New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
The moves come in the wake of CTD's decision to stop producing entertainment magazine The Insider after 13 seasons on the air. The Insider, which was spun off from Entertainment Tonight in 2004 and features hosts Debbie Matenopoulos and Louis Aguirre, will end its run after this season.
Inside Edition, which is in its 29th season and has been anchored by Deborah Norville since 1995, is the No. 2 ranked access magazine, behind only CTD's Entertainment Tonight.
Inside Edition has averaged a 2.9 live-plus-same-day household rating this season, according to Nielsen, behind ET's 3.3. Inside Edition also attracts 4.3 million viewers, behind only ET's 4.9 million, and has earned a 1.2 season-to-date among women 25-54, behind only ET's 1.5.
By comparison, The Insider has averaged a 1.2 household rating season-to-date, 1.61 million viewers and a 0.5 among women 25-54. The Insider ranks sixth overall among the eight access magazines.
"We're very pleased to have Inside Edition move into access on WCBS, KCBS and KYW, starting in September, coinciding with the start of the show’s 30th season. Deborah Norville and her colleagues do a terrific job of producing this compelling daily newsmagazine, which we believe will be an excellent companion to Entertainment Tonight," said Peter Dunn, president, CBS Television Stations and president and GM of WCBS in New York.
In New York, Inside Edition is moving from Fox-owned WNYW at noon, where its contract was up, to WCBS in access, with the time slot to be determined.
In Los Angeles, Inside Edition shifts from KCAL, which is co-owned with KCBS. The show currently airs at 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, but will air in access on KCBS next fall.
Finally, Inside Edition is moving from Fox-owned WTXF Philadelphia at 6:30 p.m. to CBS-owned KYW in Philadelphia.
"Needless to say, we are delighted to be coming to such important time slots on the stellar CBS stations," Norville said. "This is not just an important move for Inside Edition; this is a landmark move in television syndication in that a show that has been on air for 29 years is being given upgrades like this. It's not just a credit to the Inside Edition brand, but to the talented people that are a part of the team."
Charles Lachman has been with Inside Edition since its premiere in 1989 and executive produced since 1995. Besides Norville, Jim Moret serves as chief correspondent, Lisa Guerrerois chief investigative correspondent and Les Trent is senior correspondent.
Other correspondents on the program include Diane McInerney, who also serves as weekend anchor, Megan Alexander, Victoria Recaño, Steven Fabian and Ann Mercogliano.
Summer Heat
Over the summer, Inside Edition beat Entertainment Tonight on several occasions, ending ET's multiple-year run at the top of the genre. Executive producer Brad Bessey exited both ET and The Insider in August and was replaced in December by Sharon Hoffman. Rick Joyce is co-executive producer.
There has been a fair amount of change among entertainment magazines in the past year. Last summer, Billy Bush moved to NBC's Today from NBCUniversal's Access Hollywood. Bush, though, lost that job last October after the release of a 2005 tape from Access Hollywood in which then-presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke lewdly about women, with Bush encouraging the conversation. Natalie Morales moved from New York to Los Angeles to replace Bush both on Access Hollywood and Access Hollywood Live and as Today's West Coast anchor.
Another show that stands to benefit from The Insider's departure is newcomer Page Six TV, to be produced by Endemol Shine North America and distributed by Twentieth Television. The show already is cleared by Fox Television Stations in all markets where Fox owns stations, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The end of The Insider has created potential openings for the new show.
"There has been upward momentum and significant movement over the past week with regard to Page Six TV," a Twentieth Television spokesman said. "The show is now sold in well over 70% of the country, up from the recently reported 60% mark."
Thus far, Page Six TV is the only new show to report clearances for fall. Other shows in the market include Tegna's BOLD (Broadcast Online Live Daily), which will offer stations updated broadcasts throughout every weekday and will tie in closely to what's happening across the internet. E.W. Scripps is also offering a new talk show featuring Kellie Pickler and Ben Aaron that will be shot in Nashville and cover lifestyle topics.
Tegna also is shopping its talk show, T.D. Jakes, which currently is cleared on its owned stations and a few others covering about 50% of the U.S. And it is testing two locally produced programs, Sing Like a Star from New Orleans and Sister Circle from Atlanta.
Outstanding questions for next fall are whether NBCUniversal's Harry, starring Harry Connick Jr., will return for a second season, although at this juncture that looks likely. Steve Harvey also is relaunching his talk show in Los Angeles, where it will be more focused on celebrities and be produced by IMG-WME instead of Endemol Shine North America.
