Debbie Matenopoulos is replacing Thea Andrews on CBS Television Distribution’s The Insider, the show announced Tuesday. Matenopoulos will join Louis Aguirre at the anchor desk beginning July 6. Andrews had been the show’s co-host since January 2013.
“Our audience really connects with Debbie and she has great chemistry with Louis and the team,” said executive producer Brad Bessey in a statement. “She’s down-to-earth, plugged into celebrity news and pop-culture, has a vibrant personality and is a true industry insider. In many ways she is the personification of ‘The Insider’ brand.”
Matenopoulos already has been doing specials for The Insider, sitting down for interviews with daytime mavens Sally Jessy Raphael, Martha Stewart, Joy Behar, Kathie Lee Gifford, Rolanda Watts and Leeza Gibbons. She is familiar to daytime viewers due to her stint on early days of ABC's The View, and since then she has worked for TV Guide Channel, E! Entertainment Television and, most recently, Hallmark Channel's Home & Family.
The Insider is currently averaging a 1.2 live plus same day household rating season to date through May 25, according to Nielsen Media Research, down 14% compared to last year. Among the key demographic of women 25-54, The Insider is down 25% year-to-year to a 0.6. The Insider ranks seventh out of nine entertainment magazines, while its sister show, Entertainment Tonight, is the genre’s top-ranked show, averaging a 3.4 in households season to date, down 6% compared to last year.
