A TV news insider brought this idea to our attention last night: “With ‘Guiding Light’s’ cancellation, might CBS consider giving that extra hour to an expanded, three-hour ‘Early Show’?”
A CBS News source says it’s an intriguing idea that might very well get pitched to CBS brass. “We have the resources. We’re ready if they need us to produce a show,” says the insider.
“Guiding Light”, which will end its 72-year run in September, airs in the afternoons on most CBS stations. The early talk is replacing the hour with a game or talk show.
But if the news division takes over the hour, one possibility is for Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen, who hosts most often from Los Angeles, to be the lead on a news-themed third hour with celebrity interviews and lighter segments similar to the other mid-morning programming like the “Today” show’s fourth hour, “Live with Regis and Kelly” and “The View.” And it doesn’t hurt that Chen’s husband, Les Moonves, runs the place.