Ross Shifts At ABC: Morning Papers

> The Associated Press story was not kind to Ross:”ABC ousted the top executive behind “Primetime Live,” which has struggled for ratings in a tough time slot, after she was on the job for less than a year.”

> Page Six spells her name wrong but gets juicy quotes: “The combination of Ross’ unpopularity and a 23 percent drop in ratings was a recipe for disaster. ‘The show’s dropping numbers were the nail in her coffin,’ a third source said. But, ‘the ultimate nail was Diane [Sawyer, the show’s star host]. She could have saved Shelly and she chose not to.'”

> Lloyd Grove: “Ross was the victim of ‘a clash of cultures,’ one staffer told me yesterday, as she confronted continual bureaucratic resistance to her edicts.” Grove says her new role at ABC “is still being hammered out.”

> Variety: “Although she will be developing ideas for the entertainment side of the network as well as news, Ross will remain based in New York and continue to report to ABC News senior veep Phyllis McGrady.”