It’s official. Shelley Ross is going back to morning TV. Ross becomes the senior executive producer of The Early Show. “I am thrilled to be joining The Early Show at a time of shifting sands in the morning landscape,” says Ross in a CBS News press release. “I am proud to be a part of Sean McManus‘ team at CBS News.” The appointment is effective a week from today.
The CBS release goes on to report that Steve Friedman, who most recently was Vice President, Morning Broadcasts, CBS News, and Michael Bass, most recently Senior Executive Producer, The Early Show, are both in active discussions with McManus about new roles at CBS News.
The press release is after the jump…
SHELLEY ROSS IS NAMED SENIOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF
CBS NEWS’ “THE EARLY SHOW”
Shelley Ross, the innovative, award-winning producer and network morning news veteran, has been named Senior Executive Producer, THE EARLY SHOW, it was announced by Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports. The appointment is effective Sept. 17.
“Shelley has not only fought the fight in morning news, but, most important, she has achieved success,” said McManus. “She has an amazing understanding of the morning audience and the unique genre that is morning news. Beginning Jan. 7, all CBS stations will carry our full two-hour program, which puts THE EARLY SHOW on a level playing field with our competitors. That very important change, along with Shelley’s expert leadership, is a significant step for CBS News and our ability to truly compete in this daypart.”
“I am thrilled to be joining THE EARLY SHOW at a time of shifting sands in the morning landscape,” said Ross, “and I am proud to be a part of Sean McManus’ team at CBS News. The commitment to turn THE EARLY SHOW into the ‘one to watch’ is backed up with the Division’s overall commitment to journalistic excellence.”
Steve Friedman, who most recently was Vice President, Morning Broadcasts, CBS News, and Michael Bass, most recently Senior Executive Producer, THE EARLY SHOW, are both in active discussions with McManus about new roles at CBS News. THE EARLY SHOW has improved its competitive position in nearly every important measurement: households, total viewers, adults 25-54, women 25-54 and women 18-49.
Ross, who was executive producer of ABC’s “Good Morning America” for five and a half years, took over a broadcast in January 1999 that had briefly fallen to third place. She not only restored the credibility of the franchise, but grew the ratings and, ultimately, closely battled NBC’S “Today” for first place. The revenue generated by the broadcast followed suit.
Ross’ innovations resulted in a rebirth for the ABC broadcast and a competitive standing it had not seen for many years. Generic reports on topics such as sports and gardening were eliminated to make way for more aggressive, live coverage of breaking news and the big stories of the day. During her tenure, “GMA” broadcast a two-hour program from the U.S.S. Enterprise at sea, becoming the first to broadcast live from a battleship during wartime. “GMA” marked many other “firsts” during Ross’ stewardship: the first live program from the Tower of London, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne; the first two-hour live broadcast from the Vatican, marking Pope John Paul II’s 25th anniversary; and the first two-hour special, live from the Pentagon, on the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Road trips to key affiliates, the addition of a news crawl, the stock market ticker for the Western states, regular updates as news warranted and live, on-site anchoring from major news events became signatures of the program. More aggressive bookings of newsmakers and entertainers, as well as creative marketing and promotion strategies, all helped to elevate the broadcast by 2003 to the number one position in nine of the top 10 markets. The program also won many national awards in the areas of medical and consumer reporting and political analysis.
Ross also served as executive producer of “PrimeTime Live” (May 2004-October 2005), achieving year-to-year growth in sweeps in what was ABC’s most disadvantaged time period (Thursdays from 10:00-11:00 PM). She had earlier held several key positions at “PrimeTime Live” (1989-98), during which time she produced a series of ground-breaking Pentagon reports with Sam Donaldson and was asked to run the O.J. Simpson coverage for ABC’s four primetime news magazines. During that time, she became a senior producer and then Executive Producer of Special Projects, West Coast. Ross was named Executive Producer of Creative Development for ABC Media Networks (October 2005-December 2006), during which time she executive produced the David Blaine two-hour, primetime special, “Drowned Alive,” live from Lincoln Center in New York City.
Previously, Ross was a producer at NBC News (1989), where she worked on the news magazine “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” with Maria Shriver. Her first job in television, in 1981, was NBC’s “Tomorrow Show” with Tom Snyder, where she is most noted for booking and producing the first-ever interview with Charles Manson, taped at the California State Medical Facility in Vacaville, Calif. Ross also was a writer and producer for a wide variety of television programs, including informational, variety, talk and sitcoms. In addition, she contributed to many national and international publications, including Ladies Home Journal, McCall’s, Us Weekly and The Los Angeles Times syndicate.
Ross has received three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and four New York Film Festival Golden Eagle Awards, among others. She is the author of a history book, Fall From Grace: The History of Sex Scandal and Corruption from 1702 to the Present (Ballantine, 1988) and is the co-author, with now-retired UCLA professor of clinical neurology Dr. Louis Rosner, of MS: New Hope and Practical Advice for People with MS and Their Families (Simon&Schuster, 1987, 1992, March 2008).
Ross was born in Philadelphia. She was graduated from the University of Miami and currently serves on the President’s Council there. Ross lives in New York and Connecticut with her husband.