CBS Sports Chief Sean McManus to Retire, David Berson to Succeed

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Paula Reid, has been named CNN‘s chief legal affairs correspondent, a vote of confidence in the reporter who joined the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed outlet in 2021. Reid has been highly visible on CNN in recent months, covering federal and state investigations into former President Trump as well as a Special Counsel probe into President Biden’s handling of classified documents during his time as vice president.

Saturday Night Live is back with season 49!

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Lester Holt joined NBC News’ efforts to cover terrorist attacks in Israel by flying first to London, then Amman. The journey took hours, and it’s unclear when it all will truly end. “I think this will be a long TV deployment,” says the “NBC Nightly News” anchor of coverage of terrorists’ moves against the country.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor News correspondents are trained to keep their emotions in check, but sometimes a story comes along that makes such a feat all but impossible. Anderson Cooper, Richard Engel, Holly Wiliams, Trey Yingst, Matt Gutman and Clarissa Ward have been seen on camera in recent days trying to report on a horrific event that is emotionally draining: the invasion of Israel by Hamas militants, replete with violence, hostage-taking and explosive force. “I’ve seen many challenging things so far,” says Yingst, the Fox News correspondent who has been in Israel since Oct.

A former 60 Minutes producer claims she was falsely fired from the long running newsmagazine show last year, and now she’s suing CBS, CBS News and parent company Paramount Global for discrimination – and naming a lot of names.

David Beckham has told the Glazers to make a decision about the takeover process at Manchester United so stability can be restored, allowing the club to return to being one of the best teams in the world.

Jason T. Reed, a veteran producer who spent 18 years as an exec at Disney overseeing a number of top franchises, has been named Head of Skydance Sports.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor NBC is ready to open the 49th season of “Saturday Night Live,” pushed back just a week or two from when the series might normally launch in the fall. After being shut down in May by the Hollywood writers strike, “SNL” will return on October 14, marking the first of three consecutive weeks of original broadcasts, NBC said in an announcement Wednesday. Ice Spice will serve as musical guest.

Pete Davidson was reportedly involved in an accident.

Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports and the division’s 27-year leader, will retire next April and hand the reins to David Berson, who has been president of CBS Sports for more than 10 years.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Deborah Roberts is taking up co-anchor duties at ABC News’ “20/20,” the latest in a line of distinguished anchors that includes Barbra Walters, Hugh Downs, Diane Sawyer, Connie Chung and Elizabeth Vargas who have led the long-running newsmagazine. Roberts is no stranger to the series’ rhythms. She has been contributing to it for 28 years, ever since she joined ABC News in 1995, recruited by Barbara Walters.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Viewers who tuned in to watch repeats of “Yellowstone” on CBS Sunday night got something they might not have expected — two commercials telling them to watch the show somewhere else. CBS sold national ad time during the program to rival NBCUniversal, which ran a spot highlighting the availability of the Western-themed drama series on its Peacock streaming hub. “Peacock has all episodes of ‘Yellowstone,’” the commercial says via graphics that appear over scenes from the program.

Superpower director Sean Penn isn’t mincing words in his denunciation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Rick Cordella is taking the field for NBC Sports. The executive, who has been enmeshed in developing streaming products for NBCUniversal, has been named president of NBC Sports at a moment when many media companies are working on new models that will make big-ticket TV sports properties available to consumers who have fewer ties to traditional screens.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery aims to make all of the sporting events it has developed over the years for cable crowds available to streamers at the same time — so long as they are willing to pay extra for the privilege. The media giant, which enjoys lucrative rights deals with the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NHL and the NCAA “March Madness” tournament, wants to use those properties to bring eyeballs to Max, its streaming service.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Dan Abrams, one of the founding anchors in NewsNation’s primetime lineup, aims to continue his work at the Nexstar Media-backed outlet. Abrams and NewsNation reached a “multi-year” pact that will extend his work there, where he hosts “Dan Abrams Live” at 9 p.m.

EA Sports FC 24, suggesting he feels short-changed.Last week, EA Sports FC 24 revealed its highest-rated players, including Erling Haaland, Alexia Putellas, Kevin De Bruyne and Kylian Mbappé.In a promotional video for the Premier League and the new game, Rashford tried to guess how his in-game rating had improved over the last year, and he wasn’t totally thrilled by some categories. Check it out below:Rashford was rated an 83 in FIFA 23 and he is now rated an 85 in EA Sports FC 24. In the first instance, he was pleased with his new rating for pace which is 90 in the upcoming simulation game.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor NBC News may trump its rivals when it comes to interviewing a certain former Commander-in-Chief. David Muir, Lesley Stahl, John Dickerson, Chris Wallace, Bill O’Reilly, Kaitlan Collins and Jim Acosta have all tried their hand at interviewing Donald Trump; lobbing questions at him; or moderating a debate or event in which his participation was key. Some have drawn blood and others have been bloodied (and some others left agog as Trump walked out unexpectedly).

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Nielsen named Karthik Rao its new chief executive, replacing his predecessor David Kenny, who has steered the measurement giant through an era of tumult and strained relationships with top clients like the TV networks. Kenny will stay on as the company’s executive chair.

McKinley Franklin editor “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” has been acquired by CBS to temporarily take over the 12:37 a.m. timeslot vacated by “The Late Late Show with James Corden.” That timeslot will eventually be replaced with a new version of the former Comedy Central series “@midnight” — but after the Hollywood strikes are resolved. For now, “Comics Unleashed” will fill the slot in a limited run with nightly airings beginning on Monday, Sept.