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Is Politics Getting in the Way of News at CBS?

Politico’s Dylan Byers digs deeper into the story of CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. Byers reports that Attkisson, who openly discussed the challenge of getting her stories on the air, is in talks to leave the network, but that CBS would like her to stay.

CBS News president David Rhodes is said to value her diligence, but there are others, most notably Pat Shevlin, the executive producer of CBS Evening News, who are wary of her motives and have even dismissed her, in private, as a partisan carrying water for Republicans. Alternatively, some sources suggested that Shevlin’s own political bias, which they described as liberal, was to blame.

“She is a dogged reporter, a good reporter, but some people here get the feeling she goes too far — that she’s agenda driven,” a source told Byers. “She’s not afraid, and that’s a great thing. But sometimes people here believe she has to be reined in.”

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Layoffs at NBC’s ‘Rock Center’

As “Rock Center” prepares for its final broadcast next month, NBC News is in the process of laying off some of the show’s production staff, an NBC spokesperson confirms to TVNewser.

The layoffs are expected to affect only “Rock Center” staffers, who were notified of the cuts Thursday. NBC News is attempting to place as many employees as possible elsewhere at the network. 60 percent of “Rock Center” staffers have already been offered other positions within NBC.

The layoffs will go into effect after the show’s final broadcast on June 21.

Mariah Carey’s ‘GMA’ Appearance Goes Awry, As She Curses On-Air, Dress Pops Open

“Good Morning America” co-anchor Lara Spencer called it a “TV moment,” and indeed Mariah Carey‘s appearance on “GMA” this morning would certainly seem to qualify.

The singer–there to launch “GMA’”s Summer concert series–said “oh shit” on-air (she later suggested that she actually said “shoot”), and the back of her dress popped open, though thankfully we were spared any sort of Janet Jackson ”wardrobe malfunction.”

ABC News, to its credit, posted the video in full on Goodmorningamerica.com.

WATCH:

News Corp. Board Approves Company Split

The board of News Corp. has formally approved the motion to split the company in two. News Corp.’s newspaper and publishing businesses, along with its Australian businesses, will become the new News Corp., while the company’s TV, film and studio businesses (including Fox News Channel) will now be part of 21st Century Fox.

“Today’s announcement is a significant step in creating two independent companies with the world’s leading portfolios of publishing and media and entertainment assets,” said Rupert Murdoch, who will serve as Chairman and CEO of the proposed 21st Century Fox, and Executive Chairman of the new News Corporation. “We continue to believe that the separation will unlock the true value of both companies and their distinct assets, enabling investors to benefit from the separate strategic opportunities resulting from more focused management of each division.”

The company also announced the board members for the new companies. More information here.

UK Broadcasters Defend Airing Alleged Woolwich Killer Video

The BBC, ITV News and The Sun all aired the video footage of the alleged killer of a British soldier in London, his hands bloodied, still holding a meat cleaver.

The broadcasters are said to have received hundreds of complaints from viewers after showing the video. The Press Gazette caught up with spokespeople for the networks, who defended the decision to air it. They also spoke to a rep from Sky News, which opted not to air the video.

A spokesperson for ITV News said: “We carefully considered showing this footage ahead of broadcast and made the decision to do so on a public interest basis as the material is integral to understanding the horrific incident that took place yesterday…

John McAndrew, executive editor at Sky News, said: “We assessed the video at a senior editorial level – several times. Given the detail we had already learned about the attack, we took the decision not to run the video as we believed it would have been unnecessarily distressing.”

As it happens, ITV’s decision also drew criticism, as The Guardian revealed that it cut out the suspect saying “The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers.”

(h/t HuffPost Media)

Is a Peacock Going To The Top Of 30 Rock?

When Comcast acquired all of NBCUniversal from General Electric in February, it also acquired the naming rights to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, currently known as the GE Building.

So far, Comcast and NBC have been mum about a new name, and the GE logo still adorns the side of the tower.

A trailer for a new show, however, suggests that an NBC Peacock may be coming soon to the top of “30 Rock.” The peacock is now also on Comcast’s corporate logo.

The show is the “Million Second Quiz,” a competition show that will air live from New York City for 12 consecutive days later this Fall. The trailer shows a helicopter flying over the top of a building that looks somewhat like 30 Rock, with an NBC peacock prominently placed, and no GE logo to be seen. It is computer generated, but still certainly has an air of legitimacy to it.

Update: It is not computer generated, but rather a shot of the NBC tower in Chicago, which does have the peacock on it, cleverly cut into shots of New York City. Still, would make some sense wouldn’t it?

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Attorney General Holder Personally Approved James Rosen Search Warrant

Attorney General Eric Holder personally gave the OK for the Department of Justice to search Fox News correspondent James Rosen‘s emails and phone records, NBC News reports. The FBI pursued Rosen’s information as though he were a “co-conspirator” in the leak investigation.

The law enforcement official said Holder’s approval of the Rosen search, in the spring of 2010, came after senior Justice officials concluded there was “probable cause” that Rosen’s communications with his source, identified as intelligence analyst Stephen Kim, met the legal burden for such searches. “It was approved at the highest levels– and I mean the highest,” said the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said that explicitly included Holder.

Holder had recused himself in the AP leak investigation because he was interviewed as part of the process. The news comes as Fox News CEO Roger Ailes sent a memo to staff accusing the administration of trying to “intimidate” Fox News.

Janet Rollé Leaving CNN

Janet Rollé, who has been CNN Worldwide’s chief marketing officer for the last two years, is leaving the network, TVNewser has learned. Rollé had previously worked at BET, MTV Networks and HBO.

In a note to staff, obtained by TVNewser, CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker writes, “In a busy time of new show launches and ongoing campaigns underscoring the strength of CNN and all its platforms, Janet led her team to successfully spread the word in creative, engaging ways. I want to thank her for that, and all that she has done in her tenure here.” Rick Lewchuk who is SVP of creative services will lead the department in the interim. Structural changes to CNN’s marketing department may be in store.

Ailes: ‘We Will Not Allow a Climate of Press Intimidation, Unseen Since the McCarthy Era’

Fox News CEO and Chairman Roger Ailes sent a note to Fox News employees about recent revelations of DOJ investigations involving members of the press, including FNC correspondent James Rosen. “To be a Fox journalist is a high honor, not a high crime,” Ailes writes.

The administration’s attempt to intimidate Fox News and its employees will not succeed and their excuses will stand neither the test of law, the test of decency, nor the test of time. We will not allow a climate of press intimidation, unseen since the McCarthy era, to frighten any of us away from the truth.

In an interview soon after Pres. Obama’s re-election in November, Ailes told us Fox News’s often chilly relationship with the Obama White House was “day-to-day.”

“I don’t mind praising the guy and I don’t mind questioning the guy.”

The full memo after the jump…

(h/t Playbook)

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The Evening Ticker: Smiley, Kroft, Curry

  • PBS host Tavis Smiley celebrates his 2,000th show tomorrow. Smiley’s diverse guest list, from musicians to presidents, authors, actors, and activists, will be highlighted in a clip reel. Smiley’s show premiered on PBS in 2004.

  • This Memorial Day Weekend CBS’s Steve Kroft, a Vietnam veteran, will host “Combat Stress: Finding the Way Home” on CBS Radio News. The one hour show explores the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on our nation’s veterans.
  • Ann Curry anchored her first newscast for NBC News in 11 months. The former “Today” co-host was filling in for Brian Williams this evening on “Nightly News.” She posted this image (above) to Instagram about 15 minutes before the show.

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