CBS

CBS has scheduled its next interfaith special, a documentary on AIDS awareness within religious communities, for next month.

“HIV & AIDS: Awareness & Compassion,” examines the small but growing movements within several different religious organizations to fight the stigma of living with the disease.

The documentary, which was produced in cooperation with several religious organizations including the National Council of Churches and the Islamic Society of America, will air on June 17. It was overseen by executive producer John Blessington and producer Liz Kineke.

Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.

“CBS This Morning” co-co-host Gayle King gets Q&A in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine.

CBS’s morning shows have been in third place for nearly three decades now, and many people believe that a lack of chemistry among its anchors has been to blame. How did executives know if you and Charlie Rose would be compatible?

King: Well, I don’t think they did know. We had each already signed our deals before we even started rehearsals, and although we have mutual friends, I’m not going to lead you to believe that we were pals. I think they just thought, She brings this, he brings that and let’s give it a try.

Are you concerned that “This Morning” hasn’t markedly improved upon the ratings of the morning show you replaced?

King: Are the numbers where we want them to be? Certainly not. But I’m encouraged by the reaction I’m getting from people. It took “Good Morning America” more than 10 years to really get in the game. I think CBS will give us a good two years, and if by then there’s no change, you have to think, Well, should we try something else?

> Related: “CBS This Morning” celebrated its 100th show Friday. Also, stay tuned for the mediabistroTV series CUBES and our look inside CBS News, coming to TVNewser June 14.

(Photo: Christian Oth for The New York Times)

This morning was the 100th edition of “CBS This Morning,” the morning news program launched by CBS in January.

“We are at a point now where the operations of the show are a well-oiled machine, or at least getting there,” EP of “CBS This Morning” Chris Licht tells TVNewser. “Everyone is in a rhythm, they know what their job is, we have some stability, and now we are at the end of phase one of many phases, and now it is just every day looking to make it better.”

The anniversary was not the focus of the show, but it was given a brief mention at the end by anchors Erica Hill, Gayle King and Charlie Rose. On social media platforms, producers sparked conversation with viewers using the #100Mornings hashtag.

“For a show like this to launch cleanly, every part of this building had to really reinvent themselves,” Licht says. “Because we did things differently, from the engineering department to the editing department, photography, everybody had to be on board with this, and there is no way we would have launched so cleanly had not everyone in the building really pulled together under Jeff [Fager] and David [Rhodes] and said ‘ok, we are going to make this work.’”

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Michael Rosenbaum, CBS News producer and one-time Tel Aviv bureau chief has died. Rosenbaum, who spent 27 years at CBS News, died at home in Manhattan last night of a brain tumor diagnosed last September. He was 64.

“Michael was a great friend to so many of us at CBS News. He was a real newsman who was naturally curious and skeptical of almost everything. He was also fun to be around, a caring friend, and a beloved member of our family at CBS News,” said CBS News Chairman and 60 MINUTES Executive Producer Jeff Fager, who worked with Rosenbaum for many years.

Rosenbaum worked with correspondents Bob Simon and Dan Rather on breaking stories in the Middle East while he was bureau chief in Tel Aviv from 1989 to 1995.  After leaving Tel Aviv, Rosenbaum returned to New York where he worked on the “CBS Evening News,” “60 Minutes” and “60 Minutes II.” In recent years, he also worked with Rather on his HDNet series “Dan Rather Reports.”

More on Rosenbaum’s life and accomplishments after the jump…

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CBS News has hired the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, to serve as its senior military security analyst, effective immediately.

Myers served as Chairman of the JCS beginning in 2001 (weeks after 9/11), retiring in 2005. He now serves as foundation professor of military history and leadership at Kansas State University, as well as the Colin Powell Chair for National Security Leadership, Character and Ethics at National Defense University.

CBS News has been snatching up a number of high-profile experts to serve as contributors. Among them: Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who talks about aviation issues, M. Sanjayan to talk about science and the environment, and Lee Woodruff.

CBS held its upfront presentation at Carnegie Hall yesterday, and while most of the show was focused on primetime, there was also high praise about “CBS This Morning” from both CBS CEO Les Moonves and CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler.

“CBS This Morning” Co-anchors Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill were all in attendance (see picture right).

In his introductory speech, Moonves said, “At CBS News there is a true renaissance going on under the leadership of [CBS News chairman] Jeff Fager and [CBS news president] David Rhodes, and we are thrilled with the results. The new “CBS This Morning” is the best broadcast we have ever had in the morning.”

Tassler, in giving an overview of current programming, said “It is a distinctive broadcast that is getting our day off to its best start in decades.”

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“NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams made one of his regular pilgrimages to the Ed Sullivan Theater to appear on CBS’ “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Williams is a regular on the late night comedy circuit, appearing with frequency on Letterman, “The Daily Show” and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”

This time, Letterman asked Williams to talk about his competitors, “CBS Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley, and “ABC World News” anchor Diane Sawyer.

WATCH:

After the jump, Williams steals cookies.

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The venerable CBS News show “48 Hours Mystery” continues to rule Saturday nights on broadcast TV.

Last Saturday, the show was the most-watched of the night drawing 6.78 million total viewers. It was also number one in the A25-54 and A18-49 demos. Compared to the same night last year, the show was up +13% in households, +6% in A25-54 and +8% in A18-49. It was the show best performance since December.

The broadcast featured correspondent Maureen Maher’s report, “The Writing on the Wall,” about a triple homicide in a small Illinois town. Christopher Coleman (above), head of security for well-known televangelist Joyce Meyer, was found guilty of strangling his wife, Sheri, and their two young sons, Gavin and Garett.

Tonight’s episode features Peter Van Sant‘s report titled “Ransom” about the kidnapped son of a millionaire and the wild ransom note that followed.

CBS News has added Manuel Bojorquez as a correspondent for the network, based out of Dallas, Texas, and M. Sanjayan as a science and environmental contributor.

Bojorquez comes to CBS News from ABC affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta, where he has been a reporter since 2006. At WSB he reported on issues such as Tropical Storm Fay, and conflict between Hispanics in the community and immigration officials.

Sanjayan is lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy, where his fields of study focus on human well-being and conservation, wildlife ecology and environmental education. He is also a prolific scientific popularizer, having hosted shows on the BBC, Discovery Chanel and PBS.

It started Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with VP Joe Biden affirming his support of gay marriage. Then on Monday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan went on “Morning Joe” and said “Yes, I do” when TIME’s Mark Halperin asked if he believes in same-sex marriage. Then it all culminated yesterday as ABC’s Robin Roberts got the exclusive with President Obama affirming his support of gay marriage.

But today on “CBS This Morning,” “Will & Grace” creator Max Mutchnick said Pres. Obama should not have been surprised by Biden opening the can of gay worms, because Biden “was testing the material out of town” two weeks earlier at an fundraiser in Los Angeles.

Mutchnick says Biden spoke at the private function and his remarks were recorded by a White House camera crew. “It says to me that this was all very choreographed,” Mutchnick told CBS. “I mean, look, I’m just a man who experienced this, but Vice President Biden made it very clear that day these were his views and so much so that they wanted to record him.”

“The sum total is the White House should not have been surprised by what he said on ‘Meet the Press,’” said Mutchnick.

Video after the jump…

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