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O'Brien to head East in bid for N.Y. viewers
CBS Television Distribution's The Insider will show an East Coast bias this fall when Los Angeles-based Pat O'Brien joins co-host Lara Spencer in a new Manhattan studio. The move is part of the newsmagazine's effort to capitalize on New York-centric entertainment news and the show's ratings growth in the nation's top station market.
O'Brien, who just signed a new multi-year deal to remain with the show, has co-hosted the Entertainment Tonight spinoff from Los Angeles, while Spencer has been stationed in the Times Square Studios. The duo will now host from the Minskoff Theatre in Manhattan, which has unobstructed views of Times Square.
Among the reasons CBS Television Distribution (CBSTD) executives have cited for moving The Insider eastward is the show's 17% ratings jump (2.4 to 2.8) in the New York market from May 2006 to May 2007.
"We have shown growth in New York, and...