Lara Spencer to Be Sole Anchor for 'The Insider'
Spencer to be The Insider 's sole anchor, a first for Entertainment Tonight sibling
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/8/2008 9:04:00 PM
Lara Spencer, who has co-anchored CBS’s The Insider from New York City since the show’s launch, has signed a multi-year deal to take over as the show’s anchor this fall, says Linda Bell Blue, executive producer of both Entertainment Tonight and The Insider.
At this point, Spencer will host the show on her own, marking the first time either ET or The Insider has gone with a single anchor— male or female—since each of the shows began. ET premiered in 1981 and The Insider in 2004.
Spencer will relocating to Los Angeles from New York. Pat O’Brien, who left the show temporarily in February to return to rehab, will continue as a Los Angeles-based correspondent, along with Victoria Recano and Steven Cojocaru. It’s uncertain if Donny Osmond, who has been a special correspondent since last March, will appear this fall. It depends on his schedule and the show’s needs. The Insider will maintain a New York staff.
“I am thrilled to continue working with the best team in the entertainment business,” said Spencer in a statement. “I have been New York-based my entire career, so to live and work in Los Angeles, the heart of the entertainment industry, side by side with the incredible team at The Insider and Entertainment Tonight will be amazing.”
Spencer moves to Los Angeles just as both The Insider and ET convert to high-definition at their brand-new studios at CBS Studio Center.
“Lara’s tremendous talent and dedication is evident in the production of our show day in and day out,” said Bell Blue in a statement. “We are once again making history by being the first entertainment newsmagazines to move into HD. Lara is essential to the exciting future of the show.”
Parts of The Insider’s new set were built specifically for Spencer. The set was created by Steve Bass, who also designs the sets for the Emmys and the Grammys.
“It’s an incredible show-stopping set that will set the bar for all other magazine shows,” says Dan Henry, executive in charge of production for The Insider and ET. “It’s going to be something to behold. There are lots of bells and whistles—lighting, displays—that will enhance the overall experience for the viewer.”
Henry says, “We’re going to have several 103-inch HD plasma screens on the set, and an array of LED technology that’s usually used in rock-and-roll tours or music videos.
“It’s a very versatile set we’re building,” he continued. “It allows us to have a nice sit-down area to talk to guests, as well as a traditional standup area. It’s very modern-looking.”
Prior to joining The Insider, Spencer was a national correspondent for ABC’s Good Morning America and a host of PBS’s Antiques Roadshow. She began her career at WDEF-TV in Chattanooga, Tenn., then moved to Cablevision’s News 12, in Long Island, and then to WABC-TV in New York.
Spencer has hosted two primetime specials on CBS: Red Carpet Confidential, revealing beauty and style secrets of the stars, and An Entertainment Tonight Event: Celebrity Weddings Unveiled, a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood’s most lavish celebrity weddings. (To watch video of Spencer at the 2007 B&C Hall of Fame Awards, click here.)
She is married to David Haffenreffer, formerly an anchor on the defunct CNNfn They have two children.
Closing out its fourth season, The Insider averaged a 2.1 live-plus-same-day household rating in the May sweeps, tying NBC Universal’s Access Hollywood as the fourth-highest-rated magazine. Both shows were down 16% year to year. ET remains the top-rated magazine, ending May sweeps with a 4.3, down 14% compared to last May.
-
Lara Spencer is annoying. The Dress For Less segment was a waste of time because she always wore the same type of dress everyday, just in different colors! Lose the new format with the panel guests. It won't work for entertainment news. I prefered the show with Pat O'Brien. He's a troubled soul, but a much better anchor!!
Jamie Strom - 9/18/2009 7:46:30 PM EDT -
Lara is OK! But definitely has had a boob job! And as for Sara Palin Palin is the biggest jerk there is!
Maurie Regal - 7/14/2009 11:04:24 PM EDT -
Lara is truly a rude and insensitive person. In the past, when ne of the Jacksons commented about making a television show, she quipped, "Nobody would care." Who does she think she is? Later, when it was reported that Michael Jackson had passed away, she was in the newsroom sitting next to an anchor, when the camera went back to her she was sitting there making funny faces. She seems to be pretty childish and her greatest claim to fame is changing her clothes. How did she get this job? Also, was she an athlete because she's got some pretty broad shoulders. Just curious - but not that much.
dab - 7/10/2009 9:12:14 AM EDT -
How could this happen that she could be sole anchor?? Am I the only person who finds her completely annoying? It's no longer "The Insider." It's turned into the "Lara Spencer show." I particularly hate the "look for less" segment. Can't stand her, don't want to dress like her and I might add that most of the clothes are just plain UGLY.
Connie - 5/27/2009 12:37:53 PM EDT -
I want to know if Lara had a boob job. Lately on the look for less she looks like she has way bigger boobs than when she started on the show.
Just curious........
Ella Keating - 4/17/2009 10:39:08 PM EDT
No related content found.
-
No Top Articles
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
