Zev Shalev Named EP of CBS' Early Show

Replaces Shelley Ross, Who Was Fired as Executive Producer Earlier this Year

By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/4/2008 4:14:00 PM

Zev Shalev was named executive producer of CBS’ Early Show.

Shalev joined the CBS News morning show in March as senior producer.

He succeeds controversial EP Shelley Ross, who alienated the show's staff and, eventually, its anchors during her abbreviated six-month stint. She was fired from the third-place morning broadcast earlier this year.

Rick Kaplan, executive producer of CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, had been filling in as EP until recently.

“Zev has done a terrific job during the transition,” CBS News president Sean McManus said in a statement. “He has met and exceeded our expectations, and he’s in a great position to continue the creative and ratings momentum that the broadcast has demonstrated.”

Shalev steps into the job as Early Show has posted small ratings gains but still remains mired in third place in the lucrative morning-news arena.

“You can look at it as a challenge,” he said. “You can also look at it as opportunity. In my time here, I think I’ve had a great opportunity to work with amazing people, who are all working incredibly hard to make this the best show it can be.”

Shalev has extensive entertainment-programming roots. He joined CBS News from CanWest Global, where he was responsible for program strategy and scheduling for E! Canada. Prior to that, he was senior EP of Entertainment Tonight Canada.

He also produced Toronto 1's news and current-affairs programming and cofounded U8TV, Canada's first Internet-television channel.

Shalev was born in Israel and grew up in South Africa. He got his start in news as a radio reporter covering the end of Apartheid for what was then the country’s only independent station.