RONA BARRETT DEPARTING ‘ET’ PROGRAM

After only nine months as “senior correspondent” of “Entertainment Tonight,” Rona Barrett said Friday that she is quitting the syndicated show-biz news program to “pursue other interests.” Her resignation is effective on April 20.

“To oversimplify things, she really wants to go out and do her own show,” said Frank Kelly, a senior vice president at Paramount Television, a co-producer of the series and its weekend edition, “Entertainment This Week,” which she also is leaving.

Her impending exit, which Kelly described as an amicable parting, had been rumored imminent. In recent weeks, she infrequently appeared on weeknight editions of “Entertainment Tonight” although she regularly appeared on “Entertainment This Week.”

Her resignation was made public in a joint announcement by Barrett and Jack Reilly, the program’s producer. Barrett, who joined the show in August, was not available for comment, although in a prepared statement she said this about her resignation:

“Sometimes you have to leave an otherwise wonderful and workable marriage in order to grow. I feel it is time for me to pursue other interests.” She’ll announce her future television plans soon, she added.

There won’t be a shake-up of the format of “Entertainment Tonight” after she leaves, he said, but “we’re going to look at the possibility of adding additional people to the show.”

Barrett came to national prominence on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” She later worked on NBC’s “Today Show,” then moved to NBC’s now-defunct “Tomorrow” show. She left that late-night program in 1981 after a much-publicized dispute with co-anchor Tom Snyder, who now hosts an afternoon talk show for KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

Later in 1981, she hosted “Television: Inside and Out,” a prime-time NBC series that reported on the medium. NBC cancelled the program after four weeks because of low ratings.

In her prepared statement, Barrett said she will continue doing her daily national radio reports on entertainment for the Westwood One/Mutual Broadcasting System.

She also said she has just completed negotiations with Macmillan Inc. to write her autobiography, which would be her second one. The first, about the early years of her career, was entitled “Miss Rona.”

In addition, she said, she plans to write a novel.