CAA Teams Up With Firm That Represents Journalists

In a further blending of entertainment and news, Hollywood’s Creative Artists Agency said Wednesday that it is linking up with the nation’s top company representing broadcast journalists to develop potential specials, talk shows, interactive programs, videos and other projects.

The joint venture links the Beverly Hills-based CAA talent agency with N.S. Bienstock, a New York firm led by Richard Leibner and Carole Cooper that represents such broadcasters as Diane Sawyer, Dan Rather, Mike Wallace and Maria Shriver.

CAA Chairman Michael Ovitz said the deal was prompted in part by the expected explosion in demand for programs as the number of television channels multiply. Nonfiction programs will become “critically important to every distribution system,” he said.

One limitation could be the availability of some network stars, who are often under exclusive contracts. However, Leibner said that as contracts expire, more broadcast journalists may seek greater freedom to explore other projects.

Among the possibilities are talk shows developed and packaged for news figures. Or a TV director could be linked up with a broadcast journalist for a nonfiction project.

The growing links between journalists and entertainment have come under criticism frequently from news purists who believe the two areas should be as separate as possible.

But Leibner called concern that such links threaten journalism “horse feathers,” saying they merely increase the number of options available to news people.

“Those people who want to be journalists will continue to be journalists,” he said. “Those who want to do popular entertainment will do more popular entertainment.”