Now on CBS, Gumbel Wades Into Morning Ratings Battles

How silly has the morning television war become? Consider this: CBS’ new “The Early Show” just stole the “Today” show’s hairstylist, nine-year NBC veteran Anna Febres.

Is it any wonder that the NBC show retaliated last week when it had the chance, stealing the live Mariah Carey concert that CBS had already announced would be the showpiece of its launch today? When CBS, which wanted to close a public street, didn’t have its outdoor permit in a timely fashion, NBC, which doesn’t need permission to hold concerts outside its studio at Rockefeller Center, snatched Carey for itself.

NBC’s action was on top of its other low blow, booking Deborah Norville as a guest today for the first time since her less-than-happy short tenure as a “Today” anchor. Her co-anchor at the time, of course, was Bryant Gumbel, now holding forth in CBS’ new $30-million studio.

Behind the petty squabbling is a somewhat serious situation: CBS, for the first time in decades, has a credible chance at making inroads in the lucrative morning TV game, where it has languished in the cellar. Like NBC’s “Dateline,” which succeeded after 18 other prime-time newsmagazines failed, “The Early Show” may just be able to pull it off for CBS.

Officially, CBS has only modest expectations for the first year, guaranteeing advertisers that the program will average a 2.8 Nielsen rating, up from its current 2.3, but still far behind ABC’s second-place “Good Morning America.” Privately, some CBS executives are much more confident.

For one thing CBS has Gumbel, whom many consider the best live interviewer on TV. With two decades of experience, he will be invaluable in landing big-name politicians and celebrities. While Gumbel occasionally takes an interview too far, and said last week that he has even apologized, there were “many people who requested Bryant because he’s such a great interviewer,” says Tammy Haddad, former senior broadcast producer at “Today.”

Behind Gumbel is senior executive producer Steve Friedman, who led the “Today” show to dominance and was behind its wildly popular street-level studio that “GMA” and now CBS have copied.

The competition has some vulnerable points too. “GMA” stopped its ratings free-fall earlier this year by bringing in Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson, but they are committed only through May. It’s unclear how viewers will feel about replacements, who haven’t been announced, although they are strongly expected to include Jack Ford, recently hired away from NBC’s “Weekend Today.”

Meanwhile, over at long-dominant “Today,” the show’s executive producer, Jeff Zucker, is on a medical leave for several weeks. His show, which is losing its street-level studio franchise, is already assessing how to change to stay ahead of its rivals, without alienating its fans.

One wild card is Gumbel’s co-host, 32-year-old Jane Clayson, a former Los Angeles-based ABC News correspondent. She gets high marks from her former colleagues for her unassuming style, but is still untested in the live interview morning game. “I understand Bryant is the big name in this partnership,” she says. “I will grow into whatever I grow into.”

Meanwhile, after the Carey fiasco, Friedman isn’t saying what will be on his show this week. “We’re entering a new top-secret phase,” he says. “We’re not going to give our competitors any ideas.”

* “The Early Show” will be shown weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. on CBS.