Shifting gears
CNN general counsel David Kohler is leaving the network and will become a consultant to CNN effective in June.
Kohler vetted the script for CNN’s notorious 1998 “Tailwind” report, which charged the U.S. government with using nerve gas against American defectors in Laos in 1970.
CNN later retracted the piece, and Kohler commissioned an independent report suggesting that Tailwind producers skewed the piece.
“As the expiration of my contract approaches . . . I have begun to reflect on the next chapter of my life,” Kohler wrote in an internal memo.
“At 47, I don’t think I can wait much longer to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
“With the gracious agreement of CNN and TBS management, I will . . . continue to work with the company in an of counsel capacity . . . with the finest news organization in the world.”
Jerry-built deal
Jerry Springer has inked a new, five-year deal with Studios USA worth a reported $30 million.
Springer’s extension, which takes him through 2005, encompasses “The Jerry Springer Show,” hosting a new Studios USA game show and headlining a British variety show.
“I remain totally committed to [‘Jerry Springer’],” Springer told the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s a lot of fun to do, and . . . I can think of no reason why I would want to stop.”
Especially with that kind of scratch.
‘The Prisoner’ movie
The ’60s British cult TV series “The Prisoner” is moving ahead as a feature film, directed by “The General’s Daughter” director Simon West and written by “The Usual Suspects'” Chris McQuarrie.
Variety says Patrick McGoohan, who starred in the original series, will serve as an executive producer on the film.
The series told the story of a man trapped in a village of nameless people identified only by numbers. The program was daring in its metaphorical approach to tackling weighty themes like individual freedom and the abuses of authority.
This just in . . .
It’s official: The WB has snagged ABC’s “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” in a two-year, 44-episode deal — which could be cut to one season if ratings stink.
Ole! Ch.41’s novela, “Nunca te Olvidare,” set a personal ratings record Tuesday, notching 327,000 N.Y. households from 8 to 9 p.m.
Walter Perez is Ch.4’s new general assignment reporter. He comes our way via WPLG in Miami.