CBS News is making a big push into live events, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, with its CBS Sunday Morning show inking a deal with the 92nd Street Y in New York on a series of live interviews that will connect the TV program to the Upper East Side cultural institution.
The partnership, dubbed “CBS Sunday Morning At 92NY” will kick off Sep. 28 with correspondent Tracy Smith in conversation with Sylvester Stallone. The day before, Stallone will be interviewed by Smith on CBS Sunday Morning.
According to Rand Morrison, the executive producer of CBS Sunday Morning, the series will focus on actors, musician, politicians and others that can speak to the audiences of both the morning newsmagazine, and the Y’s loyal attendees.
“There’s a lot in common with the Sunday Morning viewership and the kinds of people who are interested in the live events at the 92nd Street Y,” says Morrison, in an interview with THR. “It’s good for whoever the performer is or whoever the political figure is, it’s good for the Y, and it’s good for us because it sort of extends our utility as a franchise, and so and so we wanted to try it.”
Indeed, the partnership marks a significant extension into events and experiences for CBS News, which, under editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, has wanted to move farther in that direction. Weiss launched a series of town halls called Things That Matter, with anchors and correspondents interviews high-profile guests in front of a live audience.
