Charlie Rose and Gayle King are set to join CBS News' morning program as part of the continued revamping of The Early Show. An official announcement is expected as soon as next week, with the pair starting in January.
Rose is best known for hosting his eponymous late-night interview show on PBS and Bloomberg -- which he's said in the press he has no plans to give up as part of an expended role at CBS. He has been an occasional 60 Minutes contributor over the years.
King, best known for being Oprah Winfrey's best friend, hosts The Gayle King Show on radio daily, which is simulcast on Winfrey's OWN network, and is also an editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine.
The hires are just the latest in what has been a year's worth of shake-ups at the third-place morning show. The network hired Chris Licht, former executive producer of MSNBC's Morning Joe, in May to help perk up its mornings, after replacing its entire morning anchor lineup in January.
CBS News leadership, led by chairman Jeff Fager, have said they want to create a morning program that is different than NBC's top-rated Today and ABC's Good Morning America that chase more celebrity interviews and lifestyle features. Since Fager, also executive producer of 60 Minutes, took over CBS News in February, he has made a hard news a focus across the division, including the mornings.
Current Early Show co-hosts Erica Hill and Jeff Glor are reported to remain with the revamped morning show. Co-host Chris Wragge, who expanded his duties to include WCBS in August, is expected to no longer be a part of CBS mornings, according to reports.
A CBS News spokesperson had no comment.
The Rose–King hire was first rumored by Page Six in October.
