On the day Martha Stewart shook up her company once again comes word that the executive producer of her TV series is putting the finishing touches on a deal to take over Katie Couric’s daytime talker.
Couric has been looking for a new No. 1 since last month, when it became clear that Jeff Zucker — the show’s current boss and former head of NBC — was going to become the new top guy at CNN.
Michael Morrison, who ran Stewart’s now-canceled daily show at the Hallmark Channel last year, is “closing a deal” with Couric, according to sources.
Morrison is a former exec with A&E who was involved William Shatney’s eccentric talk show and “Deal or No Deal,” according to his online résumè.
Replacing Zucker, who is due to leave for CNN early next month, has been Couric’s top priority. A spokesman for the show declined comment.