Television Producers

"Survivor" producer Mark Burnett, voting his longtime business manager off the island, contended Wednesday in a lawsuit that even after Conrad Riggs received more than $25 million during their decade-long relationship, Riggs engaged in schemes to enrich himself further. Burnett's countersuit comes three weeks after Riggs originally sued Burnett, the producer of such reality TV shows as "The Apprentice" and "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?"

NBC officials are poised to announce that the executive producer of "NBC Nightly News" is leaving his post, according to network sources, a move that comes as the top-rated evening newscast faces a strong challenge from ABC's "World News." John Reiss, who has run the NBC program since June 2005, when he was promoted from the No. 2 slot, is expected to take another position within the news division.

NBC officials Monday named Alexandra Wallace, the No. 2 executive in the news division, as the new executive producer of "NBC Nightly News." The move comes as ABC's "World News" has strongly challenged the top-ranked evening newscast in recent weeks. Wallace, who has had oversight of the broadcast for the last year, will continue in her role as vice president, adding the daily production of the program to her portfolio. She replaces John Reiss, who left his post last week.

In its first acknowledgment that the expensive gamble on Katie Couric has not yet paid off, CBS removed the executive producer of "CBS Evening News" late Wednesday, six months after the newscaster joined the program as its anchor, according to people familiar with the situation. Rome Hartman, a longtime "60 Minutes" producer who has run the evening newscast since November 2005, is expected to be replaced by Rick Kaplan, a veteran news executive who has served as president of CNN and MSNBC.

Twenty years ago, CBS producer Susan Zirinsky helped inspire the character of Jane Craig, the hard-charging television producer played by Holly Hunter in "Broadcast News" who fiercely resists the devolution of news into show business. Now Zirinsky herself is on the frontier of melding journalism and entertainment in an online project for one of CBS' prime-time shows.

The Woodland Hills mansion appeared serene from the outside -- a stark contrast to the controlled chaos within. "Charm School" was in session. An army of technicians paraded around a mass of wires, production equipment and heavy lights. In one particularly cramped space, two producers huddled in front of several TV monitors, looking at several women in custom "schoolgirl" uniforms.

"American Idol" executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, who were enlisted to bring their hit-making pizazz to this year's Emmy Awards, abruptly pulled out of the show Friday, a surprise move that prompted more than a few grumbles within TV circles. Veteran producer Ken Ehrlich, who has led several previous Emmy shows, has been recruited to take over the live broadcast, which will air Sept. 16 on Fox.

Neither Donald P. Bellisario nor Mark Harmon was commenting Monday about the news that Bellisario would be stepping down as executive producer of the CBS series he created four years ago, "NCIS." CBS Paramount Network Television confirmed over the weekend that Bellisario would be leaving to develop two projects that are part of his overall development deal with the studio. A successor to Bellisario was not immediately named.

ON a warm recent Saturday afternoon, a cold, dark soundstage was being prepared for a taping. Some 40 young dancers scampered nervously around, touching up their makeup, chatting quietly, stretching. Each was getting ready to face the most terrifying moment of his or her life. The show is "So You Think You Can Dance" -- a three-month-long dancing competition, similar in format to (and run by many of the people who bring you) "American Idol."