My sources are telling me that Nancy Tellem has gone to her boss Les Moonves to discuss stepping down from her longtime post at CBS as Les' right hand exec. "No final decision will be made until she returns from MIPCom in Europe," an insider informs me. But I'm told what's contemplated by the 55-year-old president of the CBS Television Studios Entertainment Group is to move into a consultancy role sometime within the next 3 weeks. Nobody would take her place, but president of CBS Entertainment Nina Tassler would take on more responsibilities. About why Tellem wants out, I'm told: "She's just done. She's thinking about what the next chapter is for her life." If she's not replaced, then this leaves questions about succession for the 60-year-old Moonves because Wall Street doesn't like for its publicly traded corporations to not have an heir apparent in place.
Along with ABC's Anne Sweeney, Tellem has long been at the top among female executives in the television community and one of the best. And throughout her more than 25 years in the small screen biz, she has worked with Les Moonves and now reports to him directly. Relationships like that just don't happen very often in Hollywood. Moonves and Tellem may talk by phone two or three times a day, and after so many years together, they don't hold back. "We yell and we scream at each other, but when that's over, she's family," Moonves once told BusinessWeek.
Unexpected turn of events.
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