RADIO’S tart-tongued Dr. Laura Schlessinger is talking about doing a TV talk show again – with the same company that she snubbed last year because it distributes Howard Stern’s down-and-dirty weekly TV program, The Post has learned.
In the past two weeks, Schlessinger has been in serious discussions with both Eyemark Entertainment, CBS’ syndication arm which created Stern’s raunchy Saturday-night program, “The Howard Stern Radio Show,” and with Paramount Television.
The talks are about doing a daytime TV show starting in the fall of 2000, sources say.
“Dr. Laura is still concerned about the Stern issue, but someone at Eyemark told her camp that she didn’t have to worry about Stern – that [Eyemark] would control him from now on if it meant getting her,” said a source.
“It’s between Paramount and Eyemark and it’s getting down to the nitty gritty – it’s in the final stages of negotiation,” the source said. “It’s not coming down to money. One of her major concerns about Eyemark is Stern.”
After losing Schlessinger, Eyemark signed rival radio-shrink Dr. Joy Browne, who is heard here on WOR (910 AM), to do a daily TV show this fall.
Eyemark’s affiliation with Stern is a still sticking point with Schlessinger, who almost inked a TV deal with Eyemark last April but backed out when she learned Eyemark was also distributing Stern’s show.
Stern had made vicious fun of Schlessinger in the past, which she says doesn’t bother her.
Dr. Laura, who airs locally on WABC (770 AM), is the second-highest-rated radio personality in the country, just behind Rush Limbaugh, with an estimated audience of more than 14 million listeners daily.
If Schlessinger signs with the CBS’ Eyemark, she would have to figure out a way to gracefully return to the company she blasted last year.
“Eyemark has to have offered [Schlessinger] something for her to go back – there’s no way she’s going to go back with a company she was so critical of,” said a source.
A spokeswoman for Schlessinger said the radio doctor “had no comment at this time.”
Officials at Paramount and Eyemark also declined to comment.
