TV Guide, owned by San Francisco-based Open Gate Capital, has shaken up its editorial ranks, axing Editor-in-Chief Debra Birnbaum and the number three editor, Features Editor Carol Dittbrenner, sources said.

It appears that the company will not fill the editor-in-chief but instead will promote the number two editor Doug Brod to executive editor and put the magazine in his hands.

Also gone in the shake up are two staffers, West Coast-based gossip columnist William Keck and New York-based writer Bruce Fretts.

The move comes several weeks after the magazine inked a deal to cross promote itself with CBS Interactive, which owns TVGuide.com and TV.com.

The deal raised questions about a possible conflict of interest in some quarters since it creates a very cozy relationship with an operation whose parent company is in the TV business.

TV Guide CEO Jack Kliger said at the time, it “solidifies our relationship with CBS, one of the world’s most prestigious and prolific content producers.” He also said it will “serve our advertisers better” and “cost effectively support our subscription business.”

He did not return calls seeking comment on the editorial shakeup.