The TV Zone

Katie's got Sully -- the first major interview, that is.

And "Today" is hopping mad.

CBS announced earlier that "Capt. Chesley B. Sullenberger, the hero pilot of US Airways Flight 1549, and his entire crew, will appear on 60 MINUTES in their first interviews since the extraordinary water landing last week on the Hudson River in New York City."

However, "Today's" Matt Lauer last week secured the first interview, only to have the pilots' union -- or so went the "official" excuse -- force him to back out at the last minute while the investigation continued.

NBC just released this statement:

"What Captain Sullenberger did in the cockpit on flight 1549 was heroic and admirable. Unfortunately, people close to him have not acted nearly as admirably over the past few days. They gave us their word, and then broke their commitment. We wish Captain Sullenberger the best."

NBC declined further comment, but my speculation: US Airways decided that they could get more viewers - and better publicity - on "60 Minutes." Yeah, this is amazing, and much will be made of the fact (honestly, an insignificant one) that Katie beat Matt to the punch, etc. I can't remember an instance when a major interview like this was announced by one network, only to have it go to a rival.

And here's my just-wondering question: Did Simon & Schuster, which is a corporate sibling of CBS, also offer Sully or US Airways a book deal? And might there be a TV movie via Paramount, another CBS corporate sibling? (I doubt very much NBC proffered THOSE goodies.)

That IS how this business works.

I'm told by network sources that NBC got "several" assurances from both Sully's wife and a "personal representative" to Sully - presumably the PR man hired after the crash to handle the crush of media requests - that "Today" would be first. Then, "Today" got the bad news this morning.

Meanwhile, I'm also reliably told that Katie's interview with Sully has not yet taken place; you can well imagine that when it does, we'll all see outtakes on the "Evening News" the day it happens. And I wouldn't be surprised if the entire edition of "60" - though probably just two segments - isn't consumed by this interview.