CBS Claims an ‘Elizabeth Smart’ Coup

NEW YORK — NBC News thought it had the first sit-down TV interview with Ed and Lois Smart since their daughter Elizabeth, the victim of a highly publicized nine-month-long kidnapping ordeal, was returned to them last March.

Instead, the network’s Friday interview special has been scooped by CBS’ entertainment division.

Big newsmaker interviews have become the subject of intense, sometimes unseemly wrangling by network news stars who stake their prestige on getting subjects to talk first. NBC has been promoting “Today” anchor Katie Couric’s “first” interview with the Smarts for weeks.

On Friday, NBC announced that the program, “A Katie Couric Special: Bringing Elizabeth Home,” will air Friday, four days before publication of the Smarts’ book, “Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Legacy of Faith.” NBC also announced that Couric had talked with Elizabeth, marking the first time the 15-year-old has been heard from.

But CBS has an authorized movie, “The Elizabeth Smart Story,” scheduled to air Nov. 9. A producer hired by CBS Entertainment talked with the Smarts on the set of the movie, and on Thursday, CBS pushed the interview onto the schedule for tonight at 8.

The interview, conducted for the movie’s electronic press kit, will be part of a program, “Elizabeth Smart: America’s Girl,” which details the family’s travail, as well as the making of the movie. The movie’s actors are also interviewed. A CBS press release said the Smarts “reveal for the first time” details of how they discovered that their daughter had been found.

“People are discussing the upcoming book and movie, and we thought this was the right time to broadcast it,” CBS spokesman Chris Ender said. “It’s a very compelling interview.”

“The bottom line is: We have Elizabeth Smart,” countered Caryn Mautner, a spokeswoman for NBC News.

“That’s who people want to hear from. And we have an extensive sit-down interview with the parents at their ranch outside Salt Lake City. The closest they’ll come to interviewing Elizabeth is talking to the girl who is playing her in the movie”

Adding to the Smart frenzy, Oprah Winfrey aired promos on her show Friday for her own interview with the Smart family. That won’t air until after the other two interviews, however.