Insider: Public Loves Politics, Pop Culture Mix

With a charismatic president like Barack Obama, we can expect politics to continue to be part of celebrity news programs, says Lara Spencer, host of the syndicated tabloid show "The Insider."

"The public has demonstrated an appetite for this, and we seem to be entering a new era with politicians like Obama and Sarah Palin, who are like rock stars," said the 39-year-old Spencer, who was visiting the Tampa area this week.

Spencer's parents retired from New York to Sarasota. She was co-host of a fundraiser in Sarasota last weekend for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation that raised more than $300,000.

"My father has diabetes, so there is a personal involvement," she said during a Monday interview at WTVT, Channel 13, which airs "The Insider" weeknights at 7:30.

She said politics crossed over into pop culture in a big way during the election, with candidates turning up on "Saturday Night Live" and the late-night talk shows.

"The Insider," which covers the lives of film and TV stars, got in on the action, too. Spencer had the only broadcast interview with Todd Palin, husband of the Alaskan governor.

"It was remarkable because here was this man who no one had heard from, and he definitely has his own opinions," she said. "He's a real down-to-earth person. We did the interview at a snowmobile factory in Minnesota because he is a champion snowmobiler."

In the 12-minute interview, the self-proclaimed "first dude" of Alaska told Spencer that the media "just doesn't understand her gift, her natural ability to lead with her CEO caliber of instinct."

Spencer, a native of Garden City, N.Y., is the former host of PBS' "Antiques Roadshow." A former competitive diver, she graduated from Penn State University in 1991. Spencer began her broadcasting career at a TV station in Chattanooga, Tenn., and worked for ABC's "Good Morning America" before joining "The Insider."

She is married to former CNN Financial News anchor David Haffenreffer. They have two children.

"The Insider" was launched in 2004 as a spinoff of "Entertainment Tonight." Pat O'Brien was the Hollywood co-host, and Spencer was the New York co-host.

When the 2008-09 season began in September, Spencer had relocated to Hollywood as the solo host, and O'Brien was made a reporter. He was fired 10 days into the season after allegedly sending the staff an e-mail that slammed a new segment devoted to Spencer's fashion tastes.

"I feel like it's a whole new show now," said Spencer. "It's like we're starting over.

"I have this dream job, and I get to bring my news background to covering celebrities. Our goal is to get beyond the red carpet and the junkets and show different aspects of the celebrities' lives."

ELECTION RATINGS: CNN and NBC were the most-watched outlets in the Tampa-St. Petersburg TV market during the presidential election coverage Tuesday night.

From 8 to 11 p.m., an estimated 216,000 viewers in the Tampa area were watching CNN, while NBC (WFLA, Channel 8) averaged 181,000 viewers; Fox News Channel had 178,000; the Fox News coverage on WTVT averaged 117,000; MSNBC had 101,000; ABC (WFTS, Channel 28) 98,000; and CBS (WTSP, Channel 10) 91,000.

Nationally, more than 71 million people tuned in to election coverage from 8 to 11 p.m., according to Nielsen Media Research. ABC was the most-watched nationally, followed by NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel, CBS and MSNBC.