CBS executive Nina Tassler has tart ‘D-girl’ comment for ex-NBC counterpart Ben Silverman

CBS exec has tart ‘D-girl’ comment for Silverman

PASADENA, Calif. — Ben Silverman is gone from NBC as entertainment chief but he’s not forgotten by the industry.

CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler was asked by reporters Monday about the departure of Silverman, who declared in a 2007 Esquire magazine article that he was a rare network executive and those who hold the job elsewhere are merely “D-girls.”

That’s a dismissive Hollywood term suggesting development executives with minimal authority.

“I’m really just a D-girl, so I wouldn’t comment on that,” Tassler said tartly during a Q-and-A session with the Television Critics Association.

During Silverman’s two-year tenure at NBC, the network remained mired in fourth place as he failed to launch new hits. Silverman has returned to his producing roots, starting a new company.