TRASH TV!

Egotistical anchors’ diva behavior and ugly feuds exposed

AMERICA’S top news shows have harbored a viper’s nest of liars, cheats, backstabbers and lazy sneaks, according to an award-winning industry veteran.

In his blockbuster book, “Ticking Clock: Behind the Scenes at ‘60 Minutes,’ ” producer Ira Rosen dishes the dirt about newsroom prima donnas including Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo, Barbara Walters, Chris Wallace and his late father, Mike Wallace!

“I’ve had to deal with a lot of these news stars — and I’m not surprised to hear a lot of them were self-absorbed, preening, ruthless jerks,” spilled a source who’s worked in the TV industry for decades.

According to Rosen’s book, news gals Barbara and Diane — who are now retired — were fierce rivals at ABC in the late ’90s and repeatedly stabbed each other in the back!

Their feud reached its peak in 1998 when the two coanchored a Sunday night show.

“They fought over who greeted the TV audience and who said good night,” Rosen wrote. “They even counted the number of words each one had.”

But they made nice in public, he said, acting as sweet as pie when they bumped into each other once at an elevator.