Whither ‘60 Minutes’? As turmoil unspools in public, CBS News show’s ultimate health is debated

NEW YORK (AP) — “This is ’60 Minutes,'” Harry Reasoner announced on Sept. 24, 1968, as he and fellow reporter Mike Wallace introduced the new CBS News program. “Some kind of television magazine.”

He added: “We think this is a new approach.”

More than half a century and 58 seasons later, the same term — “new approach” — is being used by CBS News leader Bari Weiss to describe her sweeping changes to the most famous newscast in TV history: firing a top producer and two reporters and appointing a new chief with no broadcast TV experience, among other things. Scott Pelley, now one of the most famous faces on the show, is also gone. He was fired after a tense confrontation with bosses.

“Of course, we realize that new approaches are not always accepted immediately,” Reasoner said that night in 1968. And Weiss’s “new approach” was met with harsh criticism from some quarters. Moreover, this turmoil became a news topic in itself; Competing narratives are flying, and neither of them appeals to CBS News.

The central question permeating Wednesday: Where does “60 Minutes” go from here? Can he stop being the story and get back to work and maintain his reputation for investigating journalism and his legendary success at the top of the news food chain? Or is his celebrity timer literally running out, as some fear?

Something seemed to have already gone out the window Wednesday, according to one prominent TV news analyst — albeit the long-held perception that “60 Minutes,” which manages to be both old-school and combative, is essentially untouchable.

“My initial reaction is that this started in 1968; not a bad turn of events,” said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. “Because it really does seem like it’s systematically deconstructing (the show).”

But he quickly added: “I don’t think we’re writing an obituary for ’60 Minutes.’ I think there’s a lot of value and tension in that brand.”

But he felt there were worrying signs. The show suddenly lost four reporters. Three people, including Pelley, were dismissed, and Anderson Cooper is leaving voluntarily. Pelley also has disturbing accusations. “The new management instructed me to insert lies and bias into a politically sensitive story,” the reporter and former evening news anchor said in a statement Tuesday. “I was told to include unsubstantiated claims.”

To Jeff Fager, former As an executive producer of “60 Minutes” and the author of a book about the show, the loss of Pelley will be a huge absence.

“I can’t imagine airing ’60 Minutes’ without Scott,” said Fager, author of “Fifty Years of 60 Minutes: The Inside Story of Television’s Most Influential Newscast.”

“It is the most remarkable body of work in his publishing history,” Fager said. “It limps on without it.”

A dizzying week of public airing of dirty laundry continued Wednesday with Weiss’ statements to staff about Pelley’s firing and Pelley’s response to those statements. In a transcript seen by The Associated Press, Weiss began his morning editorial call by saying he was “only interested in working in a newsroom built on trust and mutual respect.”

“That foundation was destroyed on Monday, and despite our attempts to contact Scott Pelley and find a way back, unfortunately we were unable to do so and so we had to part ways,” Weiss said in the call. “We didn’t want this to happen, but it’s the path he chose.”

Pelley quickly responded with his own lengthy explanation of their meeting. “At least Weiss knows what she’s saying isn’t true,” he said. A statement released by New York Times media reporter Ben Mullin. “There was no effort to ‘find a way back’ at the meeting held on Tuesday, when I was effectively fired.”

Turmoil was evident on “60 Minutes” for more than a year, After President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against the series Organizing the 2024 interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. It became part of a broader revolt at CBS News after Weiss’ death. Appointed as new editor-in-chief by parent company Paramount late last year following the arrival of David Ellison as the network’s corporate leader.

Ellison’s company, Skydance merges with CBS parent ParamountHe later angered “60 Minutes” by settling the Trump lawsuit for $16 million and, indirectly, departure last month Popular CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert called the deal “a huge bribe.”

The dispute over the show came to public attention last Thursday, when Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski announced changes aimed at “creating a program that will succeed in the 21st century.”

They appointed Nick Bilton, a former tech columnist and documentarian, as executive producer, replacing Tanya Simon, a 30-year veteran of the series who had been in the top spot for nearly a year. Also released were reporters Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, whose segment on people the Trump administration had deported to a prison in Salvador was abruptly retracted by Weiss before he became a candidate a month later.

Four days later, Monday morning staff meeting exploded in anger When Pelley confronted Bilton and told him he had little experience on the job. When Bilton said at the meeting, “At least he loves this institution,” Pelley responded, according to the recording: “‘He’s killing 60 Minutes.’ He doesn’t like this place. “He was brought in to kill her and that’s exactly what he’s doing.”

This led Weiss, Bilton and others to call Pelley to a meeting on Tuesday, and Pelley was fired. Weiss and Bilton did not respond to interview requests Wednesday.

But reactions were echoed throughout the media industry. “This is David Ellison’s ’60 Minutes’ now,” CNN media critic Brian Stelter wrote In the newsletter on Wednesday.

So what does the future of the series look like? During a staff call Wednesday, Weiss praised some of Pelley’s recent work on “unforgettable stories” and promised Bilton would deliver such work “along with the great team that’s still there in season 59 and some new people joining us.”

There was no word on these additions. A much bigger question was whether the uproar on “60 Minutes” would become more political in nature over time (Pelley and others have accused the new leaders of trying to curry favor with the Trump administration) or would it become more of an intergenerational debate? Weiss and Bilton presented the changes necessary to evolve with the times.

Fager, among others, is concerned about this narrative. He said the show did a good job of cohesion.

“It doesn’t work on-site; this is due to a misunderstanding of the broadcast,” he said. “We adapted regularly. Each time a new leader emerged, there was significant evolution.”

He acknowledged that some change and evolution is always necessary. But he remains concerned about the show’s overall future as he watches last week’s “new approach” unfold.

“I’m worried about this,” he said. “I always thought he was fragile, and I don’t take that lightly.”

Jocelyn Noveck covers the intersection of media and entertainment for The Associated Press.