In her most significant move yet since taking over CBS News last year, network editor-in-chief Barry Weiss has launched a major overhaul of its flagship news magazine. 60 minutesinstalls veteran journalist Nick Bilton as the venerable newspaper’s new executive producer, while parting ways with a group of senior producers and reporters.
The broadcaster made a series of moves to shake up the program, terminating executive producer Tanya Simone as well as reporters Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi after the Memorial Day weekend. Other major producers have also been let go.
Free press Its founder Weiss, who joined CBS last October, had long ago telegraphed that major changes were afoot in an effort to restart the production. 60 minutes Under a new ownership regime led by Paramount CEO David Ellison. Hollywood Reporter I reported back in February that Weiss was looking to overhaul the show, which is the most-watched news program in America with north of 6 million viewers each week, and often exceeds 10 million viewers during the NFL season, when it takes advantage of that lead.
“Nick is one of the most entrepreneurial journalists of our time and the exemplary leader of one of the most entrepreneurial news brands of all time,” Weiss said Thursday. “We have great ambition for 60 minutes To reach new heights through deep, clear journalism that breaks news, exposes wrongdoing, expands public understanding, and holds every institution and every center of power accountable. Nick shares this mission and will bring his deep investigative expertise and understanding of our technological moment 60 minutes So that its important journalism comes alive for all audiences.
Simon, who worked for 25 years at CBS News and the venerable news magazine, sent a memo to 60 minutes Staff Thursday who got it THRadmitting that “her time as executive producer of 60 minutes And at CBS News, it’s coming to an end.
“While leadership has decided it is time for a new chapter — I want to be unequivocally clear about one thing: It has been an incredible honor to lead this broadcast, and I could not be prouder of what we have built, fought for, and accomplished together over the past year,” she added. “60 Minutes has always been more than just a radio show: it is an organization built on independence, determination, and the rigorous search for truth. This is the work we’ve done together — and with ratings up at least 9% from last year. You should all be proud.”
The hiring of Pelton, a television news anchor, came as a shock to many within CBS.
Pelton was most recently a special correspondent for Vanity galleryknown for its investigative print features on technology as well as books including Twitter hatching And aAmerican Kingpin. He also wrote and directed the HBO doc Famous fake and produced Theranos’ white paper for premium cable The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley. He’s also writing a feature-length screenplay for a Martin Scorsese film that would star Dwayne Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Emily Blunt, though it’s not clear what the status of that project is.
In a memo to staff, Pelton wrote about leadership 60 minutes: “I’m here to lead this show, not keep it under glass. That means honoring what works and being honest about what doesn’t.”
Weiss is said to be looking for new blood to add to the ranks of correspondents, though it’s not clear what changes Belton might make to the format of the show itself, which many consider crucial to its ratings success. Belton told staff he plans to meet with them and meet again this summer to talk about what comes next.
But he explained that this would include an attempt to seize 60 minutesBrand it and bring it to new platforms, rather than just one hour a week.
“Hiring Nick represents a deliberate vision for… 60 minutes “We will move beyond an hour on Sunday evenings to become a 360-degree product that reaches audiences wherever they consume information,” said Tom Cebrowski, president of CBS News. “Our ambition is to do powerful journalism that respects our existing audiences, attracts new audiences and empowers viewers to proactively devote their attention to our work across every platform and medium.”
60 minutes I’ve tried making money on other platforms before, first on Quibi’s ill-fated service with 60 by 6then take that and bring it to Paramount+ as 60 minutes+. This show ultimately didn’t take off.
But the decision to overhaul the network’s top shows, especially with the evening news and morning shows still faltering, is a big risk.
