CBS News Veteran 60 minutes Reporter Scott Pelley accused the network’s editor-in-chief, Barry Weiss, of trying to kill the venerable news magazine on Monday.
Bailey, former broadcaster for CBS Evening Newsmade the comments in a fiery staff meeting with the show’s new executive producer Nick Bilton.
At the meeting, Pelton said he loved Weiss 60 minutesthe most-watched news program in America, to which Billy responded, “It kills 60 minutes. “She doesn’t like this place. She was brought to kill him and she’s doing just that.”
A source familiar with CBS leadership’s thinking says Weiss and Pelton consider Bailey an important contributor to the show, and have been trying to reach out to him since last Thursday’s moves.
The Guardian’s Jeremy Barr first reported details of the meeting, which Hollywood Reporter And he confirmed.
Weiss launched a major overhaul of the show last week, ousting the show’s beloved executive producer Tanya Simone, a few other top producers, and reporters Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, and bringing in veteran tech journalist and columnist Pelton to take over the show.
Billy told Belton that he had “little qualifications” for the job, and indicated that he was not welcome on the program.
Pelton said THR He wants to bring a bit of “gonzo” journalism to the show, as well as reporters who are experts in their fields, while still holding the powerful to account. He also wants to significantly increase the program’s digital presence, although details of that remain murky at the moment. He said 60 The cast said Monday that it wants the show to avoid the fate of other legacy media brands that have struggled to adapt to the new media reality.
At Monday’s meeting, Bailey also criticized the changes made to his former home at the hotel Evening newsHe described it as “disastrous” and wondered whether the fate would be similar 60.
