The next season of “60 Minutes” will likely be brought to you by a handful of pharmaceutical sponsors and a whole lot of pressure. When Bari Weiss, the one-time digital provocateur who was installed as editor in chief last year at CBS News, overhauled the venerable newsmagazine in May and June, ousting two of its top editorial personnel and two of its best-known on-air personalities, she set in motion something to which producers in the off season have not always been accustomed: chaos. To be sure, “60 Minutes” has tangled with corporate attorneys, politicians and other challenging subjects.
But the program has never had to grapple with its own internal processes being undermined from within. When Weiss cut former executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mahialvich, and Sharyn Alfoni and Cecelia Vega (with Scott Pelley exiled later), she did so at a critical moment (Anderson Cooper in February announced he would step away from the program after nearly two decades, marking another reduction in veteran staff). Most of the show’s personalities try to have a produced story on an evergreen topic like health, science or culture in the can before taking a vacation in July.
This year, according to people familiar with the program, much of that work wasn’t approved, and therefore was not filed in timely fashion. Now Nick Bilton, the new executive producer, could be left with less room to maneuver as “60 Minutes” prepares for its 59th season, slated to start Sunday, September 13 — a few weeks earlier than the norm. The expectation is, every producer should have one piece produced — one piece approved and in the bank — with a second one in production by the season premiere in September,” says one former longtime “60 Minutes” producer.
Those stories will serve the show well as it steers into a new cycle. Three new, fully vetted, 13-minute pieces each — minidocumentaries, really — week after week for months. The deadlines are punishing.” The start of the new “60” season will serve as a real-time test.
Segments from the newsmagazine that have had time to marinate are proven to be appetizing. But what of stuff that is served, like most TV-news programming, fresher from the grill? Bilton has approved more than three dozen stories, according to a person familiar with the matter, with each in various stages of production, which include research, shooting, writing and more.
This person says more than a dozen stories are in the editing process, with the goal of bringing them to screenings. Bilton wants to continue and augment the show’s tradition of investigative reporting, this person says, and also sees an opportunity for “60” to weigh in heavily on the effects of AI on the world and all facets of society, much in the way “60 Minutes” featured coverage of the Vietnam War or the tobacco industry in decades past. More decisions tied to senior leadership are expected to be unveiled in days to come.
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