The new head of CBS News is flexing her muscles at the network’s most storied news program: “60 Minutes.” We look at the upheaval.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
CBS Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss is asserting full control over the network’s news division.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The new owners of CBS brought Weiss in last fall from her center-right opinion and news site, The Free Press. The goal was to move coverage away from what they believe is a woke and anti-President Trump tilt. And now Weiss is trying to reinvent the network’s most prestigious and highest-rated program, “60 Minutes.”
MARTÍNEZ: NPR’s David Folkenflik is with us now with more. So, David, how is Bari Weiss overhauling “60 Minutes”?
DAVID FOLKENFLIK, BYLINE: Well, yesterday, among those forced out were the show’s executive producer, Tanya Simon – she’s a veteran of several decades – and two correspondents, each of whom confirmed that publicly. In a sense, this is what she was brought to CBS to do, what her bosses hoped for and her critics fear. David Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison – Larry Ellison’s the founder of Oracle – are Trump allies. This is, in a sense, what they would have wanted.
The criticism – well, we can let the correspondents who were fired speak for themselves. Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega were laid off in April. In an award ceremony, Alfonsi warned of the toxic spread of corporate meddling and editorial fear. She was talking about news coverage and judgment there. Last night, in a statement she shared with NPR, Cecilia Vega cited, quote, “censorship, both imposed and self-driven. It is dangerous for the show and dangerous for democracy.” Anderson Cooper earlier walked away voluntarily. He was said to have been apprehensive of Weiss, according to people I spoke to.
Weiss appointed Nick Bilton executive producer to run the show. He’s a former tech columnist for The New York Times, former investigative reporter for Vanity Fair, and he has produced documentaries. The one thing he hasn’t done is work in broadcast news.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. So what does Nick Bilton have in mind for the show?
FOLKENFLIK: Well, he has a remit from Weiss to reinvent the show for the digital age. He told staffers, quote, “I’m here to lead this show, not preserve it under glass.” He said he’d be taking soundings for 30 days and get back to them about his plans. He wants it, he says, to be more available than just every Sunday.
Funnily enough, over the years, “60 Minutes” has sought new ways to innovate. It’s done so online in new spinoffs and franchises like “60 Minutes Sports.” “60 Minutes II” was there for a while before it blew up. And there were short video segments on a failed platform called Quibi. All major news outlets, to be fair to Weiss here, are seeking to find a path to digital salvation. In Bilton’s case, he has the backing of the Ellisons, who own Oracle, as I mentioned, also control TikTok U.S., are intending to get CNN as well in another big corporate takeover. So Bilton is familiar with them covering the tech world. His opening memo, I must say, was about innovation and not about ideology.
MARTÍNEZ: Tell us about what the reward and the risk is for Bari Weiss here.
FOLKENFLIK: Well, look, she’s been here since last fall. She initially tried to change and take over the “CBS Evening News,” which was flagging before she arrived. She named Tony Dokoupil as the anchor there. It seems to be flagging since he has been put in place. It’s often below 4 million viewers a night. There’s been one headline after another about internal dissent. “60 Minutes” itself is the real prize for CBS. It’s its top-rated news program. It worked so well because it was an insular culture and so devoted to its approach. Under Tanya Simon, over the past year, the show was up 9% in the ratings. So if Weiss makes this a big hit online and on other platforms with new audiences, she’ll be able to ride on that a long time. If it tanks, that’s on her, and her critics will take that as validation.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. So, David – so what should we look for next?
FOLKENFLIK: So the Ellisons, through Skydance Media, only took over CBS’ parent company last summer with the approval of Trump’s antitrust regulators. Now they’re awaiting approval from basically those same antitrust regulators for their massive takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, which is, of course, the parent company of HBO and CNN, among other properties. That could go through before the next season of “60 Minutes” starts, though there might well be legal challenges to it. People inside both CBS and CNN are already speculating and concerned about what role Weiss might play in leading the cable news giant in the years to come.
MARTÍNEZ: That’s NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik. David, thanks.
FOLKENFLIK: You bet.
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