Bari Weiss hopes changes to ’60 Minutes’ will bring in younger viewers
Paramount reports that the latest season of its award-winning newsmagazine “60 Minutes” averaged 9 million viewers.
After Scott Pelley and other staff members were fired from “60 Minutes,” CBS is currently hiring its next on-air talent for the news show.
Conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat will become a correspondent for the newsmagazine broadcast, according to an email obtained by USA TODAY.
An email from executive producer Nick Bilton to 60 Minutes staff on Tuesday, July 28, also revealed that Douthat will be joined by former 60 Minutes contributor Norah O’Donnell. Other new contributors include “The Perfect Storm” author Sebastian Junger, Vice News alum Gianna Toboni, and prominent British broadcaster Trevor Phillips.
“We’re excited to share some great news today, the first of many exciting announcements to come,” Bilton’s email said. “Ross, Sebastian, Gianna and Trevor are entrepreneurial journalists who understand how to reach modern audiences. They have written books and magazine articles, produced documentaries, TV shows and podcasts, hosted live events and built brands on independent platforms.”
Mr Bilton asked staff to welcome the new employees and said he looked forward to meeting everyone in person on August 2nd.
The new wave of hiring comes as former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss becomes the show’s new editor-in-chief.
Scott Perry’s firing came after a tense exchange with Nick Bilton
The revamp of “60 Minutes” includes the firings of Scott Pelley, executive producer Tanya Simon, editor-in-chief Dragan Mihailovic, and correspondents Sharin Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.
In a termination letter obtained by USA TODAY on June 2, Mr. Bilton told Mr. Perry that he hoped they could work out a “path forward together” following the “misconduct,” but that “you have made it clear that you are not interested in such a path.”
“It is very unfortunate that you rejected that proposal and chose an ambush instead,” Bilton told Perry in the memo. “Yesterday’s staged display of hostility, which took place in front of your staff rather than in an internal, private conversation, demonstrated that you have no interest in contributing to the future success of the program.”
In a June 7 interview on The New York Times’ podcast The Interview, Perry opened up about his departure, telling “60 Minutes” that he doesn’t feel “sorry” for himself, but that he cares about “the people I left behind” and “this institution that I love so much.”
“The best way I can imagine to describe it is like your spouse was murdered,” he said. “There are times during the day when I feel great. To be honest, there are moments when I crumble when I least expect it.”
Contributor: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
