CBS News says it needs to push “60 Minutes” into the future if the show is to survive, but the first telecast of the 59th season following a shocking overhaul of its on-air and behind-the-camera staff in May and June relied on many elements from the program’s past. The new season of “60 Minutes” burnished stalwarts, and none of the new faces who have recently come aboard. Viewers on Sunday night got only a brief glimpse of Ross Douthat, and none of Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni, Trevor Phillips or Ariel Levy, but were rather greeted by three correspondents who already have an association with the program.
Lesley Stahl has been with the newsmagazine since 1991, while Jon Wertheim joined the program in 2017. Norah O’Donnell was recently named a full-time correspondent on the show, but has contributed stories multiple times in the past. One of the stories even featured the old-time TV-news “hidden camera,” which many people thought went out of style after ABC News got sued in 1999 — and lost — for sending reporters to take footage at Food Lion supermarkets after lying on resumes and gaining access to tape unsanitary food practices.
ABC News got tripped up on charges of trespassing and fraud, and hidden-camera reporting in the modern day is typically used mostly in public spaces or overseas, where U.S. laws don’t apply. Will viewers miss Cecilia Vega, Sharyn Alfonsi, or Scott Pelley? The last of that trio, all pushed out of the show following the decision to oust top producers, was on nearly every week, often crashing a story tied to events that had taken place in the days leading up to broadcast.
Bari Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News whose work at transforming the unit for modern audiences has stirred up a lot of controversy, wants “60 Minutes” to show up in more media venues and kick up livelier discussions. Other members of CBS News have felt this way as well, wondering if the program has gotten too soft or overly reliant on stories tied to the release of new books. There were no on-screen QR codes on Sunday’s telecast, or on-air prompts for viewers to join Stahl, Wertheim or O’Donnell for an interactive chat at CBSNews.com at some later day or time.
There were no nods to listening to the stories via podcast. On Sunday morning, however, executive producer Nick Bilton sent out a note via email telling CBS News followers he would be publishing a newsletter every Monday that offered a behind-the-scenes look at the show. Some of the window dressing has indeed changed.
The opening logo is rendered more in black and white and has less red. The opening montage, which once looked as if spread out across the cover of a magazine, now looks as it takes place on a mobile tablet. One piece of the show did not change, at least in the first season broadcast.
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