“60 Minutes” is ticking in more ways than its new leaders realize.
When CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss named Nick Bilton to lead the venerable news magazine into its 59th season last week, she did so at a critical moment. Bilton, a former tech reporter turned screenwriter turned documentary film maker and producer, has no ongoing experience managing a large team of journalists or a television broadcast facility and will have to learn the ins and outs of the show on the fly, despite being under pressure to provide enough in-depth coverage for the show’s segment, which begins airing in September.
“The show airs one day a week, one night, for an hour, and for me it’s a great opportunity to do different things with the show,” Bilton told Variety in an interview last week.
He called for more content production at a time when many people who might have the expertise on how to create content are suddenly gone. The 58th season of “60 Minutes” ended with seven correspondents. Now there are only four. Anderson Cooper announced in February that he was leaving the show after nearly 20 years as a contributor. Last week, CBS News fired correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Also ousted were program editor-in-chief Dragan Mihailovic, who is known for having an almost cinematic vision for the story, and producers Guy Campanile and Matthew Polvoy, according to people familiar with the series. The most notable departure is that of Tanya Simon, who took over as executive producer of “60 Minutes” last year. She became the first female producer in television history.
Bilton declined to discuss staffing plans, but the team already has nearly half its on-screen talent. It remains to be seen what steps the show’s three veterans, Scott Pelley, Leslie Stahl and Bill Whitaker, will take. Their status has not been announced. Sources familiar with the show have indicated that all three want to see “60” continue and would be open to considering it if their presence would help. But one person familiar with CBS News said they were troubled by recent moves on the show that many in the program viewed as “inhumane” and “unstrategic.” All three correspondents declined to respond to questions last week seeking their thoughts on the direction of the show. Correspondent John Wertheim, known for his profiles and features, is also on the “60 Minutes” roster, but could not be reached for comment as of Monday.
Mr. Perry launched a verbal barrage at Mr. Bilton during Monday’s “60 Minutes” staff meeting, claiming that the new editor-in-chief is no more qualified to lead the show than Mr. Weiss, whom Mr. Perry accused of “killing” the show. CBS News declined to comment on Perry’s remarks. CBS News managers have contacted Mr. Perry and other correspondents in recent days, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The new executive producer’s background has been under scrutiny, but he started his own production company and was actively involved in screenplays and documentaries. Another former broadcast news executive, Noah Oppenheim, returned to NBC News after a stint in Hollywood, where he took the helm of the morning show “Today” and was eventually named president of NBC News. He then returned to writing and producing.
Bilton will have to work hard to boost the morale of his current “60-person” staff. Producers have been “self-censoring” themselves for months, avoiding ideas or themes that they believe would draw backlash from Weiss or the company, two people familiar with CBS News said. Producers are internally cowering after the show has been undermined by media companies who have consistently refused to publicly endorse it.
“In recent months, my production team and I have experienced attempts to inject political bias into our stories. Our reporting team has refrained from submitting story pitches on important news topics for fear of internal repercussions,” Vega said in a statement last week after his firing from the show was revealed. “What do you want to call it? Both imposed censorship and self-imposed censorship. This is dangerous for programming, and it’s dangerous for democracy.”
Paramount’s former executives turned the program into a bargaining chip with the Trump administration, using the $16 million settlement to end what many legal circles considered a flimsy lawsuit related to Whitaker’s pre-Election Day meeting with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Paramount entered into the deal as it seeks to complete its sale to the network’s current owner, Skydance. Paramount’s capitulation spurred the resignation of two CBS News executives, former “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens and former chief executive of CBS’ news, broadcast and syndication operations, Wendy McMahon.
In late 2025, Weiss made matters worse by interjecting herself in the middle of a story about immigrants being sent to harsh imprisonment in El Salvador by the United States. Mr. Weiss ordered the piece to be put on hold after it had already been publicly promoted, and asked Mr. Alfonsi, the correspondent who reported the segment, to obtain comment from Trump officials after already making efforts. The move invited new scrutiny as it appeared to be an attempt to appease the Trump administration over a story officials may not like. The segment appeared on TV in January 2026, and Weiss admitted that she was not used to the way some news organizations worked, which led to unwanted attention.
In an age where more people get their news from social media and digital influencers, “60 Minutes” is still amazing. The show is watched by as many as 10 million people some weeks, and has grown in popularity by being included in the Sunday night lineup immediately after CBS’s afternoon NFL game telecast. Overall viewership for the season increased by 9%, according to Nielsen data.
Weiss is betting Bilton can bring new viewers to the show without alienating its current loyal audience. But those familiar with the show, who have read recent statements from the pair in interviews with news organizations, worry that the executives believe they can do all this with the proverbial flip of a switch and don’t understand the amount of work and effort that goes into getting a single “60” story on TV. Three people familiar with the show said preparation for the segment included thorough research and rigorous editing and feedback. In recent months, companies have introduced new layers of fact-checking and standards, expanding their scrutiny.
Biltong is set at the top of the real estate market, costing millions of dollars each year. “60 Minutes” correspondents can earn up to $5 million a year, executive producers earn about $2.5 million and executive editors about $1 million, although staffers with less experience on the air earn less, two people familiar with the CBS News business say. Each correspondent typically has a team of four or more senior producers, each of whom can earn between $200,000 and $300,000 annually. Each senior producer works with a number of associate producers who can earn as much as $150,000. These people estimate that every story “60 Minutes” produces requires about $75,000 in costs associated with travel, research, photography and more.
CBS News declined to comment on the numbers.
The newsmagazine generated $67 million to $69 million in ad revenue in both 2024 and 2025, according to iSpot data, and last year had the 11th-highest ad revenue of all CBS programming. “60 Minutes” is a reliable perch for healthcare and pharmaceuticals, one of the network’s top sponsored categories, counting pharmaceuticals such as Rinvoq, Clairtin, Skyrizi and Vabismo among its top advertisers in 2026.
Maybe money is the point. “60 Minutes” is coming at a significant cost as advertising dollars shift from terrestrial television to digital media. In recent weeks, viewers have witnessed other CBS News anchors receive top “60” appointments, including Washington correspondent Major Garrett. There’s an internal feeling that CBS News rank-and-file reporters may be asked to contribute more to the newsmagazine, just as Jennifer Mayard, a local correspondent for CBS WCCO in Minneapolis, could contribute a segment to CBS Sunday Morning in 2024. Under Weiss, “60 Minutes” has also been grappling with correspondents trying to lasso major newsmakers to news magazines and crushing more timely reporting. This week’s biggest news. The show did something similar under former executive producer Owens, but was criticized for reporting too much on President Trump and his policies.
“60 Minutes”’ only shield is the sports coverage that precedes it in the fall and winter. Rivals have been trying for years to create something comparable to “60” but have failed due to the lack of an induction program on the scale of the NFL. One person familiar with CBS News’ business developments said the NFL postgame slot represents a “unique platform” for “60 Minutes.”
NBC has launched news magazines such as Rock Center, On Assignment and Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly in the past few years, but because of rights deals with the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, it no longer has space for news on Sundays. NBC News, ABC News and MS NOW are not currently considering launching any kind of news magazine, according to people familiar with the networks. CNN offers similar programming on Sundays. Warner Bros. Discovery Outlet launched “The Whole Story” in 2023, which takes an hour each week to delve into one topic.
Some CBS News staffers think “60 Minutes” needs to change. Some feel the show has become too classy and needs more on-screen drama from former correspondent Mike Wallace. Some people learned about Schadenfreude when they heard in February that the news magazine was being pulled from its separate headquarters on West 57th Street and chained to an office across the street along with the rest of the news division’s editors, producers and reporters. When it comes to program expansion, previous attempts haven’t lasted as long as the flagship. Efforts to expand “60 Minutes” to two hours on Wednesdays, create sports-themed shows for Showtime and digital spinoffs with shorter stories for streaming have not proven to be long-lasting.
Still, there are just as many who believe that the “60” overhaul is motivated by a lackluster Paramount management team entwined with politicians and establishment figures. “Fearless, independent reporting has always been the defining standard of 60 Minutes. CBS management has abandoned that mission, choosing access to journalism over accountability and scrutiny of power over protection of power,” Alfonsi said in a statement last week.
“If this continues, it will look like ’60 Minutes,’ but it will be a broadcast that lacks the courage and integrity to produce important journalism,” she added.
If Bilton and Weiss can reinvigorate the remaining staff, expand the “60 Minutes” portfolio, and maintain the quality and ratings of the original TV show, they will have accomplished quite a feat. Weiss is still trying to make a mark. Her overhaul of “CBS Evening News” ushered in an eventful new era for the distinctive evening newscast. “CBS Mornings” viewership declined and a series of hour-long newsmaker conversations called “Things That Matter” proved too sporadic to gain any real traction.
Meanwhile, the “60 minutes” stopwatch continues to tick.
