The remade “60 Minutes” under CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss will premiere its 59th season Sept. 13 with correspondent Jon Wertheim’s in-depth look at the Los Angeles Rams, oddsmakers’ Super Bowl favorites.
“60 Minutes” has frequently opened seasons with sports stories after a late-afternoon NFL game. Last year’s premiere, Wertheim’s profile of UFC CEO Dana White, drew more than 10 million viewers and ranked as the week’s most-watched non-sports program.
CBS News faces pressure for a strong ratings start after major upheaval at the program. Following a season in which ratings rose 9%, Weiss fired correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, who said she pushed them to insert right-wing talking points. She also dismissed executive producer Tanya Simon and replaced her with screenwriter and documentary filmmaker Nick Bilton, who has no prior TV news experience.
Longtime correspondent Scott Pelley accused Weiss of “murdering” the program and putting “her thumb on the scale” for more favorable coverage of the Trump administration. He was dismissed with cause after confronting management at a June 1 meeting.
CBS denied the claims.
The program spent much of the summer hiring replacements, including conservative New York Times opinion writer Ross Douthat, who has no TV journalism experience. Other new contributors are author Sebastian Junger, former CNN and Vice correspondent Gianna Toboni, and British journalist Trevor Phillips, already a CBS News senior global affairs correspondent. They join Wertheim, Norah O’Donnell, Bill Whitaker and Lesley Stahl. Stories from other CBS News correspondents, including Seth Doane and Matt Gutman, will also air.
Weiss, founder of the Free Press, was hired by Paramount CEO David Ellison with a mandate to move the news division toward the political center. Critics have said the hire is intended to placate the Trump White House as Paramount pursues Warner Bros. Discovery.
The remaining two premiere segments, which could include a major newsmaker interview, have not been announced. The broadcast should benefit from a strong NFL lead-in: most of the country will see the Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings game, with “The NFL Today” originating from Green Bay.