60 Minutes leaders praise staff ahead of season 59 launch
60 Minutes opens its 59th season on Sunday night with a thank-you note from its new leadership and a familiar place in the schedule.
The long-running CBS news programme returns at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network, following NFL football, according to CBS News. The slot puts the broadcast straight into one of television's largest Sunday audiences.
Ahead of the premiere, three senior figures sent a joint staff memo congratulating the team. The note was sent on Sunday morning and was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. It was signed by Nick Bilton, executive producer of 60 Minutes, Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News, and Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News.
The memo thanked everyone across CBS News for support over the summer. That support matters. A weekly news programme relies on producers, researchers, editors, camera crews and correspondents, meaning the on-air reporters, working well beyond the names seen on screen.
The summer brought change at the top and on the staff. David Ellison appointed Weiss to oversee the editorial direction of CBS News after Skydance Media acquired Paramount Global, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Departures from 60 Minutes since then have included producers Guy Campanile and Tanya Simon and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega and Scott Pelley.
Four correspondents are returning for season 59. They are Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, Jon Wertheim and Norah O'Donnell.
Sunday's premiere has three segments. One examines President Donald Trump's use of the presidential pardon. Another profiles the Los Angeles Rams and coach Sean McVay. The third is an interview with the U.S. pilot who was shot down and rescued in Iran.
The congratulatory note follows a restless August. Bilton urged staff in an earlier memo after the July break to tune out rumours, as reported by TheWrap. That memo was also leaked.
For viewers, this means continuity with a new stamp. The time is unchanged. The format is unchanged. The people signing the memos are not.
