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Source: CBS
Major changes in the program «60 Minutes» reached a climax this week when Scott Pelley was fired from CBS News a day after a heated exchange with newly appointed executive producer Nick Bilton, during which he suggested that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss was "killing 60 minutes »" , following the dismissal of several program veterans last week. Now, former host Steve Kroft has responded to the scandal, and he's not optimistic about the future of the popular Sunday program.
Croft left 60 Minutes programs« in 2019 after 30 years of working on it, and stated that he wouldn't return if given the chance. In an interview with PBS NewsHour, Croft praised Pelley for speaking out against the firing of anchors Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, executive producer Tanya Simon, and editor-in-chief Draggan Mihajlovic. PBS's Jeff Bennett touched on the idea that new leaders like Weiss often come to organizations with fresh ideas for improvement. But for Croft, there's nothing good about what's happening. As he put it:
Well, I think it's journalistic interference. It makes no commercial sense. The show is still a huge success. It's the highest-rated news program on television, and it has been for over 50 years. Last year, the audience grew by about 9%. Why change anything? It has an audience of 9 to 10 million people, which is still one of the largest audiences on network television.
To back up his point, the only thing that consistently gets more viewers on network television than the show «60 minutes, — is American football (the NFL). Otherwise, it's the dominant force almost every Sunday night it airs. So making changes behind the scenes doesn't seem like the most intuitive way to achieve more success, at least for those watching from the outside.
Why Steve Kroft Thinks 60 Minutes' New Chief Will Have Problems
Steve Kroft shared with New York Magazine with your thoughts on the future of the program "« 60 minutes »", and the former host stated that it was clear to him that the show "as the audience knew it no longer exists," noting that the layoffs were "too extensive" given that no one was fired for journalistic misconduct or anything like that.
Reflecting on his 40 years at CBS News, Kroft noted that story control was more of a rarity than a constraint, and said that ultimately it always came down to whether the story was good and newsworthy, without any political or partisan constraints on either side. Asked what the show's next season might be like, Kroft replied:
I think it's very unclear, and that's part of the problem. What they don't want is what they have. And that, as it turns out, is the standard for television news. And that's what made 60 Minutes successful—that's what kept it on the air for so long—that's journalism.
Croft partially addressed the criticism Pelley made of Bilton during his appearance, namely that the new executive producer doesn't have the experience that others in a similar situation have, but also explained why that would be a problem from a practical standpoint.
The problem is, and this is no small matter, that creating a television show is a very difficult task. Weiss and Bilton have never encountered it and don't understand how difficult it is. It seems almost impossible to me to imagine what kind of show they'll be able to deliver in September, given their current situation and the fact that they've already fired some of their most capable staff. I don't think there's a plan; at least, no one has been able to formulate one, and I think they're going to face a lot of problems.
As a specific example, Croft cited the show's consistency and precision, honed over decades. Commenting on behind-the-scenes discussions about possibly abandoning the time-tested format of three identically-length segments per episode, Croft explained that this idea was conceived so that segments could be safely changed if necessary. He continued:
Once you start changing that and decide you want to show three-minute and 15-minute spots, it becomes much more difficult to find and produce something ready to air. This is one of the things Don Hewitt realized a long time ago. I think the problem is that they don't know what they don't know about creating a TV show every week.
This is a very accurate definition. If you don't know why changing the timing could lead to disaster, you don't know what not to do. Knowledge is always crucial, so let's hope everyone involved diligently looks into this matter before the start of the next season.
Former executive producer Bill Owens, who resigned in April 2025 shortly after the new Paramount leadership took over, defended Scott Pelley's comments about Weiss "killing" the show, so Croft is certainly not alone in his more critical views. Will other former correspondents weigh in? «60 Minutes» ? Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.