_27 Years of Influential 60 Minutes _
By: Obie Herchberger
Since 1968 America has been better enlightened than previously concerning
current events and happenings around the world. A considerable factor for this
occurrence is the television program 60 Minutes which debuted on the air in
September of 1968. Many other television newsmagazines have been produced
since its creation, however none have possessed the longevity nor the
influence of 60 Minutes. In fact, 60 Minutes, which is owned by CBS News, was
the first regular network news program to cover actual stories as opposed to
topics. Today, similar newsmagazines can be seen every night of the week on
various stations, all of which were sparked by the inception of 60 Minutes.
All of the tabloid television programs being shown today are also a result of
60 Minutes and its bold, gutsy, "gotcha" style of television journalism. 60
Minutes changed the way that the American public receives its television news,
stemming forth a whole new format of television broadcast journalism. 60
Minutes has a vast history of stories covered, yet the format has remained
unchanged. Don Hewett, creator and producer of 60 Minutes, has been the
subject of much criticism for his stubbornness. Since its origin, 60 Minutes
has continued to adhere to the same formula that made it such a success. The
hidden-camera interviews, the surprising of unsuspecting alleged crooks with a
bombardment of questions, the longevity of the featured reporters, all of
these are what made 60 Minutes a success--finishing in the top 10 Nielson
ratings for 17 consecutive seasons and counting. Other than the fact that it
changed from black- and-white to color with the new technology, the appearance
of 60 Minutes has remained consistent. There is no reason to change a thing
about such a prosperous show according to Hewitt. Not only has the format
remained constant but the reporters have as well. Mike Wallace, and Harry
Reasoner both appeared on the first episode of 60 Minutes. Reasoner, who
passed away in 1991, left CBS in 1970 to pursue a news anchoring position at
ABC but later returned to 60 Minutes, in 1978, until his death. Wallace and
Morley Safer, who started in 1970, are still featured reporters as well as Ed
Bradley (who joined the team in 1981) and newcomers Lesley Stahl and Steve
Kroft. 60 Minutes would not be the same without the weekly commentary of Andy
Rooney. Rooney started making a regular appearance in 1978 offering humorous,
sometimes controversial annotations about everyday life. A well known prime
time TV news anchor who did much of his best work at 60 Minutes is Dan Rather.
When Rather joined the other prestigious journalists he had a reputation as a
tough, aggressive reporter; in other words, he fit in perfectly. Rather left
in 1981 to takeover The CBS Evening News, leaving with him a hard-nosed
investigator who would do whatever it took to capture the whole story. All of
these factors combined to form a one-of-a-kind TV newsmagazine with solid
ratings; clones were destined to follow. Following in the wake of success,
many spin-offs were created in an attempt to grab a piece of the action. There
were many reasons for following the suite of 60 Minutes and not many reasons
not to. The biggest incentive (in the eyes of the other network executives)
for striving to reproduce 60 Minutes was the substantial amount of revenue
created by this program. 60 Minutes requires a remarkably less amount of money
to produce than a situation comedy. And because the CBS network owns the show,
these were earnings that went straight to the corporation. 60 Minutes has
turned out to be quite a goldmine for CBS because the program has not only
brought in the highest profit of any other show in history, but most of all
their other shows combined. It comes as no surprise that other networks dived
into the newsmagazine business. Some of the more notable programs to cash in
on the new format for broadcasting news include Prime Time Live, 20/20, and
Entertainment Tonight. Entertainment Tonight branched off into a less
newsworthy, more Hollywood scene which later set the pace for PM Magazine, and
most recently A Current Affair and Hard Copy. None of the listed newsmagazines
would exist had it not been for the creation of 60 Minutes. The new style of
journalism that 60 Minutes incorporated went on to set a new standard for
reporters everywhere. High ratings are the key to success in the television
news business and 60 Minutes gave the viewing public what it craved--shocking
interviews and investigations which led to the uncovering of crooks,
terrorists, and swindlers. Witnessing doors being slammed in a reporter's face
became customary to the show. Before 1968 the nightly news would simply
broadcast headlines; comparable to reading a newspaper. But 60 Minutes became
a television newsmagazine offering the reader revealing, on camera stories
about happenings around the world. Viewers of the show became better informed
as to actual business, political, and science practices. Howard Stringer,
president of CBS Broadcast Group, says that "60 Minutes invented a new genre
of television programming-the newsmagazine-and in the process had a dramatic
impact on the television industry and the viewing habits of the American
people." Stringer's comment is very true because if one were to scan through a
TV index today, they would see that nearly all channels are infested with talk
shows, tabloid programs, interview shows of famous personalities, and other
"caught on tape" types of programs, all of which derived elements from 60
Minutes. Given that 60 Minutes set a new standard for presenting the public
with ground-breaking stories, creator and producer of the show, Don Hewitt,
says "It's what you hear more often than what you see that holds your
interest. The words you hear and not the pictures you see are essentially what
60 Minutes is all about." The shows that were influenced by 60 Minutes, such
as the many tabloid programs being shown today, built off the 60 Minutes
principle and created gossip, and shocking video segments. Still other shows,
including the interview programs, borrowed from 60 Minutes' method of grilling
the interviewee. Dan Rather once (in an interview with President Nixon during
his downfall) riled up Nixon enough to prompt the question "Are you running
for something?" And Rather shot back, "No, sir, Mr. President. Are you?" Tough
reporting, taped evidence of scams, and in-depth stories of current events are
essentially what brought 60 Minutes much success. The use of hidden-camera
reporting, catching wrong-doers on tape, was, and still is common practice.
Today, we turn on the television and are flooded with shows featuring the same
reporting techniques as 60 Minutes. 60 Minutes keeps its viewers up to date on
current events with the same tough reporting methods. Most recently 60 Minutes
covered the tragic Oklahoma City bombing and featured an interview with
President Clinton. Following the bombing report a story about the Michigan
Militia (who are believed to have played a part in this terrorist act) was
aired. Coverage of these right-wing extremists brought much insight into who
these militia groups are and what they are all about. 60 Minutes is a valuable
resource for understanding what is happening in the United States and
globally. Other networks caught on quick that shocking news stories are what
the people want, and while 60 Minutes offers revealing stories, they avoid the
tabloid reports. The tabloid television newsmagazines were created using the
same techniques that made 60 Minutes so unique, however, they go for the
Hollywood scene reporting on the latest gossip, and O.J. Simpson trial
updates. Every aspect of Simpson dominates the current tabloid programs
essentially proving that the American public wants actual stories instead of
fiction. A few programs have successfully incorporated the 60 Minutes brand of
reporting. The ABC television program 20/20 first aired in 1978, and still
today it is regarded as a quality news source. Frontline is a top-notch PBS
regular documentary that has been around since 1983. Entertainment Tonight has
found much success with its brand of news as well. Several new newsmagazines
are coming out of the woodwork such as Dateline NBC, Day One, and Eye to Eye
with Connie Chung, but time is the true test for an accomplished television
program. By setting new journalistic standards, 60 Minutes was able to
influence all other news programs to follow. Many newsmagazines have come and
gone through the years proceeding 60 Minutes' inception, all of which borrowed
something along the way. Today more than ever it is easy to see that people
want real world stories, and the television newsmagazine provides this for the
viewer complete with unbelievable video footage and ground-breaking stories.
60 Minutes invented this form of service for the public and they have received
proper recognition for this. The crew of correspondents, producers, directors,
and technical staff have been honored with virtually every major award in
broadcasting, including: 42 Emmy Awards, 6 George Foster Peabody Awards, 2
George Polk Memorial Awards, 10 Alfred I. duPont/Columbia University Awards,
and 1 Christopher Award. Some say for the better, others say for the worse,
but nevertheless it is undisputed that 60 Minutes introduced a new form of
television broadcasting news which affected that entire industry and even
today is looked at as a benchmark for quality news coverage.
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