’60 Minutes’ team demands CBS News names Tanya – Business News
Correspondents at “60 Minutes” are pressuring CBS News dad or mum Paramount Global handy the reins of the enduring show to a longtime insider — or risk a revolt from the tight-knit newsroom, in line with a report.
All seven of the present correspondents at “60 Minutes” — Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Bill Whitaker, Anderson Cooper, Sharyn Alfonsi, Jon Wertheim and Cecilia Vega — signed a letter final month urging Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks to formally title Tanya Simon because the show’s government producer, the Status publication reported on Friday.
Simon — the daughter of late “60 Minutes” correspondent Bob Simon who has been serving as interim government producer since April — is broadly seen by employees because the natural successor to Bill Owens, who resigned this spring over what he described as editorial meddling by the community’s dad or mum company.
(From left) “60 Minutes” correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, L. Jon Wertheim, Bill Whitaker, Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega and Anderson Cooper with former government producer Bill Owens. CBS by way of Getty Images
Tanya Simon is the interim government producer at “60 Minutes.” CBS
Weeks after Owens stepped down in April, the president and CEO of the information division, Wendy McMahon, additionally introduced she was resigning, stating: “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.”
Simon, whose historical past with the show runs deep, joined this system in 1999 as an affiliate producer and has steadily risen by means of the ranks over the previous 26 years, incomes the trust and admiration of the veteran reporting team, in line with the Status report.
“The next EP has to be Tanya,” one staffer advised Status. “There will be a revolt if it’s not her.”
Despite the interior show of solidarity, the correspondents’ appeal reportedly seems to have hit a wall. Weeks after the letter was despatched, Cheeks has not responded, and it’s unclear whether or not CBS News president Tom Cibrowski — who stepped into the function earlier this yr — has the authority to make the choice with out his boss’s blessing, Status reported.
That choice could in the end relaxation with Shari Redstone, the Paramount chairwoman and controlling shareholder, who has reportedly taken difficulty with the show’s protection of the Israel-Gaza battle and President Trump.
A spokesperson for Paramount Global declined to remark. A rep for Redstone additionally declined to present a assertion when reached by The Post.
The “60 Minutes” team is reportedly pressuring management at dad or mum company Paramount Global to call Simon because the everlasting successor to Owens (far proper). CBS by way of Getty Images
Simon (proper, with Stahl, Alfonsi and Vega) has been a mainstay at “60 Minutes” for many years. CBS by way of Getty Images
Trump has filed a $20 billion lawsuit towards CBS News and Paramount Global, alleging the misleading enhancing of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris misled voters and harmed his media ventures.
CBS has denied wrongdoing, citing First Amendment protections, whereas settlement talks have included a $20 million mediator proposal and a $15 million offer from Paramount, which Trump rejected.
The lawsuit — nonetheless energetic in Texas federal court docket — may complicate Paramount’s pending $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.
CBS News staffers reportedly warned of a “revolt” if Simon isn’t picked to move the show.
In mild of these developments, insiders alleged to Status that Redstone is probably not keen to advertise somebody so carefully related to the present editorial team comparable to Simon to the highest post at “60 Minutes.”
But a source close to the state of affairs advised The Post that Redstone has not weighed in on who the subsequent government producer of the show must be.
With Paramount’s merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media anticipated to close quickly, company leaders could also be delaying any main personnel strikes till the mud settles — notably one involving “60 Minutes,” long thought of the crown jewel of CBS News, in line with Status.
But that wait-and-see method is fueling nervousness inside this system, Status reported.
The correspondents’ letter was addressed final month to George Cheeks, the co-CEO of dad or mum company Paramount Global. Variety by way of Getty Images
Some at “60 Minutes” worry that Ellison, who is anticipated to reshape the information division together with his own editorial imaginative and prescient, may look exterior the storied broadcast for recent management — bypassing Simon and disregarding the many years of institutional data she represents, in line with the report.
Ellison has already raised eyebrows by reportedly reaching out to former New York Times editor Bari Weiss, offering a trace of his ideological leanings.
Weiss, who gained notoriety after leaving the Times and launching her own platform, has turn into a main determine in conservative and anti-establishment media circles.
She continuously criticizes legacy retailers — together with CBS — as captured by a progressive elite.
Insiders speculate that any choice on a new government producer for “60 Minutes” must be signed off on by Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global. FilmMagic
Redstone is eager on closing a merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media, headed by David Ellison. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
That Ellison would contemplate bringing her into the fold suggests a willingness to problem institutional norms and probably reorient CBS News towards a more ideologically various, and even right-leaning, editorial direction.
If he chooses to overtake “60 Minutes” — or set up an government producer who isn’t trusted by the core team — the fallout could possibly be vital.
Veteran correspondents like Stahl and Pelley are mentioned to be weighing whether or not to stay round for one more season, in line with Status.
Ellison is reported to have met with journalist Bari Weiss to debate a attainable function at CBS News. Getty Images for The Free Press
“If Simon is appointed,” one source mentioned, “they may be persuaded to stay.”
But if the job goes to an outsider, “their exits would appear far more likely.”
The Post has sought remark from CBS News and Weiss. A spokesperson for Ellison declined to remark.
