Ross Douthat, Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni, Trevor Phillips to Join CBS' '60 Minutes'
Brian Steinberg at Variety:
Ross Douthat, the conservative New York Times columnist, will join CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” along with author Sebastian Junger, new CBS News correspondent Trevor Phillips and filmmaker Gianna Toboni, the Paramount Skydance news division announced Tuesday, a move that will remake the look and feel of the venerable newsmagazine at a time when it has been under intense scrutiny. Norah O’Donnell, a familiar face to CBS News viewers, will also take up more duties with the program, according to Nick Bilton, the series’ new executive producer, who offered details in a memo to staffers.
Douthat, Junger, Phillips and Toboni are “entrepreneurial journalists who understand how to reach modern audiences,” Bilton said. “Between them, they have written books and magazine articles, produced documentaries, TV shows and podcasts, hosted live events and built brands on independent platforms.” The question facing them now, of course, is can the new hires keep CBS viewers engaged during 12- to 13-minute-long video segments that air on broadcast TV?
The foursome are meant to replace a group of longtime correspondents who were ousted by Bari Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News, in a bid to make the program more interesting for modern viewers. Weiss believes the program is in dire need of a shake-up and has to be made more relevant to digital audiences and younger viewers. In late May, she replaced Tanya Simon, the show’s previous executive producer, along with correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich. Scott Pelley left soon after following a clash with Bilton. Anderson Cooper chose to leave the program earlier in the year, ostensibly because he has been wary of the direction CBS News has taken under Weiss, an opinion journalist who has often worked to get more time for Trump administration officials and provocative voices and experts.
CBS News injects the untested coterie into the program alongside three veterans: Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim and Bill Whitaker. All three opted to stay despite the way management gutted the program, seemingly with little regard for its recent accomplishments. In an era when more TV viewers are streaming away from old-school appointment television, “60 Minutes” in its most recent season saw overall viewers increase by 9%.
[...] If Bilton and Weiss can reinvigorate the remaining staff, broaden the “60 Minutes” portfolio and maintain the quality and ratings of the original TV program, they will have achieved quite a feat. Weiss is still trying to build a track record. Her overhaul of “CBS Evening News” has resulted in a choppy new era for the signature evening news program. Viewership for “CBS Mornings” has diminished and a series of hour-long newsmaker conversations called “Things That Matter” has proved too sporadic to gain true momentum.
New hires have been announced for the new season of CBS’s 60 Minutes: Ross Douthat, Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni, and Trevor Phillips. They join returning correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim, with Norah O’Donnell being promoted to full-time correspondent.
