The mood inside the “60 Minutes” newsroom on Manhattan’s 57th Street was one of devastation Thursday after CBS News head Bari Weiss purged the program’s leadership — ousting beloved executives and announcing an inexperienced tech journalist as the new executive producer, despite the show finishing its season with a massive rating increase.
According to more than a half-dozen current and former staffers speaking with media watchdog Status, the firings triggered an emotional crisis inside the iconic newsmagazine.
“It’s like a funeral in here,” one insider told Status founder Oliver Darcy. “People are devastated.”
Executive producer Tanya Simon was summoned into a meeting Thursday morning with Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski, the report said. She was relieved of her duties on the spot.
Senior executive producer Draggan Mihailovich was also fired as part of the purge.
As news of the firings spread, Weiss and Cibrowski announced Nick Bilton, a technology journalist with no television news or managerial experience, as the program’s next executive producer — only the fifth in the show’s nearly 60-year history.
Despite “60 Minutes” performing “exceptionally well by virtually every measure,” Weiss and Cibrowski claimed the program “requires a new approach,” Status reported.
According to the report, staffers exchanged angry texts expressing heartbreak and fury at Weiss and network leadership for dismantling a program they treasure.
“They’re gutting us,” one “60 Minutes” staffer told Status. “It’s over. I don’t see how ’60’ will be able to function after this. Goodnight and good luck, m———–s”
Another senior producer expressed the widespread sentiment. “Everyone—100% — thought Tanya and Draggan did exemplary jobs. It hurts. We feel violated.“
It remains unclear whether additional staffers and correspondents will choose to leave on their own. Veteran correspondent Lesley Stahl has not yet renewed her contract, with her status remaining “up in the air,” according to sources familiar with the matter. Other senior producers also have contracts expiring soon and will need to decide if they stay, Status reported.
Former host Steve Kroft, reflecting on the devastation, offered a grim assessment: “Since I retired, I often wondered what would happen to ’60 Minutes.’ But I never expected it would be executed by the President of the United States. The show as people have known it for 50 years is dead. Now could it be resurrected? I don’t know,” he told Darcy.
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