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. Infact, 60 Minutes, which is owned by CBS News, was
the first regular network news program to cover actual stories asopposed to
topics. Today, similar newsmagazines can
be seen every night of the week on various stations, all of whichwere 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 news magazines 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 a
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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