Proving I Was Ready to Lead 60 Minutes

When Don Hewitt stepped aside and I became the executive producer of 60 Minutes, I felt confident, but I also understood how intimidating the responsibility was. Don had created the broadcast in 1968 after Fred Friendly pushed him out of the CBS Evening News. The program was his creation in every possible sense. At first, he was not particularly helpful to me, and I understood why. It was not personal. He had devoted his life to the broadcast, and I was the person taking his place.

Don had a remarkable ability to help reporters improve their stories. He never softened his opinions or avoided difficult conversations. He simply told people what worked and what did not. I had watched him closely enough that I could usually predict how he would respond to almost any question. Before taking over, I had already spent six years as a producer at 60 Minutes. I then moved to the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather before returning to launch 60 Minutes II on the same floor as the original broadcast. During the five years I led what initially seemed like the junior program, we developed it into something genuinely excellent. Word began to spread that it was as good as the original. I never made that claim myself. I always said there was nothing wrong with being number two. As I prepared to replace Don, I wanted to avoid appearing overly confident about taking charge of the program he had created.

I took over in 2004. Mike Wallace and Morley Safer accepted the transition more quickly than Ed Bradley. Ed was understandably uncertain about the change, but his concerns disappeared after only a couple of screenings. Early in my tenure, I reviewed one of his stories and did not think it worked. I recommended substantial changes. When he watched the revised version, he was completely won over. I believe that was the only way I could have earned his confidence. You either prove yourself through the work or you do not prove yourself at all.

Phil Scheffler was the senior producer and the second-ranking person in the building. He called himself the master sergeant of the CBS Evening News Alumni Club because nearly all of us had worked at the Evening News at some stage of our careers. That shared background mattered. By the time I took charge, around 75 years of institutional knowledge, journalistic values, and professional standards had passed through only a few people into our daily work. Those principles came from the Ed Murrow and Fred Friendly school of journalism. Few organizations preserve that kind of direct connection to their history. I believe it played an important role in the broadcast’s long-term success.

Artie Bloom served as the longtime director of 60 Minutes and remained one of my closest friends until he died far too young. He used to describe me as an executive producer savant. He was mostly joking. His point was that I might not have been capable of doing many other things, but I knew how to do this particular job well. The description stayed with me.

Don’s central principle could be expressed in one simple line: "Tell me a story." He did not want a subject or a broad issue. He wanted a story. He repeated that phrase constantly, and it eventually became the title of his book. Don believed people had wanted to hear stories since they were four years old and that the desire never disappeared. Instead of trying to cover every aspect of a subject, you had to find the narrow path that led people into it. Once I was fully in charge, that philosophy helped reshape how I ran the broadcast.