What was it about?
A mean of 6.06 million individuals watched an episode of “60 Minutes” that turned the spark for an intense debate between longtime correspondent Lesley Stahl and CBS Information editor Bari Weiss, who argued over the content material of Stahl’s phase centered on Israeli settlers looking for to drive Palestinians from the West Financial institution, in line with an individual conversant in the matter. The dispute over the report, which addressed a difficulty near Weiss, pressured CBS Information to delay promotion of the episode and angered Stahl, who felt compelled to defend his report late in manufacturing. The Standing media e-newsletter beforehand reported particulars of the combat between Weiss and Stahl.
The 6.06 million determine represents a 12 % drop in viewership from final season’s fourth episode of the collection, in line with Nielsen, and an almost 41 % drop from final week’s viewers, which was boosted by a record-setting NFL sport broadcast earlier than the Sunday newsmagazine. The brand new episode of “60 Minutes” additionally confronted competitors from an NFL sport airing on Fox and on NBC’s NFL pregame present, which started halfway by means of the episode.
The TV present additionally noticed a decline amongst individuals aged 25 to 54, the demographic most coveted by advertisers in information applications. Sunday’s episode attracted a median of 767,000 individuals, in comparison with 946,000 a 12 months earlier, and a couple of.02 million final week. Scores for the demo have been down almost 19% from final season and 62% from final week’s tv broadcast, in line with Nielsen information.
CBS Information stays underneath intense stress to show the soundness of this system, which was chaotically overhauled on the finish of final season regardless of a notable 9% improve in total viewership. Weiss ousted Tanya Simon, an government producer with years of expertise on the collection, in favor of Nick Bilton, a journalist and author with much less formal tv expertise. Correspondents Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi have been additionally kicked out. Anderson Cooper left of his personal accord after his contract ended. Their replacements, who embody Ross Douthat and contributors like Ariel Levy and Sebastian Junger, have a high-level schooling but additionally little expertise engaged on a weekly tv present emphasizing long-form enterprise journalism.
CBS can take solace in the truth that Sunday’s “60 Minutes” drew viewers all through the episode, in line with Nielsen information.
Along with Stahl’s reporting from the West Financial institution, Sunday’s episode additionally featured a report on a Norah O’Donnell interview with Sean Curran and Matt Quinn, director and deputy director of the U.S. Secret Service. The third phase of the present centered on Invoice Whitaker’s profile of musician Jon Batiste.