Are Ex-60 Minutes Staff and Correspondents Planning Their Own Show?
The Hollywood Reporter • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Former 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens is reportedly seeking $50 million to launch a new news program potentially involving former 60 Minutes producers and correspondents like Scott Pelley, though a source close to Owens denied the report.
- Owens resigned last year amid corporate changes at Paramount, and several prominent correspondents including Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, and Cecilia Vega have parted ways with 60 Minutes, which has since hired new talent under new leadership.
- The viability of a costly newsmagazine on streaming platforms is uncertain, as major streamers have generally avoided regularly scheduled news programs in favor of documentaries and podcasts.
- Despite the shakeup, ousted 60 Minutes staffers remain active, with Owens working on a book and Alfonsi and Pelley recently named journalists-in-residence at Columbia University’s journalism school.
- Columbia University praised Alfonsi and Pelley for their investigative reporting and emphasized the importance of their roles in mentoring the next generation of journalists.
