Ex-60 Minutes boss wants to create rival broadcast with fired staffers: report
The Independent • • entertainment
Key Points:
- A former producer of CBS News’s 60 Minutes, Bill Owens, is reportedly seeking $50 million to launch a rival current affairs show featuring journalists and crew members who left CBS, including anchor Scott Pelley.
- The initiative comes amid turmoil at 60 Minutes following Bari Weiss’s appointment as editor-in-chief last year, which led to internal tensions, falling ratings, and multiple high-profile departures.
- Owens’s proposed show is said to include ex-correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, former executive producer Tanya Simon, and senior producers Guy Campanile, Draggan Mihailovich, and Matthew Polevoy.
- While Owens declined to comment and a source close to him denied the plans, reports indicate that a business plan and pitch deck have been prepared for major streaming platforms like Netflix, Apple TV, and YouTube.
- The success of the new venture hinges on securing substantial funding and platform support, as insiders suggest the team’s financial expectations may be high compared to streaming norms, and building a new audience from scratch will be challenging.
