MAGA-Coded CBS Boss Suffers Fresh ’60 Minutes’ Blow

Key Points:

• The revamped 60 Minutes experienced a significant ratings decline for its fourth episode of season 59 on Oct. 10, drawing 6.06 million viewers, including about 767,000 in the key 25-54 demographic, marking its worst fourth-episode performance since 2000.
• Despite featuring notable segments such as Lesley Stahl reporting from the West Bank and an interview with the Secret Service director, the episode's viewership was nearly one million less than the same episode last year and followed a strong but NFL-aided episode the previous week.
• CBS anticipated some drop-off in viewers due to the lack of an NFL lead-in, as Fox aired the late NFL game, with viewership increasing as games ended.
• The ratings slump coincides with ongoing controversy at CBS News under editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who has pushed a more Trump-friendly agenda and overseen significant staff changes, including firing several 60 Minutes correspondents and causing public infighting within the show.
• Weiss has appointed new leadership and correspondents without broadcast news experience, such as executive producer Nick Bilton and conservative commentator Ross Douthat, amid criticism and a notable reduction in the number of original 60 Minutes correspondents.