60 Minutes

60 Minutes is the name of several television newsmagazines, the first of which has been produced by CBS News since 1968. That show, created and made successful by producer Don Hewitt, has inspired similar shows on Australian television and New Zealand television. The shows begin and end with the image and sound of a ticking stopwatch, an image that in the 1970s became symbolic of investigative journalism on U.S. television.

American 60 Minutes

The American 60 Minutes is noted for its unique style and ability to generate news and controversy. As of 2004, the program and its contributors have won a total of 75 Emmy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award presented in 2003 to creator Don Hewitt. It is one of the oldest surviving investigative journalism shows on television, having first aired in 1968.

Related Topics:
As of 2004 - Emmy Awards - 2003 - Don Hewitt - 1968

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The format consists of three long-form news stories, without superimposed graphics. The stories are introduced from a set which has a backdrop resembling a magazine story on the same topic. The show undertakes its own investigations and follows up on investigations instigated by national newspapers and other sources.

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Many stories' topics center on allegations of wrongdoing and corruption on the part of corporations, politicians, and other public officials. Said figures are commonly either subjected to an interview, or evade contact with the 60 Minutes crew altogether, either by written notice or by simply fleeing from the approaching journalist and his camera crew. Historically, alleged wrongdoers are often made to look bad on television, and 60 Minutes is well-known for its potentially damning interviews of various people and organizations.

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60 Minutes also interviews celebrities and well-known politicians on a frequent basis, documenting their history and philosophical viewpoints. These segments are rarely accusatory in the way that their more pointed investigations are.

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In tone, 60 Minutes blends the probing journalism of the seminal 1950s CBS series See It Now with Edward R. Murrow (a show for which Hewitt was the director its first few years) and the personality profiles of another Murrow program, Person to Person. In Hewitt's own words, 60 Minutes blends "higher Murrow" and "lower Murrow."

Related Topics:
See It Now - Edward R. Murrow

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Other themes which have been associated with the show include its "Point-Counterpoint" debate segments, which originally featured James J. Kilpatrick on the conservative side of the debate and Nicholas von Hoffman for the liberals (Shana Alexander took over von Hoffman's chair after he departed in 1974). This format was lampooned during the early years of the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live, with Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd as the debaters (Aykroyd would begin his remarks with, "Jane, you ignorant slut"); the 1980 film Airplane had a noteworthy parody of Kilpatrick in which he had a pointed comment about the passengers of an apparently doomed aircraft. The "Point-Counterpoint" segments were recently revived for a few months featuring Bob Dole and Bill Clinton.

Related Topics:
James J. Kilpatrick - Nicholas von Hoffman - Shana Alexander - 1974 - NBC - Saturday Night Live - Jane Curtin - Dan Aykroyd - 1980 - Airplane - Bob Dole - Bill Clinton

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Since 1978, the show has usually ended with a commentary by Andy Rooney expounding on topics of wildly varying import, ranging from international politics, to economics, and to personal philosophy on every-day life. One recurring topic has been counting the amount of coffee in coffee-cans{{ref|CBS_Coffee}}. Rooney's pieces, particularly one in which he referred to actor Mel Gibson as a "wacko," have led to complaints from viewers.

Related Topics:
1978 - Andy Rooney - Mel Gibson

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Ratings history

Based on ratings, 60 Minutes is the most successful broadcast in U.S. television history. For five of its seasons it has been that year's top program, a feat only matched by the sitcoms All in the Family and The Cosby Show. It was a top ten show for 23 seasons in a row (1977-2000), an unsurpassed record.

Related Topics:
Sitcoms - All in the Family - The Cosby Show

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60 Minutes first broke into the Ratings Top 20 during the 1976-77 season. The following season it was the fourth-most-watched show, and by the 1979-80 season, it was the number one show.

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During the 21st century it remains among the top 20 programs in the Nielsen Ratings, and the highest-rated news magazine.

Related Topics:
21st century - Nielsen Ratings

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Correspondents

Mike Wallace is perhaps the iconic representation of the style of journalism for which the show is known. He's been on the show since its inception in 1968. Other correspondents include:

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The program's correspondents and commentators have included:

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• Ed Bradley .... Correspondent (1981-)
• Steve Kroft .... Correspondent (1989-)
• Dan Rather .... Correspondent (1975-1981)
• Harry Reasoner .... Correspondent (1968-1970, 1978-1991)
• Andrew Rooney .... Correspondent (1978-)
• Morley Safer .... Correspondent (1970-)
• Diane Sawyer .... Correspondent (1984-1989)
• Lesley Stahl .... Correspondent (1991-)
• Meredith Vieira .... Correspondent (1989-1991)

Commentators

Since 1978, Andy Rooney has contributed a humorous and sometimes cantankerous commentary at the end of each episode. Other commentators include:

Related Topics:
1978 - Andy Rooney

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• Shana Alexander .... Liberal debater (1975-79)
• Bill Clinton ... Liberal debater (2002-2003)
• Stanley Crouch .... Commentator (1996)
• Bob Dole ... Conservative commentator (2002-2003)
• Molly Ivins .... Liberal commentator (1996)
• James J. Kilpatrick .... Conservative debater (1971-79)
• P. J. O'Rourke .... Conservative commentator (1996)
• Nicholas Von Hoffman .... Liberal debater (1971-74)