CBS Installs Nick Bilton Atop '60 Minutes' In Broad Shakeup
Nick Bilton replaces Tanya Simon as executive producer as multiple correspondents are ousted amid promises to modernize the program into a multi-platform '360-degree' product.
Overview
Bari Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski named Nick Bilton executive producer of 60 Minutes, replacing Tanya Simon and parting ways with correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich.
Weiss and Cibrowski said a 'new approach' is needed to expand 60 Minutes beyond a one-hour broadcast and deepen its role across CBS News to thrive in the 21st century.
Cecilia Vega said she was fired despite a contract through March 2027 and accused the network of 'censorship, both imposed and self-driven,' and Sharyn Alfonsi said she was penalized over a Salvadoran prison report.
The changes represent one of the most significant shake-ups of the program, which has been the most-watched news program for 52 straight seasons and averaged 9.1 million viewers in its most recent season.
Bilton, a former New York Times technology columnist and documentary filmmaker with no prior broadcast-news producing experience, said he will meet staff and return with a plan in about a month to pivot the show.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the shakeup as a partisan, disruptive overhaul that risks changing 60 Minutes’ identity. Coverage emphasizes controversy around Bari Weiss and fired correspondents, highlights Bilton as an outsider lacking broadcast experience, and stresses alleged editorial retaliation, using evaluative descriptors and selective emphasis to suggest an ideological reorientation.