CBS executives found it worse than strange, and reprimanded Wallace and producer Bob Anderson for ““very poor judgment.’’ Wallace acknowledged he was wrong and apologized. The incident wasn’t the first time ““60 Minutes’’ in-your-face investigative journalism has created controversy. But as the show airs in its 27th season and its correspondents hit an average age of 61, it was time for another round of: How long can ““60 Minutes’’ keep its edge? It is clearly the premier news magazine on the air – and critics see little diminution. But a few TV insiders think they see cracks in the juggernaut. Its ratings have slipped 14 percent over last year’s – though CBS says competition from football on Fox accounts for most of that. The show is also raising eyebrows for segments some producers think were off ““60 Minutes’ ’’ usual standards. Cited often was a Wallace story that lightly explored Tyson Foods chairman Don Tyson and his links to President Clinton. (Says Wallace, ““If it wasn’t tough enough for some of your peers, f–k ’em.’’) Said an executive producer at a news-magazine show: ““This is the best news magazine by far. Is it having a great season? I don’t think so.’’ Added Jon Mandel, senior vice president at Grey Advertising, ““It’s time for a little revitalization. It’s a great show, but it’s getting a little tired.''
For sure, this sniping is far from universal, and in some cases, cockeyed. Any show that has aired for many years is subject to the tired knock, and entitled to some bad weeks. ““I don’t believe the program is faltering at all,’’ said rival NBC news chief Andrew Lack. Indeed, the show’s ratings remain unimaginably high – 17 straight years in the top 10. Two weeks ago it tied with Monday Night Football for fourth-highest ratings. But the bigger test will come once football ends in January, when viewers presumably won’t be diverted by games on Fox and NBC. CBS executives predict ratings will rebound, based on research suggesting that viewers now flip back to ““60 Minutes’’ in progress once a game ends on another network. They are counting on the program remaining an ““appointment’’ show – people tune in regardless of the segments; other news magazines draw viewers largely on the strength of the stories they promote that week.
““60 Minutes’’ has resisted the pull of tabloid television that has infected other TV news magazines and journalism generally. Don Hewitt, the ““60 Minutes’’ executive producer and creator, finds the carping laughable. ““We’ve never caved in to the Bobbitts, Dahmers and O. J. Simpsons,’’ he says. ““We do stories on Lloyd’s of London, Leonard Bernstein, and after 27 years I’m very happy to be the 5th-highest-rated show.''
As always, the age issue hangs over the show – both the age of its correspondents and its audience. About 70 percent of its viewers are 50 and older, and they tune in to find out what Wallace, Morley Safer, Ed Bradley and, to a lesser extent, Lesley Stahl and Steve Kroft, are up to each week. This is a mostly male and aging cast, a demographic not helped by the crotchety Andy Rooney. Wallace, legendary for his energy, says he will be carried out of the office. ““We’ve got many more years ahead with this group,’’ said news executive Joseph Peyronnin. But ““60 Minutes’’ is looking at successors who would change the mix – most notably, Jana Wendt, a 36-year-old Australian TV journalist.
This hasn’t been a good year for TV news magazines. Flourishing last season, they’ve seen ratings drop sharply as viewers fled the glut of look-alike programs to more enticing prime-time drama, like ““ER.’’ ““60 Minutes’’ doesn’t have those problems; it has long benefited from a 7 p.m. time slot and little dramatic competition. Says NBC’s Lack, ““If “60 Minutes’ was up against “ER’ it would not be a top 10 show.’’ But it isn’t and it is, and probably will be for a long time to come – with or without hidden cameras.
The average age of key staffers at ‘60 Minutes’ is 61; the hunt is on for a younger reporter.
Mike Wallace 76 Andy Rooney 75 Don Hewitt 73 Morley Safer 63 Ed Bradley 53 Lesley Stahl 52 Steve Kroft 49
