May 28 (Reuters) – CBS News named journalist Nick Bilton as executive producer of news magazine “60 Minutes” on Thursday, marking the first time the longrunning show has tapped a leader from outside traditional television news.
The appointment of Bilton, 49, is part of a shakeup at the 57-year-old program and follows other unconventional hires including of podcasters and opinion writers in a new strategy to draw younger audiences. He replaces Tanya Simon, who became the program’s first female executive producer just last year.
Bilton’s resume includes stints as a technology columnist for the New York Times and correspondent for Vanity Fair as well as several nonfiction books and documentary films.
“Nick embodies the energy and ambition that animated the founders of the show. We cannot imagine a better fit,” CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski said in a note to staff released by CBS.
Weiss is pushing to reshape the newsroom with a stronger focus on streaming and digital audiences following the acquisition of her digital media outlet, The Free Press, in October by CBS’ parent company, Paramount Skydance.
While “60 Minutes” was one of the top broadcast shows this past season with 9.7 million viewers on average, ratings are down more than 20% from a decade ago.
Like Weiss, Bilton does not have deep experience running a TV news program, but his unconventional background ties into the network’s efforts to modernize its journalism.
“I am here because the world outside this building has changed a lot since this show was conceived — and we have to talk honestly about what that means,” he wrote in a note to the staff, which was released by CBS.
Bilton’s appointment follows months of turmoil at CBS News. On Wednesday, “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi criticized the network for failing to renew her contract, saying she was penalized for “refusing to sanitize accurate reporting.”
She had clashed with Weiss over a December segment, produced by Alfonsi, about torture in a Salvadoran mega-prison where President Donald Trump’s administration has sent migrants without trial.
Weiss pulled the report hours before it was due to air, sparking accusations the network was engaging in self-censorship under political pressure.
David Ellison — the son of longtime Trump supporter Larry Ellison — acquired Paramount in August and helped secure regulatory approval for the deal that created Paramount Skydance, with the promise that CBS would reflect the “varied ideological perspectives” of American viewers.
Before the merger, Paramount agreed in July 2025 to settle Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview by paying about $16 million, mostly for his future presidential library.
Weiss’ plan to infuse a “streaming mentality” into the storied news magazine has drawn mixed reviews. It included restructuring the newsroom and starting news coverage on digital platforms and ending on television.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; editing by Alan Barona, Rod Nickel and Cynthia Osterman)
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