So, apparently Bill Owens, the big boss of “60 Minutes,” decided to throw in the towel on Tuesday. Not really sure why this matters, but he’s been dealing with some drama over a lawsuit from President Trump. Trump claims the network tried to make his girl Kamala Harris look good in an interview. Owens bouncing might mean that a settlement is on the horizon. Paramount Global folks are sick of this lawsuit getting in the way of their merger plans with Skydance Media. They even brought in a mediator to help sort things out. Owens spilled the tea in a message he sent out saying he couldn’t call the shots like he used to. So, he’s stepping aside to let the show do its thing.
After almost four decades at CBS News, Owens is dipping out. He’s only the third big shot at “60 Minutes” in its long history. Owens was also in charge of “CBS Evening News,” which hasn’t been doing so hot lately. Ratings have been tanking ever since they switched up the format in January. Owens held down the fort on “60 Minutes” for over two decades, taking over after Jeff Fager got the boot. The show has been pulling in the biggest audiences on TV, other than live sports. Owens gave a shoutout to Wendy McMahon in his goodbye message. She’s the CBS exec who’s been backing them up.
McMahon spilled the beans that Owens will be hanging around for a few more weeks. No word yet on who’s gonna take over, but Tanya Simon seems like a top contender. She’s been running things behind the scenes and has some serious news cred in her genes. Owens is all about keeping the show’s mission alive, even if he’s not calling the shots anymore. He says “60 Minutes” is too important to let it go down the drain. The show’s been going strong for years thanks to its top-notch team of journalists. But if they settle Trump’s lawsuit, it could be a major blow to their street cred.
Trump and his crew have been giving CBS a hard time ever since they found out the network did some editing on Kamala Harris’ interview. They didn’t like that her response about the Israel-Hamas war got cut down. Trump even refused to sit down for an interview on the show. He wasn’t feeling the fact-checking policy CBS wanted to put in place. Some First Amendment experts think Trump’s lawsuit is a joke. Editing interviews is pretty standard in the journalism world. But Trump is demanding some serious cash to make this all go away. The FCC Chair is even eyeballing CBS News over the whole mess. Sounds like things are getting pretty heated over at the network.
