CBS News chief Bari Weiss set to remake network’s iconic 60 Minutes: report

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is planning major changes to the network’s iconic “60 Minutes” program, according to a new report.

Weiss has privately told people she wants to revamp “60 Minutes,” one of the highest-rated TV news programs, journalist Oliver Darcy reported Tuesday in his Status newsletter. The award-winning show, which first aired in 1968, is known for its in-depth, investigative reports.

Weiss had been looking to make changes mid-season but following discussions with CBS News president Tom Cibrowski and other leaders, she agreed to wait until the show’s current season ends in May, according to the report.

The top editor is expected to “blow it up as soon as the season is over,” one source familiar with the issue told Darcy, while another staffer said that “no one knows what to expect.”

Details of Weiss’ vision remain unclear but she is expected to bring in new correspondents who are younger and more aligned with her editorially. She’s also playing an active role in decisions that typically fall to the program’s executive producer, such as staffing, Darcy reported.

The Independent has contacted CBS News for comment.

Weiss was named as the network’s top editor in October after parent company, Paramount, acquired her anti-woke digital media outlet, The Free Press.

Under Weiss and Paramount boss David Ellison, the network has already seen significant staffing changes. CBS News reportedly cut about 6 percent of its staff and shut down CBS Radio last month. This comes after Weiss told employees in January they should leave if they don’t believe she’s the “right leader” for the network.

Weiss also shocked employees after she introduced herself to President Donald Trump and exchanged kisses on the cheek with him after his “60 Minutes” interview in November, The Independent previously reported. A CBS News reporter said at the time: “I’m still kind of stunned by this. It reeks of elitism.”

In December, Weiss struck a “60 Minutes” segment about El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison shortly before it was set to air, a decision which sparked a “revolt” at the network.

At the time, Weiss told The New York Times: “My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be. Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason — that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices — happens every day in every newsroom.”

Sharyn Alfonsi, the CBS News correspondent behind the segment, suggested that Weiss’ decision was a “political one.” The segment eventually aired in January (after it had already leaked online) and pulled in about 5.1 million viewers.

Weiss went on to express frustration with Alfonsi during calls with reporters, Darcy reported in January. In his latest newsletter, Darcy wrote that it’s “difficult to envision a scenario” in which Alfonsi’s contract is renewed.

Weiss tapped Tony Dokoupil to anchor a reboot of “CBS Evening News,” which has seen poor ratings and behind-the-scenes chaos, The Independent has reported. Dokoupil had previously co-anchored “CBS Mornings.”

One network staffer told The Independent that his debut — which included social media clips of him asking random travelers at a train station to pronounce his last name — was “embarrassing.”

“Quite the humiliating ritual,” the employee said.

In March, ratings for “CBS Evening News” fell below 4 million, a figure which has previously sparked alarm at the network, according to Variety. The network once cut a version of the program, anchored by John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, after viewership dropped below 4 million, the outlet reported.

Dokoupil’s ratings reportedly lagged behind other leading news programs, such as ABC’s “World News Tonight” and NBC’s “Nightly News.”