CBS News named Tanya Simon the new executive producer of “60 Minutes,” making her just the fourth executive to lead the program in its nearly 60 years on air and the first woman to do so. She takes the reins of the show at a tumultuous time, when the venerable newsmagazine has been put in the crosshairs of the Trump administration and the fortunes of corporate parent Paramount Global.
“It is a privilege to lead ’60 Minutes’ and its formidable team of journalists,” Simon said in a prepared statement. “’60’ is in a class of its own, upholding a legacy of extraordinary and thought-provoking journalism for more than half a century. I’m deeply committed to this level of excellence and I look forward to delivering an exciting season of signature ’60’ stories that cover a wide range of subjects for a broad audience and engage viewers with their world.”
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She has been with CBS News since 1996, joining the news division as a researcher for “48 Hours.” Her father, Bob Simon, was a “60 Minutes” correspondent who was respected for his knowledge of foreign affairs.
The newsmagazine has been generating headlines of its own in recent months. Paramount earlier this month agreed to pay $16 million to President Donald Trump to end what has been viewed in many legal circles as a flimsy lawsuit tied to a pre-Election Day interview between Bill Whitaker, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, and former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. The decision has vexed supporters of the program and of journalism in general, who charge Paramount executives risk tarnishing a media brand that has long sought to hold power to account and to probe events with an independent lens.
Paramount is in the midst of trying to push forward on a sale to Skydance Media, and Trump’s lawsuit, and a separate probe by the Federal Communications Commission are seen as attempts to block that goal, or to squeeze payments out of the corporation in exchange for a path to the merger. People familiar with CBS News operations believe weeks of leaks about Paramount’s legal machinations and of the “60 Minutes” staff’s aversion to any kind of settlement have served to undermine the show.”60 Minutes” continues to generate some of TV’s highest ratings.
Simon has been overseeing the program since its previous EP, Bill Owens, stepped down, citing interference in the show’s editorial processes by Paramount. Wendy McMahon, the CBS executive who ran CBS News and its local stations, left a few weeks afterwards, noting that she and the company had different views of how to run operations.
Before taking on an interim executive producer role in April, Simone was the show’s executive editor for six seasons. Prior to that, she was a senior producer whose responsibilities included overseeing digital content and supervising production of “60 Minutes Sports,” a monthly sports-focused edition of the program that ran on Showtime. She joined the staff in 2000, working with correspondent Ed Bradley on a variety of reports including the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Duke University lacrosse rape case and a rare interview with Bob Dylan. Simon went on to produce for nearly all the “60 Minutes” correspondents over the next decade, including Steve Kroft, Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Anderson Cooper, and her father.
“Tanya Simon understands what makes ’60 Minutes’ tick. She is an innovative leader, an exceptional producer and someone who knows how to inspire people,” said Tom Cibrowski, recently named president and executive editor of CBS News, in a statement. “Tanya knows that the success of today’s ’60 Minutes’ depends on delivering a weekly mix of the most informative, impactful and entertaining stories and investigative journalism from around the world. This is the true essence and foundation of ’60 Minutes’”
More to come…
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