‘60 Minutes’ EP Nick Bilton Urges Staff to Tune Out Rumors in Internal Memo

"60 Minutes" executive producer Nick Bilton has written an internal memo for employees, urging them to ignore rumors and concentrate on their reporting duties as the CBS news program prepares to launch its 59th season. The memo, which was 734 words long and shared after the show's July break, provided a guide for the weeks leading up to the September 20 season premiere.

Bilton detailed newsroom updates, announced several new hires, previewed increased investments in investigative reporting, promoted greater in-office collaboration, and outlined operational changes, including a new digital story board. He also announced that Tanya Lukyanova had joined the team as an associate producer, replacing her previous roles at The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and The Free Press.

Furthermore, Bilton mentioned that Michael Kaplan, a senior investigative producer from the CBS News investigative unit, had joined the show on a temporary basis to work on two significant stories for Season 59. Pulitzer finalist Scott Pham would support the broadcast's data-driven reporting. The memo concluded with Bilton addressing the constant rumors surrounding "60 Minutes" since his appointment as executive producer in May.

"Since I started here there has been roughly a rumor a day," he wrote, adding that 95 percent of them were fabrications and inaccurate. Bilton stated that he no longer had the time or patience for leaks and speculation, encouraging employees to approach him directly with their questions instead of relying on workplace rumors. Bilton wished for the place to be remembered for what they put on television rather than the rumors circulating about them.

He also emphasized the importance of in-person collaboration among employees not working in the field, stating that while he was not interested in taking attendance, successful television production required teamwork. The executive producer concluded by reminding staff that "60 Minutes" was 43 days away from its Season 59 premiere, calling it "the greatest team in journalism" and urging employees to focus on the work ahead.