Former ‘60 Minutes’ chief criticizes questions and ratings
When asked what he thinks now of the show he used to oversee, Bill Owens replied: “Not a lot.”
Bill Owens, the former executive producer of the influential news program, expressed frustration about the direction of the show and its declining ratings. In an interview at an event organized by Semafor, Owens, who resigned last year in protest of editorial overreach favoring President Donald Trump's administration, stated that the show's quality had declined despite its appearance and feel remaining the same.
He expressed disappointment in his successors for missing an opportunity to press Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the Iran war, noting that the questions asked by the network's journalists were lacking. Owens criticized the recent interview with Hegseth for not addressing the progress of the war, stating that such a question should have been asked.
He also pointed out that the show's recent ratings had dropped below 6 million viewers, an alarming figure considering the show's position in the evening news slot. Owens acknowledged that his resignation had not had the intended impact, and may have instead led to a broader realignment within the network, with many on-air personalities and top producers leaving.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
