{
  "id": 19067088,
  "title": "Former ‘60 Minutes’ chief criticizes questions and ratings",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/former-60-minutes-chief-criticizes-questions-and-ratings",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-09T02:06:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Semafor",
    "slug": "semafor",
    "url": "https://www.semafor.com/article/11/08/2026/former-60-minutes-chief-criticizes-questions-and-ratings"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "When asked what he thinks now of the show he used to oversee, Bill Owens replied: “Not a lot.”",
  "key_points": [
    "Former '60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens criticizes show's declining ratings",
    "Owens expresses disappointment in successors for missing opportunity to question Hegseth on Iran war"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The decline in editorial rigor and viewership signals a fundamental identity crisis for the long-standing news program as veteran leadership departs and institutional influence continues to erode.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}