Poster

60 Minutes (US)


60 Minutes is an investigative television newsmagazine on United States television, which has run on CBS News since 1968. The program was created by long time producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation. It has been the top-rated program for much of its life, and has garnered numerous awards over the years. It is considered by many to be the preminent investigative television program in the United States. The initial run of 60 Minutes was as a bi-weekly show hosted by Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace which debuted on CBS on September 24, 1968. Don Hewitt, who had been a producer of the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, sought out Wallace as a contrast to Harry Reasoner. According to one historian of the show, the idea of the format was to make the hosts the reporters, to always feature stories that were of national import but focused upon individuals in conflict with those issues, and to keep the reports to around thirteen minutes. However, the initial season was troubled by lack of network confidence. In 1970, the FCC instituted a rule