The Los Angeles Rams are set to kick off the 59th season of “60 Minutes” on September 13, headlining the venerable news program's debut under new CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss. The segment, led by correspondent Jon Wertheim, will offer an in-depth look at the team, which oddsmakers favor to win the Super Bowl this season.
Wertheim's report will feature interviews with Rams general manager Les Snead, head coach Sean McVay, and veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. The segment also plans to explore team owner Stan Kroenke's significant investment in technology, including artificial intelligence, as a strategy to give the team a competitive edge on the field.
“60 Minutes” has a history of turning to sports-related segments for its season premieres, particularly when they follow a late afternoon NFL game. This strategy often yields strong viewership; for its 58th season premiere, Wertheim profiled Ultimate Fighting Championship Chief Executive Dana White, drawing over 10 million viewers and becoming the week's most-watched non-sports program. Similarly, Wertheim interviewed University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders for the 56th season opener.
This year's premiere is expected to get a significant boost from its lead-in: most of the country will receive CBS coverage of a late afternoon matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, two contenders in the highly competitive NFC North. “The NFL Today” pregame show is traveling to Green Bay for the telecast.
However, the season launch comes as CBS News is under pressure for “60 Minutes” to achieve a strong start in the ratings, following major upheaval within the program earlier this year. After a successful previous season that saw ratings up 9%, Weiss initiated significant changes. She dismissed “60 Minutes” correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, who both voiced complaints that the executive pushed them to incorporate right-wing talking points into their stories. Additionally, Weiss removed “60 Minutes” executive producer Tanya Simon, replacing her with screenwriter and documentary filmmaker Nick Bilton, who has no prior experience in TV news.
The discord led to public accusations, with longtime correspondent Scott Pelley claiming Weiss was “murdering” the program and putting “her thumb on the scale” for more favorable coverage of President Trump’s administration. Pelley was subsequently fired for cause after confronting management in June. CBS denied these claims. The summer saw the program actively hiring replacement correspondents, including Ross Douthat, a conservative New York Times opinion writer who lacks experience as a TV journalist.
Weiss, known as the founder of the heterodox digital news site The Free Press, was hired by Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison with a stated mandate to pull the news division to the political center. This directive has placed every move by Weiss under heavy scrutiny. Critics have suggested her role at the network is to placate the Trump White House while Paramount pursues its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
New contributors joining “60 Minutes” include author and journalist Sebastian Junger, former CNN and Vice News correspondent Gianna Toboni, and Trevor Phillips, a British journalist who joined CBS News earlier this year. They will join existing correspondents Jon Wertheim, Norah O’Donnell, Bill Whitaker, and Lesley Stahl. The program will also feature stories from CBS News correspondents outside its core group, such as Seth Doane and Matt Gutman. The details for the two other segments scheduled for the premiere, which might include a significant newsmaker interview, are expected to be announced next week.
