CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss’ overhaul of 60 Minutes continues to face challenges as the revamped show saw a big drop in viewers for its second week.
The revered news program had 6.5 million total viewers Sunday, an 18 percent drop from the first episode of the season, which had about 7.94 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen numbers, cited by the Daily Beast.
Of those viewers, only 1.1 million were in the key 25-54 demographic, marking a 30 percent drop-off from the season premiere.
The most recent episode, which featured a heavily promoted interview with Patrick Clancy, reportedly performed slightly better than last season’s second episode however.
The Independent has reached out to Nielsen and CBS News for comment.
The show’s fall in ratings follows a tumultuous few months at CBS News, after billionaire David Ellison acquired Paramount — CBS News’s parent company — and appointed Weiss, a conservative columnist, as editor-in-chief last October.
After taking the job, Weiss promptly ousted several veteran 60 Minutes correspondents, including Scott Pelley and Cecilia Vega. Another, Sharyn Alfonsi, left after her contract expired.
Weiss, who came into the role with no prior broadcast experience, has also been accused by critics of dictating that the network’s news coverage be more favorable toward the Trump administration and Israel, claims that she has denied.
In July, CBS News announced a slate of new hires to fill the vacancies created by those departures.
“An exceptional lineup of journalists will be joining 60 Minutes, carrying on its tradition of fearless, independent and impartial reporting,” Nick Bilton, the show’s new executive producer, wrote in a July 28 memo shared on X. “I can't wait for them to get started.”
The appointments included Ross Douthat, a conservative New York Times opinion columnist and podcaster, and Norah O’Donnell, a CBS News senior correspondent.
For Sunday’s episode, Clancy was interviewed by Douthat, while O’Donnell reported on tensions in Texas over the creation of AI data centers.
Ahead of the premiere, Weiss was reportedly given a “blank check” to promote the revamped program, according to Puck News.
“Sources familiar with the plans say that CBS will blanket the airwaves and major markets with a multipronged, cross-platform campaign to emphasize the show’s new look and feel and commitment to its 60-year legacy,” the outlet reported in August.
