Jeff Fager

Fifty Years of 60 Minutes: The Inside Story of Television's Most Influential News Broadcast by Jeff Fager is a 2017 Simon & Schuster publication.

Informative, interesting and nostalgic.

60 Minutes first aired in 1968, and incredibly, is still broadcast today. So, what is the secret to its longevity?

The journalists have been top notch from the beginning to present day. The stories are controversial, hard hitting, have exposed scams and enormous scandals, but also made room for satire, humor, and fluff pieces as well as featuring interviews with the most popular celebrities of the day.

It was perhaps the first news magazine format on television and it inspired many other similar news programs and talk show formats over the years.

But, the show got a huge boost when it was moved to Sunday nights, which gave them a huge lead in audience from NFL football. The prime spot was a ratings boon for the show, and from there the influence upon viewers was unprecedented.

This book is separated by decades- beginning with 1988- 1998- the third decade-

But, then goes back to the beginning- 1968- 1978- highlighting the best stories, the ‘behind the scene’s environment at the time, and plenty of revealing conversations, accompanied by an abundance of photographs.

One of my favorite stories involved Steve Kroft’s piece on a Houston used car wholesaler, Bill Whitlow, known as the ‘mile buster’, because he rolled back odometers, also known as ‘busting miles’, before selling cars to dealers at higher cost.

Uncovering the scam, led to one of the best punchlines in the history of the show:

KROFT: I want to show you one thing.

WHITLOW: All right.

KROFT: You know what’s back there?

WHITLOW: No.

KROFT: It’s a TV camera back there.

WHITLOW: Oh, is it?

KROFT: Yeah. Yeah, we’ve been taping this whole thing.

WHITLOW: Well, all right.

KROFT: The good news is we’re not cops.

WHITLOW: Well, I didn’t think so.

KROFT: The bad news is we’re 60 minutes.

(Whitlow was sentenced to six years in prison and blamed Steve)

Naturally, many people have automatically felt 60 Minutes to be synonymous with the tobacco story, which was much harder to get on the air than any other story and took its toll on everyone, including CBS and the entire staff on 60 minutes. It’s a fascinating piece and is one of the most memorable stories in the show’s fifty - year history.

The show was also known for its celebrity interviews which included such big names a Clint Eastwood, Tina Turner, and Beyonce, but there were also interviews with presidents, as well as many other world leaders.

The show has seen many personnel changes, experienced tragedies, and untimely deaths over the years, and has struggled with ratings, especially after they lost the coveted football lead in, but has managed to stay on the air and remains relevant.

From a personal standpoint, I remember my parents watching this program, and while it may not seem like the type of show a young person might find interesting, I often found myself very absorbed in the stories. I was always very interested in the medical and scientific breakthrough segments and of course, I enjoyed the celebrity interviews, too.

I must confess, though, that I never was a loyal viewer as an adult. I tuned in on occasion, sometimes watching it regularly, but often going years without seeing a single episode. But, even if you didn’t watch the show consistently, the segments often made headlines, and now with the ability to stream the programs from the CBS website or to watch clips on YouTube, the program can be watched at any time, the show reaches a younger audience as well as a wider range of viewership, keeping the stories at the forefront of our minds.

This book is just a little over four hundred pages, so with fifty years of material to cover, you know the author, who is the executive producer of the show, really does touch on the major highlights, the influential journalists and the most intense and fond relationships and memories. I do think that’s maybe a good thing in an age where our attention spans are not as long, but it also skimmed over an enormous amount of terrific material.

As mentioned, the photos are plentiful, both black and white and color, and is a very nice touch, as it puts names with faces in many cases.

I really enjoyed looking back on the show’s history, reliving the politics in front of the camera, but often the politics behind the camera was just as interesting, if not more.

There are many memories, great stories, some embarrassing moments, and some surprising revelations in this book. I think fans of the show will want to check this book out and even if you are only a casual fan or viewer, this book will remind you of how and why it has managed to survive all these years in such a ruthless market and perhaps renew your interest in the show.

Overall, this book is well organized, fascinating and fun to read.

4 stars… (mehr)