Inside Bari’s “60 Minutes” Bloodbath, CNN Stars Sound Ellison Alarm, and Dokoupil’s Ratings Trick

Power Lines is the official podcast of Status, where veteran journalists Oliver Darcy and Jon Passantino deliver sharp media industry analysis every Friday.

On today’s episode: 

Bari Weiss and David Ellison have dismantled “60 Minutes.” On the heels of the storied franchise winning two Emmys, and CBS News being called out publicly by the winner of the Mike Wallace Memorial Scholarship, Weiss leveled the staff, dismissing Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, and Tanya Simon, among others. Simon will be replaced by technology journalist Nick Bilton who, like Weiss, has no experience running a television franchise. Oliver and Jon wade through the disheartening news and point to the obvious reason why this happened.

Also, journalists, academics, and documentarians signed a letter pushing back on Paramount’s acquisition of CNN. And finally, was Tony Dokoupil actually able to eclipse the four million viewer mark?! CBS says yes, but we’ll explain why that claim isn’t quite accurate.



0:00 Intro

1:36 Inside Bari Weiss’ 60 Minutes Shakeup

28:52 The Press Mobilizes Against Ellison

34:13 Investigating CBS’ Claims on Latest Ratings Data

40:35 Open Lines: Oliver and Jon Answer Your Questions

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