Eye On: Bill Owens, Executive Producer of '60 Minutes'
Jul 09, 2020
"On Sunday night, people expect more than what they’ve been seeing from the daily news and cable programs."
Eye On is a Q&A series that spotlights CBS television executives and creatives.
At 7:00 PM, every Sunday, millions of viewers tune in to 60 Minutes, drawn to their televisions by the familiar ticking of the show’s iconic stopwatch. Behind the show’s journalistic prowess and award-winning correspondents, like Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Scott Pelley, are a team of expert editors, producers and other staff led by Bill Owens, a career journalist and the third executive producer in the show’s five-decade history.
It’s a rarified gig, and that’s not lost on the veteran newsman, who has managed to keep the show at its peak remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic while launching 60 in 6, the new “quick-bite” (around six minutes long) version of 60 Minutes that debuted on the recently launched Quibi app last month. Update spoke with Owens about the challenges of helming the most-watched newsmagazine during unprecedented times, launching 60 in 6 to a mobile generation, and more.
Much like the rest of the industry, your team began working from home as a result of the pandemic and the need for social distancing. Describe the challenges of producing 60 Minutes remotely.
60 Minutes story-telling has a lot of chapters: the idea for the story, research, reporting, the interviews and shooting of elements. But the key may be the process of how we “screen” our stories. That’s when the correspondent and producing team get feedback from me and the other senior staff. A story can have four or five screenings before it’s ready for air. Now that is all happening over Zoom. It’s a bit cumbersome, but we all know how important it is to make sure our stories are well told, informative and accurate. Lively debate is good for the process.
"A story can have four or five screenings before it’s ready for air. Now that is all happening over Zoom. It’s a bit cumbersome, but we all know how important it is to make sure our stories are well told, informative and accurate. "
With viewers looking to the 24/7 news cycle for up-to-date information, how does 60 Minutes approach its pandemic coverage so that it is serving viewers while maintaining the depth and clarity that are trademarks of the show?
On Sunday night, people expect more than what they’ve been seeing from the daily news and cable programs. We are able to have a deeper conversation with characters with room for history and perspective. The best 60 Minutes story ends with our audience learning something they didn’t know. We have covered every angle of the COVID story—the human toll, economic impact and the science. For example, our correspondent John Dickerson recently looked at how colleges and universities were planning to re-open (online or otherwise) this fall.
Does the pandemic – in terms of the news itself and how your team is covering it – draw comparisons to any of the major events in your storied career?
I have covered a lot of difficult stories, sometimes in dangerous situations, but nothing compares to this. It’s relentless. The 60 Minutes team has been working seven days a week since the outbreak began, and now we find ourselves covering a monumental moment in our country’s history around race, law enforcement and civil rights. Historically, I think 60 Minutes is at its best in critical times like these.
Has the pandemic brought about any new ways of working or capabilities that you may use going forward?
Like so many people at CBS News and around our company, we have figured out ways to overcome not being in our office or studios. Thankfully, we have brilliant production people who have invented from scratch how to put on 60 Minutes from their kitchen editing equipment up to the cloud and back down to the network. It had never been done before.
60 in 6, a much shorter version of 60 Minutes, debuted on Quibi last month. What is different about producing a standard 60 Minutes broadcast vs. the “quick-bite” show designed for Quibi? Given the new format, how did you approach hiring new correspondents for 60 in 6?
The way we choose our stories is the same for either show. We want to cover the news, hold people accountable, educate our viewers and take them places they may never have the opportunity to see. The pacing of the editing is a bit quicker, and because of the technology and the vertical and horizontal viewing, we can be a bit more creative, but only if it’s in service to the story.
Quibi’s audience is younger and demographically more diverse. Our new show's correspondents are representative of that, and I couldn’t be more excited to work with them. I have been watching all of their work for a long time.
This year so far has taken many unexpected turns, including postponement of college graduation ceremonies, or holding them virtually. If you were addressing new journalism graduates, what would your message be?
You are going to be a special generation, the kind this country needs. Resilient, resourceful, and unafraid of complications and hard work. You have seen how important accurate information has been during these trying times. You have a special duty in a democracy to provide that, no matter the circumstances, and I am sure you will.
Find 60 in 6 by downloading the Quibi app.
Learn more about 60 in 6, and watch a clip of the show.
Check out the 60 Minutes page on the CBS News site.
