Predictions that “60 Minutes,” the CBS flagship news magazine, would suffer from the staff "gutting" initiated by CBS News head Bari Weiss appear to be coming true.
The Oct. 11 episode was the lowest-rated of the season so far, according to Nielsen data reported by Mediaite and TV Insider.
The episode averaged 6.061 million total viewers and about 767,000 viewers in the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic, Mediaite reported. That is a drop of "roughly 4 million viewers, or about 41 percent," from the previous Sunday, and a 62 percent drop in the demo. The earlier episode "benefited from an NFL lead-in," Mediaite noted.
Compared with the same episode last season, the program was down 12 percent in total viewers and 19 percent in the key demo, according to the report. It was also the lowest-rated fourth episode “60 Minutes” has had since 2000 "in both total viewers and the demo."
The season debut in September landed with 7.9 million total viewers, a 21 percent drop from the previous year’s premiere. Mediaite reported it was the lowest-rated debut since 2000.
In August, a media executive told Status, CBS execs were seeking a target number of "10.03M or bust," before adding, "If they fall short, they're cooked."
The Oct. 11 broadcast featured Lesley Stahl’s segment on Israeli settlers on the West Bank. The segment made headlines earlier this week when Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter reported on behind-the-scenes turmoil. According to Status, CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and managing editor Charles Forelle became “very, very hands-on” during the editing process.
It was not reported what exactly Weiss’ objections were, but Darcy noted they were “not confined to a particular factual assertion or isolated element of the report. Rather, her concerns were much broader, setting the stage for what spiraled into a highly contentious editorial process.”