60 Minutes Enters a New Era as Nick Bilton Prepares to Lead Season 59

60 Minutes is preparing to begin its 59th season with a new executive producer, a reshaped correspondent lineup and a series of changes designed to modernize one of American television’s longest-running news programs.

Nick Bilton, who became executive producer in May, is putting his stamp on the CBS newsmagazine ahead of its Sept. 13 premiere. The changes come after a turbulent period at the program under CBS News Editor in Chief Bari Weiss, whose leadership has brought significant changes to the show.

The new season will retain the program’s familiar investigative identity while introducing changes to its presentation, production and digital strategy.

Nick Bilton Puts His Mark on 60 Minutes

Bilton is the fifth executive producer in the history of 60 Minutes. Before joining the program, he worked as a technology journalist, author and documentary filmmaker, rather than coming from a traditional television-news production background.

Since taking over, Bilton has made changes across the broadcast. The New York Times reported that he has encouraged camera operators to move away from conventional “walk and talk” segments and is introducing a new segment intended to occupy the final minute of the program.

Bilton has described the overhaul as a series of smaller adjustments intended to create a different overall approach without abandoning the program’s established identity.

A New Team for the 59th Season

CBS has also introduced a new group of journalists around the program. The season 59 team includes longtime correspondents Lesley Stahl and Bill Whitaker, as well as Norah O’Donnell, Jon Wertheim and Ross Douthat, alongside contributors including Gianna Toboni, Sebastian Junger, Ariel Levy, Sir Trevor Phillips and Matt Gutman.

The group recently gathered at New York City’s Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal for a new team portrait photographed by Mark Seliger.

The location carries particular significance for CBS News. Grand Central was home to CBS Television Studios from 1939 to 1964, and Edward R. Murrow recorded several of his early programs above the Oyster Bar.

What to Expect From the Season Premiere

The new season of 60 Minutes premieres Sunday, Sept. 13, with an interview with a U.S. Air Force officer involved in a major rescue operation after spending two days behind enemy lines in Iran.

The premiere will also feature a profile of the Los Angeles Rams, who are identified as this year’s favorite to win the Super Bowl. The broadcast is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and Paramount+.

The season arrives at a pivotal moment for 60 Minutes. The program is keeping its familiar reporting mission while testing a different approach to how its journalism is produced and presented.

For Bilton and the newly assembled team, the first episode will offer an early test of whether those changes can give the historic newsmagazine a fresh direction without losing the qualities that made it a television institution.