Now the gold standard of broadcast news, "60 Minutes" has come a long way from its humble beginnings. When it debuted in 1968, "60 Minutes" numbered among CBS's Sunday "public affairs" broadcasts; and, although it struggled in the ratings and lost money for The Eye, the network used it to build audience loyalty for it weeknight news broadcasts. Don Hewitt, iconic "60 Minutes" producer and member of the Broadcast Hall of Fame, began stylizing the broadcast's "magazine" look and feel in its third season, and he dramatically increased the program's emphasis on probing, investigative reporting. Hewitt claimed the show owed its tone and intensity to the pioneering work of Edward R. Murrow in the early 1950's; and, in the early days, Murrow's influence was clear. When Mike Wallace and Dan Rather joined the program in "the Watergate Era," they pushed the investigative envelope, driving "60 Minutes" to the top of the ratings"”not just for news broadcasts, but for all shows. For more than forty years, "60 Minutes" has maintained the same basic format: It presents three long-form news stories and a closing "essay." Two news stories focus on corporate or government corruption; the third piece profiles a prominent celebrity, taking an oblique angle and going into more depth than other entertainment programs.

‍