Bari Weiss Defends 60 Minutes as “Tremendously Well” Amid Ratings Decline, Rules Out Immediate CNN Move

Weiss Addresses Ratings Concerns at Tech Industry Conference

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss spoke publicly for the first time about the network’s ratings challenges on Wednesday, appearing at an industry conference organized by the technology publication The Information. The Information did not offer press credentials to the news organization reporting on her remarks.

Weiss sidestepped concerns about diminished viewership for CBS’s flagship Sunday program, 60 Minutes, saying she could never build anything if she focused on “the precise number of people that happen to tune in to the second feature on 60 Minutes on a given Sunday.” Asked about the show overall, she said it was doing “tremendously well.”

Leadership Overhaul Coincides with Audience Decline

Weiss has led CBS News for about a year. In late May, she completely overhauled 60 Minutes, ousting the show’s executive producer and parting ways with three top correspondents, including Scott Pelley. Since then, the program has struggled to match last season’s average of 9.1 million viewers per episode.

The most recent episode drew 5.64 million viewers, which Variety described as one of the smallest audiences for the program in years. That installment was the lowest-rated sixth episode of the weekly show this century, and the fourth episode also reached a similarly low mark for its slot.

NFL Lead-In and Uneven Viewership

Ratings for 60 Minutes depend heavily on whether it follows a highly watched NFL football game. Despite strong guest bookings and news-making segments, viewership has remained low overall. The 4 October edition was an exception, drawing an average of more than 10 million total viewers.

CNN Speculation and Weiss’s Priorities

Weiss was also asked about parent company Skydance’s recent merger with Warner Bros Discovery, the owner of CNN. She had been rumored as a potential CNN leader, but Skydance chief executive David Ellison kept CNN chief executive Mark Thompson in place, at least for the time being.

Asked whether she might run CNN, Weiss replied: “I want to focus on doing CBS News, trust me. This is a big enough challenge.” She said she is not focused on criticism from inside or outside the building, adding that her strategy is to “put the blinders on, tune out the noise and focus,” and that she is not making decisions for popularity’s sake.

Confirmed Versus Unknown

Confirmed: Weiss addressed ratings at The Information’s conference; she praised 60 Minutes as doing “tremendously well”; she oversaw the late-May overhaul including Scott Pelley’s departure; last season averaged 9.1 million viewers; the latest episode drew 5.64 million; the 4 October episode topped 10 million; Skydance merged with Warner Bros Discovery; Mark Thompson remains CNN chief executive.

Unknown: The precise timing of Weiss’s appointment; specific reasons behind the correspondent departures; whether ratings will recover; the long-term plan for 60 Minutes; whether Ellison’s decision on CNN leadership is permanent.

How Readers Can Verify the Original Reporting

The Guardian’s report includes Weiss’s remarks at The Information conference and cites Variety for the 5.64 million viewer figure. Because no press credentials were issued for the event, readers should consult The Guardian’s original article for direct context and any linked reporting.