by David Blum
Saturday Night Live (show), 114, 123–24, 172
Sauter, Van Gordon, 148–49, 156, 195
Savitch, Jessica, 112
Sawyer, Diane
background of, 154–57
departure of, 175–77
Don Hewitt and, 159–61, 167
news specials of, 274, 282
Ira Rosen and, 137
salary of, 162, 168–69
tobacco lawsuits and, 208
Mike Wallace and, 169–70, 221
Scheffler, Phil, 57, 139, 178, 180, 184, 207, 226, 228, 231–32, 234, 238–39, 241, 245, 246, 253–58, 273
Schmertz, Herbert, 137
Schulweis, Harold, 188
Schwartz, Tony, 133, 295
Secret Service agent story, 88–91
See It Now (show), 12–13, 39, 53
Segretti, Donald, 80
September 11 attack. See terrorism stories
Sevareid, Eric, 112, 149
sexual harassment, 73–77, 221–27
Shales, Tom, 132–33, 250
Sharnik, John, 112
Sheehan, William, 82
Shriver, Maria, 190
Silverman, Fred, 113–14, 121–22
Simon, Bob, 230, 266–67
Simon & Schuster, 290
Simpson, O. J., 276–77
Sinatra, Frank, 27, 134
Sirott, Bob, 166
60 Minutes. See also CBS News; Hewitt, Don
aging of, 174–83
competition with, 145–46, 153–54, 205–6
concept and pilots for, 5–6, 26–35
conflicts at (see conflicts)
correspondents (see correspondents)
criticism of (see criticism)
Emmy Award, 265–68
firing of Don Hewitt and Phil Scheffler, 234–52
first seasons, 36–49
Don Hewitt’s farewell party, 1–6, 290–92
Don Hewitt’s final season, 269–79
investigative journalism at, 62–72 (see also journalism; news-gathering methods; writing)
lawsuits against, 65, 149, 151–53, 163–64
mandatory retirement exemptions, 149–50
Point-Counterpoint segment, 123–24
producers (see producers)
reruns, 133
sexual harassment and, 73–77
60 Minutes II and, 214, 219–21, 230, 241, 244, 251, 282, 291
stopwatch ticking sound, 42
success of (see costs; profits; ratings)
Sunday-night time slots, 54–55, 83–84, 118–19, 153–54, 205–6
takeover of, for Iraq War coverage, 231–33
tobacco industry story and censorship of, 206–15
Mike Wallace and (see Wallace, Mike)
women and (see women)
60 Minutes: 25 Years of Television’s Finest Hour (book), 294
Skelton, Nancy, 147
slander suits. See lawsuits
Small, William, 155, 156, 179, 266
Smith, Liz, 276
Smith, Sally Bedell, 295
smoking, 32, 174–75, 236–37. See also tobacco industry story
Socolow, Sanford, 14
Soleri, Paolo, 141
Soren, Tabitha, 236
Spiegel, Lucy, 97–101
Spitzer, Eliot, 262
Srushy, Richard, 275
Stahl, Lesley
age of, 236
arrival of, 193–97
Rome Hartman and, 195, 203, 273
Don Hewitt and, 2–6
Trevor Nelson and, 261, 265
salary of, 237
Phil Scheffler and, 255
stories of, 229–30, 270
style of, 203–4
Stark, Ray, 195
stars, correspondents as, 45, 70–71, 111, 120, 175–76, 187
Steele, Julie, 222, 224
Stein, Harry, 295
Steinberg, Susan, 295
Stephanopoulos, George, 197–98
Stern, Isaac, 248
Stewart, Alison, 218
Stewart, Martha, 271
stopwatch sound, 42
story development, 44, 55–56, 115. See also writing
Stringer, Howard, 165, 167, 177, 179, 216
stunts. See news-gathering methods
Styron, William, 165
Sullivan, Ed, 11
Sunday-night time slots, 54–55, 83–84, 118–19, 153–54, 205–6
Sundt, Thoralf, 195–97
Super Bowl, 197
“super” technique, 13–14
surprise attack stories. See ambush interviews; hidden-camera stories
Sussman, Jack, 284
Taylor, Lawrence, 275
Tedesco, Kevin, 268
TelePrompTer, 12
television
cameras (see cameras)
early news shows on, 10–11
film and, 23, 44
Don Hewitt’s innovations, 11–14, 23
news-gathering (see news-gathering methods)
three-dimensional, 270
Tell Me About Women (novel), 34
Tell Me a Story (book), 13, 25, 293
terminology, Don Hewitt and, 14
terrorism stories, 229–30, 237, 262
30 Minutes show idea, 4, 292
Thomas, Clarence, 76, 201–3
Thompson, Hunter S., 126, 201
three-dimensional television, 270
ticking sound, 42
Tiffin, John, 171
Tisch, Laurence, 167, 172, 177, 206, 208, 217
tobacco industry story, 32, 206–15, 259
Today Show, 34, 79, 219, 271
tortious interference, 207–8
Tracy, Spencer, 121
Travis, Larry, 134–35
Tripp, Linda, 222, 224
Turning Point (show), 206
20/20 (show), 114, 118, 134, 206
Up to the Minute (show), 146
used-car salesmen story, 186–87
vacation month, 240, 275–77
Van Zahn, Peter, 37
Venice story, 47
Viacom, 282, 290
videotape, 44
Vieira, Meredith, 166–67, 177–78, 184–92, 295
Vietnam War stories, 48, 53–54, 60–61, 64–65, 147–49
von Auersperg, Alexander, 161
von Auersperg Kneissl, Ala, 161
von Bulow, Claus, 161
Von Hoffman, Nicholas, 66, 124
Wagner, Billy, 94–95
Wagner, Robert F., 32
Waksal, Sam, 271, 275
Waldron, Martin, 93–94
Walker, Dan, 158–59
Wallace, Chris, 31, 221
Wallace, George, 43
Wallace, Jane, 166
Wallace, Mike
age of, 235
ambush interviews, 77–82
background of, 31–34
Ed Bradley and, 138–39
Johnny Carson story, 121–22
conflicts and, 116, 138–39, 142
health issues of, 111–12, 163–65, 196–97, 265–68
fake IDs story, 97–101
first 60 Minutes season, 36–49
Don Hewitt and, 2–3, 5–6, 53, 55–56, 113, 147, 164, 212–14, 258–60, 275–77, 290–92
hidden camera and Medicaid fraud stories, 107–11, 133–36
Clint Hill story, 88–91
on Michael Jackson story, 288
Lyndon Johnson story, 53–54
Barry Lando and, 56–61
memoir, 30, 81, 149, 294
Richard Nixon and, 2, 6, 30, 40–41, 62–63
Nuclear Regulatory Commission story, 101–6
pilot with, 29–30
racist comment, 146–47
Dan Rather and, 87
Morley Safer and, 53–55, 143, 170–71
salary of, 150, 237
Diane Sawyer and, 169–70
Phil Scheffler and, 254
sexual harassment and, 76
60 Minutes II and, 220
as star, 70–71
, 111
stories by, 80–82, 131, 189, 229–30, 273, 275
tobacco industry story, 206–15
Meredith Vieira and, 178, 187–88
William C. Westmoreland story, 147–49, 163–64
Wallace, Peter, 31, 33
Walsh, Elsa, 178, 187, 295
Walters, Barbara, 75, 114, 128, 271
Watergate scandal, 62, 65–67, 69–70, 77, 80–82, 86, 194
Weaver, Mary, 10, 73
Weekend (show), 114
Welch, Jack, 229
Wenner, Jann, 75–76
We’re Going to Make You a Star (book), 74, 295
Wershba, Joseph, 53, 57, 91–94
West, Betsy, 3, 231–32, 235–36, 242, 245, 257, 272–73, 282
West 57th (show), 165–67, 177, 179
Westin, Av, 118–19
Westinghouse, 208, 217
Westmoreland, William C., 147–49, 163–64
White, Theodore H., 21
White House, 62–63, 66, 86–87, 126, 194–95. See also Kennedy, John F.; Nixon, Richard M.
Whitlow, Bill, 186–87
Who Killed CBS? (book), 168, 294
Who’s Who (show), 112, 130, 271
Why Man Creates (movie), 38
Wicker, Tom, 57
Wigand, Jeffrey, 206–15, 259
Willey, Kathleen, 77, 221–27, 287–88
Williams, Palmer, 38, 39–40, 139, 231
Wolfe, Tom, 141
Wolzein, Tom, 275
women
sexual harassment and, 73–77, 221–27
on 60 Minutes staff, 39, 177, 187–92, 193
Wood, Robert, 83
Woodward, Bob, 194
work, passion for, 196–97
World News Tonight (show), 208
World Trade Center attack. See terrorism stories
Writers Guild of America, 172
writing
Ed Bradley and, 202
Don Hewitt’s, 131
producers and, 71
Andy Rooney’s (see Rooney, Andy)
Morley Safer’s, 68–69, 123
story development, 44, 55–56, 115
Wussler, Robert, 16–17
Wyman, Thomas, 167
Yeltsin, Boris, 204
youth-oriented stories, 218, 275
Zapruder, Abraham, 22–23, 85
Ziegler, Ron, 155
Zirinsky, Susan, 282
Acknowledgments
Don Hewitt agreed to cooperate with this book before I even had a publisher, and without any control over its content. He encouraged friends and associates to talk to me, and opened many doors. For his courage and willingness to do so, I’m enormously grateful. The decision of Andrew Heyward, the president of CBS News, to lend his approval to this project—again, with no promises made in return—made a huge difference to my efforts. I owe special thanks to Ed Bradley, Jeffrey Fager, Patti Hassler, Josh Howard, Steve Kroft, Dan Rather, Andy Rooney, Morley Safer, Diane Sawyer, Bob Simon, Meredith Vieira, Mike Wallace, and Betsy West for contributing their time to my 60 Minutes education. To the rest of the vast 60 Minutes and CBS News family, both present and former, who helped me along the way, many thanks. Thanks also to Gil Schwartz and Kevin Tedesco for their assistance.
My eternal gratitude goes to Alice Martell, for her incomparable gifts as an agent and as a human being.
Thanks to David Hirshey, my friend and editor, whose smart judgments shaped every page; to Nick Trautwein for his thoughtful insights and superior editing skills; and to Larkin Warren, for her valuable editorial input. I’m also grateful for the research assistance of Kate Pickert and Jacqueline Reeves.
I got ideas, suggestions, diversion, and the feigned appearance of interest in my endless chatter about 60 Minutes from many family members and friends. I owe them thanks: Bill Abrams, Tony Gilroy, Bill Hamilton, Neal Jacobsen, Donald Katz, David Koepp, Leslie Larson, Jane Mayer, Joan and Howard Minsky, Jeffrey Minsky, Maura Minsky, Olya Minsky, Patricia Morrisroe, Julie Salamon, Joanna Scheier, Melissa Thomas, Michael Wadman, and Matt Wagner. Peter Cohn read an early draft and gave me valuable notes and suggestions. Thanks to Mary Fontenelle and Tom Carr for their ongoing help to my family and me.
The idea for this book came from my father, Albert Blum, an extraordinary historian and teacher. I’m grateful for the inspiration he’s given me over the years. My brother, Steven, offered considerable help and kindness along the way.
My children, Sam and Annie, knew just the right moment to say “tick . . . tick . . . tick . . .” for maximum amusement. They frequently kept my priorities straight by shifting my attention to the New York Mets’ pennant prospects, or my favorite American Idol contestant.
Oh yes, and about Terri Minsky: her love, support, and faith in me have made more things possible than I ever dreamed of, including this book.
About the Author
DAVID BLUM has written regularly for New York Magazine, Esquire, and the New York Times Magazine, and is the author of Flash in the Pan: The Life and Death of an American Restaurant. He is the television critic for the New York Sun and teaches at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He lives with his wife and children in New York City.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
ALSO BY DAVID BLUM
Flash in the Pan: The Life and Death of an American Restaurant
Copyright
A hardcover edition of this book was published in 2004 by HarperCollins Publishers.
TICK . . . TICK . . . TICK . . . Copyright © 2004, 2005 by David Blum. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.
First Harper paperback published 2005.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN-10: 0-06-055802-4 (pbk.)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-055802-4 (pbk.)
Epub Edition © AUGUST 2012 ISBN: 9780062047700
05 06 07 08 09 /RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollins.com