There have been significant changes at CBS since the network came under new ownership, including the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show and layoffs of many morning and evening news anchors. The network’s longtime news program, 60 Minutes, has also been making headlines for behind-the-scenes happenings, and now one of its past Emmy-winning stars is speaking out about the cutthroat TV news business and how much he “hated” working at CBS.
Steve Kroft joined CBS News in 1980 and hosted 60 Minutes for three decades starting in 1989, earning multiple Emmys, Peabodys and other awards throughout his career. He spoke about his time in the industry in an interview with Bill O’Reilly, where Kroft joked that going into his hosting position, he was warned that one swipe at the “big cats” would leave you limping for six months. Bill O’Reilly called TV news anchors “savages,” and their conversation continued:
- O’Reilly: I mean it’s true, there was no civility at 60 Minutes. It’s like, ‘You’re an idiot.’
- Kroft: If there was civility, you better check your wallet.
- O’Reilly: Right. It was hand-to-hand combat to get your stuff on the air without it being edited.
Steve Kroft said he did make a few friends over his decades-long career, but that overall if someone was nice to you on the job, they probably had ulterior motives. He said:
Article continues belowEverybody is so paranoid, I think, because everybody knows the environment and they think that somebody is behind them, you know, going to put a shiv in their back.
That seemed to be a surprise to the TV journalist, as he recalled thinking his colleagues would be happy for him when he nabbed the position on 60 Minutes, but the opportunity ended up creating tension. In Kroft’s words:
I can remember when I was tapped to go to 60 Minutes, I thought this was fantastic and I expected that a lot of people would just come up and say, ‘That’s really great, I’m really happy for you.’ And then you realize after a while that not everybody was happy that I got this job. There were other people that wanted it. And so then you’ve all of a sudden made a bunch of enemies. It’s a snake pit.
Given the impact Steve Kroft made on the CBS news program, the stories he was able to tell and the awards he’s won that he’d say it was all worth it. However, Kroft had a somewhat surprising response when Bill O’Reilly asked if he’d do it again:
No, I probably wouldn’t do it again. I hated it. … First of all, the job is just 24 hours a day. I mean, you may get a couple hours of bad sleep. Beepers going off, getting on jets, going here and there, the whole thing, then coming back and spending three or four days writing the script and then going to the screenings and then getting on starting it all over again.
It does sound exhausting, and given the competitive nature of the job, I’m sure if Steve Kroft hadn’t been willing to put in so much effort, there were several people behind him champing at the bit.
Things likely aren’t any easier these days, especially under the regime change. Reports suggest CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss may be looking at major layoffs at 60 Minutes amid her concerns that the show has gone “soft.”
We’ll have to see what happens, but you can catch the program at 7 p.m. ET Sundays on CBS or streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.
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