AMERICAN MASTERS SPECIAL, AN: DON HEWITT: 90 MINUTES ON "60 MINUTES" (TV)

Summary

One in this documentary series that explores the lives and achievements of America's most celebrated native-born and adopted artists and performers. This program examines the life and career of Don Hewitt, the creator and executive producer of the television news magazine "60 Minutes." Included are interviews with Hewitt, members of the "60 Minutes" staff and other news professionals, clips of television news programs, and day-in-the-life scenes from the offices of "60 Minutes." First, the program examines the process by which stories for the program are generated and apportioned. Correspondent Mike Wallace explains how the producers and reporters have the responsibility to come up with their own material. Operations director Joe Illigash compares the reporters and their teams to "five little competing companies" all seeking out the same stories; and producer Joe Hamlin and correspondent Christiane Amanpour suggest that this competition breeds excellence. Producer Jay Kernis explains the "blue sheet system" by which reporters claim stories, and note the reasons why their five stories per year quota requires such an immense amount of work.

Next, the production process of Michael Radutsky and Ed Bradley's segment "The Kennedys" is examined, from the compilation of interview questions to the harrowing last minute editing. Information about Hewitt's career is interspersed, including his creation of "60 Minutes," and the television news magazine genre. Correspondents Lesley Stahl, Steve Kroft, and Ed Bradley talk about Hewitt's management style, and Hewitt's wife Marilyn Berger comments on the format of the show as a reflection of Hewitt's character. Next is a view into the screening room, featuring comments by staff members on the pressure of screening a segment for Hewitt. Finally, the controversy that almost tore "60 Minutes" apart is explored, as Hewitt, Wallace, Bergman, Stahl, and Morley Safer discuss opposing sides of a debate over whether "the tobacco story", which could have potentially resulted in a fifteen billion-dollar lawsuit, should or should not have been aired. The program ends with a discussion of Hewitt's legacy in television news reporting. This program is closed-captioned.

Cataloging of this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1998.

Details

• NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
• DATE: May 13, 1998 Wednesday 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:26:46
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: T:54099
• GENRE: Public affairs/documentaries
• SUBJECT HEADING: Biography; She Made It Collection (Lesley Stahl); Television broadcasting of news; Television journalists; TV - Production and direction
• SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1986-
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• For "American Masters" series:
• Susan Lacy … Executive Producer
• Tamar Hacker … Senior Producer
• Karen Bernstein … Associate Producer
• Thomas Wagner … Composer, Theme music by
• For "Don Hewitt: 90 Minutes on '60 Minutes'":
• Susan Steinberg … Producer, Director, Writer
• Gabrielle Tenenbaum … Associate Producer
• Nick Stumpf … Researcher
• Ivan Watson … Researcher
• Don Hewitt … Guest
• Christiane Amanpour
• Marilyn Berger
• Ed Bradley
• Joe Hamlin
• Joe Illigash
• Jay Kernis
• Steve Kroft
• Michael Radutsky
• Morley Safer
• Lesley Stahl
• Mike Wallace