Today marks the 45th anniversary of television newsmagazine “60 Minutes.”
First broadcast on CBS on Sept. 24, 1968, “60 Minutes” changed the way Americans watched news.
With familiar faces like Mike Wallace, Ed Bradley and Andy Rooney, dedicated audiences tuned in every Sunday to see the best that TV news had to offer.
Although “60 Minutes” has not caught on with the young crowd as much as it has with older generations, its significance is no less great.
According to CBS News, “60 Minutes” averaged 12.4 million viewers per week last year.
Having 12.4 million Americans tune in to an informative newscast is a positive sign for the journalism industry.
The appeals of “60 Minutes” lie in both its delivery and message.
As young people continue to change the way they view and consume news, it’s important that “60 Minutes” exists in its television format.
By telling narrative stories with both audio and video elements, “60 Minutes” is able to captivate and move audiences.
A 2011 interview with the late-author and renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens was a particularly moving piece.
Hitchens, who had lost most of his hair due to cancer, spoke about experiences in his life and trying to survive.
Without the video component, the story could have appeared cold or emotionless in print.
Without the audio component, audiences wouldn’t have been able to hear the frailty in Hitchens’ voice.
The Hitchens interview is only one of the hundreds of “60 Minutes” interviews that moved people.
In addition to its delivery, the real key to the success of “60 Minutes” is its message.
Known for its hard-hitting and brash style, “60 Minutes” correspondents like Wallace made their names by not taking “no” for an answer.
Instead of asking easy questions, “60 Minutes” correspondents pressed and pressed until figures like former French President Nicolas Sarkozy walked off the set.
Although it’s unlikely that “60 Minutes” will last another 45 years, it’s clear that its legacy in television news will be remembered for a very long time.
Shane Newell is a junior journalism major and the opinions editor at the Daily 49er.