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Philip Scheffler Discusses TV's Top News Show
By Rick Ornellas

New York, March 31, 1997: Cost-cutting is the great equalizer of TV news, said Philip Scheffler, executive editor of CBS News 60 Minutes, at SAJA's March meeting (3/26/97). International news, a draw for SAJA members, carries the biggest price tag and has been a prime target for downsizing. Over 60 people gathered at Lancers Restaurant in Manhattan to listen to Scheffler, one of the most influential journalists in the United States. He was introduced by Hanson Hosein, an associate producer at NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, who also moderated the event.

"CBS News used to be the largest, with news bureaus all over the world. We now have a bureau in Tel Aviv, Moscow, London, and Tokyo to cover the entire world," he said. Scheffler bridles at foreign reporting today - captioned videotapes supplied by news services, voiced in London, broadcast from New York - which he termed "ersatz news."

Despite this trend, 60 Minutes looks for the best stories, wherever the newsmakers and their location. Unlike other news shows with 2-3 percent foreign coverage, 60 Minutes is committed to more than 20 percent international news.



Jack and Lavina Melwani and Amrit Kakaria listen in
As second-in-command to executive producer Don Hewitt, Scheffler has helped shape 60 Minutes, over the past 25 years, into the most watched news program in history. "We trust our audience and treat them with respect," he said. Believing their well-read, cultured viewers want to be informed, Scheffler's is the only news team that doesn't use focus groups to determine programming. "60 Minutes does stories that interest us," he said.



Hanson Hosein and Phil Scheffler
Their results are stellar. 60 Minutes is now the most award winning, news show in history and - at 29 years - the longest running. "When we passed "Gunsmoke" and "I Love Lucy," which held the record forever, we were very proud."

Seeing himself more as a traffic cop than team leader, making sure stories are not being duplicated, he is proud of the special quality of 60 Minutes. "I hire good people who do compelling work. It is consensus broadcasting. We discuss everything and try to make it as good as we can. After all these years, 60 Minutes is still driven from below."

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[ About the author | Bio of Phil Scheffler ]

About the author

Ric Ornellas is making his way as a freelance writer in New York City with his NYU journalism degree. He has written for India Monitor, The Economic Times, and is literary editor for NYU's Washington Square News.
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