“Tanya Simon understands what makes 60 Minutes tick. She is an innovative leader, an exceptional producer, and someone who knows how to inspire people,” Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News, said in a statement (via CBS News). “Tanya knows that the success of today’s ’60 Minutes’ depends on delivering a weekly mix of the most informative, impactful and entertaining stories and investigative journalism from around the world. This is the true essence and foundation of 60 Minutes.”
Simon has worked at CBS for most of her career, starting as a researcher for 48 Hours before joining 60 Minutes where she rose from senior producer to executive editor, winning various awards along the way. Per Variety, also something of a 60 Minutes nepo baby as the daughter of Bob Simon, a former host and correspondent at the show known for his coverage of foreign affairs. Simon has served as the interim EP since Bill Owens stepped down in April of this year.
“It is a privilege to lead 60 Minutes and its formidable team of journalists,” Simon said in her own statement. “60 is in a class of its own, upholding a legacy of extraordinary and thought-provoking journalism for more than half a century. I’m deeply committed to this level of excellence and I look forward to delivering an exciting season of signature 60 stories that cover a wide range of subjects for a broad audience and engage viewers with their world.”
Though the lawsuit between Trump and 60 Minutes has been settled, the politically-slanted issues at CBS continue. The president is reportedly still trying to extort more money out of the company, and he wields a lot of power over Paramount Global in particular because its merger with Skydance still has to be finalized. As such, Paramount seems to be capitulating wherever possible, which is stirring up trouble with its late night shows and on South Park. This week, it was reported that Skydance promised Trump’s FCC that it will install an ombudsman to review “complaints of bias” at CBS News. Running 60 Minutes has undoubtedly become much more difficult in the Trump 2.0 era, so best of luck to Simon in her new endeavor.
