Nick Bilton, the new executive producer of “60 Minutes,” moved to shore up his demoralized staff Thursday, writing in a memo that the program “will never be directed by the ownership” of CBS News about its reporting.
His comments, delivered in a staff email obtained by The New York Times, came as questions swirled about the future of the program’s three remaining correspondents, Lesley Stahl, Jon Wertheim and Bill Whitaker. All three have been considering whether to stay on the show in the wake of the firing of their longtime colleague, Scott Pelley, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Mrs. Stahl, Mr. Wertheim and Mr. Whitaker did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Bilton wrote in the memo that he had consulted with the remaining correspondents in recent days and that they were “core to the success of this show.” Mr. Bilton dined with Ms. Stahl on Wednesday night, according to two people familiar with their plans.
Mr. Bilton said that Maria Gavrilovic, a longtime producer who had worked extensively with Mr. Pelley, had been elevated to a senior role and would “be by my side.”
“60 Minutes,” the nation’s top-rated news program, has been mired in crisis since last week, when Bari Weiss, CBS News’ editor-in-chief, fired the show’s management team and two on-air correspondents and installed Mr. Bilton, a tech journalist and filmmaker with no broadcast experience, as its new manager.
The overhaul sparked fears among some of the show’s reporters that CBS News would be compromised by the influence of Ms. Weiss’s boss, Hollywood mogul David Ellison, who bought CBS last year.
Mr. Pelley and the other fired correspondents, Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, said they had experienced editorial interference during Ms. Weiss’s reign. CBS has denied these allegations, and Mr. Bilton wrote Thursday that he would be “solely and always guided by what makes the best play for our viewers.”
Mr. Bilton’s email struck a more conciliatory tone than his comments in an earlier, more explosive meeting with his new staff. On Monday, he called an introductory meeting at the show’s offices and announced that technology was making their program obsolete, warning that “broadcasting is a melting ice cube.”
In response, Pelley tore into Mr. Bilton, saying he had “slim qualifications” for the job and “would never be welcome.” Mr. Pelley also accused Ms. Weiss of “murdering ’60 Minutes.”
Mr. Pelley’s scathing comments were applauded at the meeting by the program’s staff. But they infuriated Ms. Weiss and her management team, and Mr. Pelley was fired Tuesday night. In a formal resignation letter, Mr. Bilton to Mr. Pelley that he had behaved “with remarkable rudeness and contempt.”
The eviction of Mr. Pelley deeply rattled the staff at “60 Minutes,” where he had been a correspondent for decades. According to someone with knowledge of the matter, the mood at the news program’s offices has been solemn.
On Thursday, Mr. Bilton sought to move past the bitter period, assuring staff that “the foundation of ’60 Minutes’ is its journalistic independence.”
He also promised not to drastically change the basic format and inner workings of the show, an attempt to allay concerns from staff that he might try to overhaul the program.
“Sunday night works,” he wrote. “It’s the best hour of television journalism anywhere.” He praised the famously strict “scheduled screenings,” “detailed script work,” and “the long format of the plays.”
The new season of “60 Minutes,” the rare television news program that is both prestigious and lucrative, starts in September.
“It’s been one hell of a first week,” wrote Mr. Bilton. “Let’s go to work.”
