Posts Tagged ‘Steve Kroft’

CBS’ “60 Minutes” was the second most watched program on television last week, its best weekly ranking since November of 2008.

Again assisted by the NFL lead-in — this time it was Jets-Colts and a last-second field goal which gave the Eagles a win over the Broncos — “60″ made the top 10 for the sixth time in eight weeks and drew 15.74 million total viewers. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” was the number one program.

Sunday’s program featured Lesley Stahl‘s reporting on the California water shortage, Lara Logan‘s interview with a former CIA operative, and Steve Kroft‘s birdmen feature, which also ran in October.

Both ABC and CBS had sit-downs with President Obama Sunday evening, and the ratings show he still pulls in the viewers a year after being elected.

CBS’ “60 Minutes,” which was assisted by an NFL lead-in, drew a season high 16.24 million total viewers Sunday night, when the program’s interview with Steve Kroft aired.

Later that evening, Oprah hosted “Christmas at the White House” with President Obama and the First Lady at 10pmET. That show drew 11.8 million total viewers, the best number for ABC in that time-slot since the Adam Lambert AMA incident.

Those numbers are certainly high, but, even so, neither program topped “Sunday Night Football” and Politico’s Michael Calderone points out that the “60 Minutes” sit-down in November of ’08 drew a massive 25.1 million viewers.

Steve Kroft interviews Pres. Obama for Sunday’s “60 Minutes.” It’s Pres. Obama’s first extensive interview since announcing the troop build-up in Afghanistan. Kroft will also ask about the economy, job creation and the security breach at his first state dinner.

CBS’ “60 Minutes” was the fifth most watched television program last week, its highest in-season weekly rank since March 22nd.

The program drew 15.98 million Total Viewers and benefited from a Patriots vs. Jets lead-in, which averaged 20.61M viewers in the 7-7:30pmET hour, according to TVbytheNumbers.

Bob Simon interviewed the Newsweek reporter who was released from an Iranian jail, Steve Kroft delivered a report on the cost of dying in the US, and Morley Safer interviewed James Cameron ahead of the release of “Avatar.”

In honor of Veterans Day, TVNewser would like to take a moment to recognize the following TV news anchors, reporters, and technicians who’ve served in the U.S. armed forces. We apologize for those missing, of which there are likely many, but here is a brief list:

• Bob Schieffer, “Face the Nation” host
  
  U.S. Air Force
• Oliver North, Fox News “War Stories” host
  
  U.S. Marine Corps, retired Lieutenant Colonel
• Chris Lawrence, CNN Pentagon correspondent
  
  U.S. Navy Reserve
• Russel L. Honoré, CNN Preparedness Contributor
  U.S. Army, Retired Lieutenant General
• Steve Kroft, “60 Minutes” correspondent
  
  U.S. Army, and worked for Stars and Stripes in Vietnam
• Charlie Gibson, ABC “World News” Anchor
  
  U.S. Coast Guard
• Don Teague, CBS News Correspondent
  U.S. Army, trained at Fort Hood
• Andy Rooney, “60 Minutes” personality
  
  U.S. Army, and wrote for Stars and Stripes in WWII
• Greg Kelly, “Good Day New York” host, former FNC host/correspondent
  U.S. Marine Corps, (and currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves)
• Jack H. Jacobs, MSNBC military analyst
  
  U.S. Army, former Colonel Medal of Honor recipient
• Clark Howard, HLN Host
  
  U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, Captain in the Georgia State Defense Force.
• Ray Bribiesca, “60 Minutes” cameraman
  
  U.S. Marine Corps
• Andrew Soto, “60 Minutes” editor
  
  U.S. Army
• Joe Murania, “60 Minutes” editor
  
  U.S. Navy
• Sam Donaldson, ABC News reporter/anchor
  
  U.S. Army, rising to the rank of Captain, USAR
• David Martin, CBS News correspondent
  
  U.S. Navy, Officer for 3 years aboard a destroyer in Pearl Harbor during Vietnam
• Herb Schwartz, Pat Gillen, and Mike Pelech of CBS News

CBS’s Steve Kroft has been named the 2010 Paul White Award winner by The Radio Television Digital News Association (formerly The Radio and Television News Directors Association). Kroft will receive the award April 12 in Las Vegas, during the RTDNA annual convention.

“Steve Kroft’s practice of our craft stands as a benchmark providing substance, depth, public service and thoughtful style,” said Ed Esposito, chairman of the award committee, in a press release.

Previous Paul White Award winners include Bob Schieffer, Ted Koppel, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, Christiane Amanpour, Peter Jennings, and Edward R. Murrow.

• Earlier: Steve Kroft, Matt Lauer Honored

• More: CBS News and Sports president Sean McManus‘ email to staff, after the jump…

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Sunday’s “60 Minutes,” with an assist from the Patriots-Broncos overtime game, was the seventh most-watched show on TV last week. “60″ drew 14.54 million Total Viewers winning its timeslot in all key demos with a 4.4/11 in A25-54 and a 3.5/09 in A18-49.

Sunday’s broadcast featured Scott Pelley‘s story from Afghanistan; Bob Simon‘s report on the link between head trauma in sports and brain damage; and Steve Kroft‘s amazing feature on the “birdmen.” Seriously, if you haven’t seen it, click the birdman to watch.

• CBS’s Steve Kroft has been named a Trumpeter Award winner by the National Consumers League. The award will be bestowed tonight in Washington, D.C. to Kroft and to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. The Trumpeter Award is the League’s “highest honor, given to leaders who are not afraid to speak out for social justice and for the rights of consumers,” according to a NCL press release.

• NBC’s Matt Lauer will receive the Lew Klein Excellence in the Media Award at an October 20 luncheon in Philadelphia. Proceeds from the event benefit the Lew Klein Excellence in the Media Fund for professorships and scholarships at Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater.

The 42nd season premiere of “60 Minutes” was its best fall debut since 2005.

The show, which had a strong lead-in from the San Diego Chargers – Miami Dolphins game, drew more than 14.88 million Total Viewers earning a 4.2/11 in A25-54 and a 3.2/09 in A18-49. “60 Minutes” was up 20% from last year’s season premiere.

Sunday’s show had David Martin profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan; a Morley Safer interview with the court-appointed trustee of the Bernard Madoff assets; and Steve Kroft‘s story about the lucrative marketing opportunities for dead celebrities.

This morning on the mediabistro.com Morning Media Menu, Matt and Jason talked with the LATimes’ Matea Gold about her Sunday piece on the generational shift occurring at CBS’ venerable “60 Minutes,” which may be best exemplified by a rare office move.

For decades, the office assignments on Correspondent’s Row, a bank of glass-walled rooms facing the Hudson River, were sacrosanct, with the biggest space next to the executive producer belonging to Mike Wallace. But Wallace’s office has been largely empty since the 91-year-old became correspondent emeritus three years ago. Last month, executive producer Jeff Fager quietly decided that it was time for Steve Kroft, the longest serving of the full-time correspondents, to inherit the space.

“This is hallowed ground,” said Kroft on a recent afternoon, still surrounded by boxes, the walls empty save for a row of gleaming Emmys lining a high shelf.

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