Prior to the emergence of prime-time network newsmagazine programs like 20/20, Primetime Live, and Dateline, and before the era of round-the-clock cable news on CNN, MS/NBC, and Fox News Channel, the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes was unchallenged as television's premiere news program. From its initial broadcast on September 24, 1968, 60 Minutes pioneered the "magazine format" of television journalism, which allowed it to run a mixture of hard news, investigative reports, personality profiles, and light feature pieces. Its prominence enabled it to feature candid stories on the most powerful world leaders, distinguished artists, and crafty villains of the last thirty years. Although it was not a ratings sensation during its first several seasons, by the mid-1970s it grew to become the most prestigious, most watched, and most imitated news program on television.

The creation of 60 Minutes came about after its producer, Don Hewitt, was fired in 1964 from his position as producer...