Oprah Winfrey’s first segment as a 60 Minutes correspondent will air during the season premiere of the show’s 50th season Sept. 24.
CBS announced in January that Winfrey would join the long-running newsmagazine in the coming season. Winfrey has a longstanding relationship with CBS. The company agreed in 1999 to purchase King World Productions, the syndicated-TV powerhouse that launched Winfrey’s talk show. At the time, Winfrey, a substantial King World shareholder, was expected to control one-half a percentage point of CBS stock. Today she remains an executive producer of CBS’ syndicated Dr. Phil” talk show.
It is unknown what Winfrey will cover in her first 60 Minutes story. As a television personality, she is known for her ability to get even the most famous actor or actress to disclose close-held feelings and emotions. One of the show’s most penetrating interviewers of celebrities, Morley Safer, retired from the newsmagazine last year, just days before passing away.
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will celebrate the 50th anniversary of 60 Minutes on Oct. 5 in New York with a special tribute. CBS-owned Simon & Schuster will publish 50 Years of 60 Minutes, a new book by the show’s executive producer Jeff Fager, on Oct. 24, timed to the anniversary.
