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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 15 September 2017
Winfrey joins ‘60 Minutes’ for 50th anniversary year

By DAVID BAUDER tion span remains remarkably big breaking-news stories in
AP Television Writer unchanged. the past, figuring they were
NEW YORK (AP) — CBS’ “60 “It’s a miracle,” correspon- told elsewhere. Fager likes
Minutes,” the newsmagazine dent Lesley Stahl said. to find some element that
that can credit consistency When she joined in 1991, hasn’t received much atten-
for much of its success as it Hewitt told Stahl that he tion but can help a viewer
enters its 50th anniversary wanted correspondents to better understand the event,
year, is about to see a major be like actors in a repertory citing Kroft’s reporting on the
change with the addition of troupe who could play all the financial crisis a decade ago.
Oprah Winfrey. roles, and that’s still the phi- “The quality of the show has
Winfrey will debut Sept. 24, losophy she uses to plan sto- not dropped off,” Kroft said.
reporting on a story about ries she pursues. “We’ve had good seasons and
America’s political divisions. Gone, too, are the volatile bad seasons all during the 30
It’s a testament to the power days of throwing coffee cups, years I’ve been here. I think
of the Sunday-night news- shouting matches and feuds, the show is more timely than
magazine that it seeks to of Wallace peeking at col- it used to be.”
absorb one of television’s leagues’ notebooks to steal In this April 18, 2017 file photo, Oprah Winfrey attends the Producers watch the ratings,
biggest stars into its fab- stories. But it’s still keenly premiere of HBO Films’ “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” in but refuse to test audience
ric instead of the other way competitive. Newcomer New York. preferences with polls.
around. One of the medium’s Bill Whitaker told Fager he Associated Press “It’s really risky to do what
best-known celebrity inter- dreamed of screening a story judged is how original your Minutes” helped him, along we do,” Fager said. “It goes
viewers will do some, but that his bosses found so per- reporting is, and how well you with the absence of an ego- against everything the pro-
will largely work against type fect it merited no changes. cover a big story.” driven need to make changes fessionals in news organiza-
in reporting stories, said Jeff Fager leaned in and told him, Scott Pelley, Stahl, Steve Kroft, for change’s sake. tions believe, that you have
Fager, the show’s executive “that’s not going to happen.” Whitaker and Anderson Coo- His biggest push has been to to pander, that you have to
producer. There’s a different pressure per make up the show’s core. make the show more on the look for stories that they’re
“She wants to do stories with from the daily deadlines of Charlie Rose, Winfrey, Sharyn news. Interviewing former going to want, as opposed to
impact,” he said. “She’s driven the evening news, Whitaker Alfonsi, Lara Logan, David presidential adviser Steve doing stories that are impor-
by that and so are we. That’s said. At “60 Minutes,” corre- Martin, Norah O’Donnell and Bannon this past Sunday il- tant and figuring out how to
part of why this is such a good spondents have time, talent- Jon Wertheim are among lustrates the point, and Fager do it well.”
fit for her.” ed producers and travel bud- the contributors who also pushed out excerpts of the “60 Minutes” has made high-
Many of the names that gets. So they’d better deliver. do stories. “There are a lot interview for a few days in profile mistakes; the reliance
made “60 Minutes” great — “Everyone is trying to find an of people who are contribu- advance to make headlines on a bad source in Logan’s
Mike Wallace, Morley Safer, original story, something that tors who have other jobs, and and attract attention. Com- 2014 Benghazi story was a
Ed Bradley, Don Hewitt — are breaks news or helps people that has changed the feel of ments Bannon made about major blemish. If the show
gone now. But the stopwatch to understand a big story,” the place,” Kroft said. “I don’t the James Comey firing were has a weakness, it is that sto-
keeps ticking every Sunday Fager said. “That’s what we think the show has changed posted on the “60 Minutes ry length can simplify some
at 7 p.m. While everything in do. New people up here real- very much on the air.” Overtime” website, which stories too much, said Tom
media seems to have changed ize that’s a higher bar than is Fager, who just completed a delivers outtakes from the Bettag, a longtime television
around it, the show’s mix of set anywhere else.” book on the show to mark the show’s segments, and be- news producer who now
investigations, news-making “People think it’s cutthroat,” anniversary, talks now about came so newsworthy Mon- teaches at the University of
interviews, esoteric and en- he said. “It’s not like that, the how hard it was to replace day that they arguably should Maryland.
tertaining features timed to way our image would sug- Hewitt 15 years ago. Col- have been used in the original Yet the storytelling and writ-
the length of founding execu- gest. But it’s a tough place to leagues say his status as an piece. ing put the show far ahead of
tive producer Hewitt’s atten- succeed. Part of how you’re insider at CBS News and “60 The show would often ignore the competition. q

‘Sopranos’ mobster, veteran actor Frank Vincent dies at 80

By FRAZIER MOORE tion, Vincent portrayed movies. session drummer for such
AP Television Writer gangsters for director Mar- His manager Melissa Proph- singers as Paul Anka, Del
NEW YORK (AP) — Frank tin Scorsese. He appeared et said in a statement that Shannon, Trini Lopez and
Vincent, a veteran charac- in “Raging Bull,” ‘’Good- Vincent “lived life on his The Belmonts.
ter actor who often played fellas” — where he played terms, creating a dynamic In 1975, he made his fea-
tough guys, including mob Billy Batts, a made man in and successful path in ev- ture film acting debut in
boss Phil Leotardo on “The the Gambino crime fam- ery endeavor he chose. Ralph DeVito’s “Death Col-
Sopranos,” has died. He ily — and “Casino,” play- His generosity and spirit ex- lector,” where he was spot-
was 80. ing Frank Marino, based tended beyond his family ted by Scorsese.
Vincent died peacefully on on real-life gangster Frank and closest friends, as he In 2006, Vincent published
Wednesday, a statement Cullotta. strived to promote new tal- “A Guy’s Guide to Being a
from his family said. No Vincent had small roles in ent in the performing arts.” Man’s Man.”
cause of death was given. two Spike Lee films, “Do the Born in North Adams, Mas- He is survived by his wife
Besides Leotardo, the ruth- Right Thing” and “Jungle sachusetts, to Frank and Katherine; daughters Deb- In this Jan. 11, 2013 file photo,
actor Frank Vincent appears
less New York mob boss Fever,” and also was in Mary Gattuso, Vincent was ra and Maria; son Anthony; in Miami Beach, Fla.
who frequently clashed “The Pope of Greenwich raised in Jersey City, New two grandchildren; and Associated Press
with Tony Soprano on Village,” ‘’Last Exit to Brook- Jersey, where he acted in three siblings, Prophet said.
the popular HBO drama lyn,” ‘’Night Falls on Man- school plays and learned Visiting hours will be from al service at Caggiano Me-
and who was memorably hattan” and “Shark Tale,” piano, trumpet and drums. 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Satur- morial Home in Montclair,
whacked at a service sta- among his more than 50 As an adult, he became a day followed by a memori- New Jersey.q