'60 Minutes' may veto Clinton-Dole face-offs
This was predictable. I can't figure out why they tried.
After seven of 10 planned outings, the weekly square-offs on CBS' 60 Minutes between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole have generated virtually no buzz since they premiered in March and have done nothing to boost the newsmagazine's sagging ratings.
Which is why, as executives prepare to announce CBS' fall schedule next week, insiders are betting that Clinton-Dole won't be back in September when 60 Minutes returns for its 36th season.
The show's producer, Don Hewitt, said Tuesday that although no decision has been made about the segment's future, viewer interest in the war with Iraq was so overwhelming that the segment got lost.
"The war made it difficult for them to talk about all the issues that divide them," Hewitt said. "They haven't managed to go after each other as I hoped they would. The war was sort of an inhibiting factor. The president didn't want to be seen as anything less than patriotic and Dole, of course, it's his (party's) president who was waging this war. There's a sensitivity that goes with wartime. People tread lightly, on eggshells."
So far, five of seven segments have dealt with war-related issues such as governing post-war Iraq and the military's role there, the future of the United Nations, and what to do about North Korea. The others dealt with Bush's proposed tax cut as well as reality TV.
"It could have been livelier if they had been in apposition to talk about issues that separate right from left, liberals from conservatives, Democrats from Republicans without having to pay lip service to the war that has been going on," Hewitt said.
Despite widespread talk around CBS News that the segments have fallen flat, CBS News president Andrew Heyward said they "have added an interesting ingredient to 60 Minutes, just as we hoped they would. This was always presented as a plan for 10 segments, so speculation beyond that is just that."
Attorney Bob Barnett, who represents both Clinton and Dole, agreed Tuesday, saying that his clients "had committed to 10 segments and they're fulfilling that. Then we'll all have to sit down and talk about what happens after that." He declined to discuss how either Clinton or Dole feels about their new gig.
While 60 Minutes got a boost on March 9, the premiere of the segment, ratings have been flat since.
But Hewitt notes that Daylight Saving Time always hurts 60 Minutes because it's light out at 7 p.m., meaning more viewers are still outdoors.
As such, getting a ratings boost for 60 Minutes "couldn't happen if the Statue of Liberty danced The Big Apple," Hewitt said.
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