Tag Archives: “60 Minutes”

Our Favorite Protege, Morley Safer, Has Died At 84

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Morley Safer

Journalist Morley Safer, left, with The Daily Quarterly editor Brian DiMaio, right. After a stint at The Daily Quarterly Safer found himself in Vietnam reporting on the war. As the story goes DiMaio feared for Safer’s safety so he enlisted and was assigned to Safer’s security detatchment effectively keeping Safer safer. Rumor has it that DiMaio did such a thing solely for the wordplay. Others say DiMaio felt Safer had a good shot at being the longest reporter on staff at the longest running and highest grossing news program.

New York—Former star of CBS’s “60 Minutes” and Vietnam War news correspondent Morley Safer died Thursday. He was 84.

Safer had just retired from the longest-running television news magazine last week. The program even aired a retrospective on his incredibly impressive career Sunday night.

Showing off the grit and talent that we saw years ago here at The Daily Quarterly when he was just a young intern, Safer joined “60 Minutes” in 1970, replacing Harry Reasoner. He would go on to complete 919 stories for the program, and his 46 years made him the longest-tenured reporter there, longer even than Connie Chung, even.

Besides the prestige of having a stint at TDQ on his resume, Safer also won during his long career: three Peabody awards, three Overseas Press Club awards, two George Polk Memorial awards, a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism first prize for domestic television, the Fred Friendly First Amendment award, 12 Emmys and a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Government.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Jane, a daughter, Sarah Bakal, and three grandchildren.

Legendary “60 Minutes” Reporter Mike Wallace Dies At 93

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Mike Wallace

Mike Wallace, right, sits with Brian DiMaio, left, on the set of The Daily Quarterly TV Magazine. The Daily Quarterly was one of the first to bring the magazine format to television broadcasting. The assumption was that reading would not be very popular in the future.

New Canaan, CT—Investigative journalistic icon Mike Wallace died at a care facility Saturday night. He was 93.

Wallace began his career in the 1940s as a radio entertainer, and then hosted game shows on TV in the 1950s before deciding in the early 1960s to focus solely on journalism. He was the first hire, and would go on to become the biggest star, on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” in 1968.

Known for his intense, confrontational interviews, Wallace would do pieces for “60 Minutes” on many controversial, polarizing figures such as Louis Farrakhan, Yasser Arafat, Moammar Gadhafi and Barbara Streisand, as well as seven US presidents. He left the program in 2006 after 37 years.
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“60 Minutes” Bringing In New Blood To Host Show: Lance Bass, Shia LaBeouf, Seth Meyers And Usher Will Be New “Reporters”

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New York—In an effort to attract new, younger viewers, CBS News weekly magazine and Sunday night stalwart “60 Minutes” announced yesterday that this would be the last season they use “Edward R. Murrow-style reporters” and will be shifting to four new “news anchor-likes” next fall with the hiring of Shia LaBeouf, Lance Bass, Usher and Seth Meyers.

“Obviously snagging Meyers out from under NBC is the biggest coup,” said newly hired executive producer Miles Anniston. “He brings the credibility that was necessary to the new news crew. We’re just thrilled.”

Who would you like to see as the new 60 Minutes crew?

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Anniston said that each of the four co-hosts CBS News hired could easily carry the show themselves, but felt that the mix and chemistry of the four together would balance the show well and attract the demographic that the news program had lost over the last 40 years or so. Continue reading →

“Did Ya Ever Notice?” Andy Rooney Dies

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Andy Rooney and Brian DiMaio

Andy Rooney and Brian DiMaio entered the Army on the same day at the same height, weight, hair, and eye color. Rooney would go on to write for Stars and Stripes and eventually 60 minutes. DiMaio wrote for the Army Times and, later, The Daily Quarterly. Rooney was always envious of DiMaio's accomplishments.

New York—Andy Rooney, known now to most Americans as the grumpy curmudgeon who griped about one thing or another at the end of “60 Minutes” every Sunday night, died Friday. He was 92.

He gained prominence as a writer for “Stars and Stripes” during World War II and was one of just six journalists who flew on the first American bombing raids of Germany.

His time on “60 Minutes” began in the summer 1978 as a replacement and filler for the recently cut debate segment, “Point/Counterpoint.” Rooney proved popular enough in his satirical musings that he became a permanent fixture of the show that fall.
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TDQ Investigates: A-Rod Finally Paying People To Lie For Him, Rather Than Doing It Himself

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Four of a KindNew York—It’s about time, Alex Rodriguez. You’ve been able to afford this for years, but for some reason, in the past you had taken it upon yourself to lie to reporters about using steroids and lie to your wife about cheating on her. Now you’ve finally hired somebody to lie on your behalf about your poker playing, though they admitted later (how many stories about you have the phrase “admitted later?”) that you did play, but the stories coming out about you playing contained “factual inaccuracies.”
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