60 Minutes a US news program that has been running for 45 seasons. That alone is staggering. It was created in 1968 by Don Hewitt who set the program apart from other news programs by using a reporter-centered investigation style of news. It was the first regularly aired show in the US to not have an opening theme song. In 2002, 60 Minutes was ranked number 6 on TV Guide’s Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
At first the show was aired bi-weekly and alternated weeks with other CBS shows. It was hosted by Mike Wallace and Harry Reasoner. The show features three long-form news stories without showing anything graphic, with a commercial break between two of the stories. The show makes its own investigation of the stories and follows up on investigations instigated by national newspapers and other sources. The show continues to be very popular and successful. It is one of the longest standing programs on television.