'60 Minutes' executive producer Bill Owens resigns

Bill Owens, the beleaguered enforcement shaper of “60 Minutes,” resigned Tuesday.

Owens had been warring efforts astatine CBS genitor Paramount Global to settee a $20 cardinal suit filed by President Trump regarding the network’s October interrogation with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump claims the programme was deceptively edited to favour Harris.

Owens departure could beryllium a motion that a colony is forthcoming. Paramount Global executives spot the suit arsenic an obstacle to getting support of its merger statement with David Ellison’s Skydance Media.

“Over the past months, it has go wide that I would not beryllium allowed to tally the amusement arsenic I person ever tally it,” Owens wrote successful a connection obtained by the Times. “To marque autarkic decisions based connected what’s close for the audience. So, having defended this amusement — and what we basal for — from each angle, implicit clip with everything I could. I americium stepping speech truthful the amusement tin determination forward.”

Owens worked astatine CBS News for 37 years. He is lone the 3rd enforcement shaper successful the 57-year past of “60 Minutes,” pursuing Jeff Fager and its founding showrunner Don Hewitt.

Owens besides oversaw the “CBS Evening News,” which has been successful a ratings tailspin since it overhauled its format successful January, replacing Norah O’Donnell with the anchor duo of Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson.