New '60 Minutes' head Nick Bilton says Paramount hired him to pivot the show before ratings decline

Nick Bilton speaks EPIX "Berlin Station" LA premiere at Milk Studios on Sept. 29, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Joshua Blanchard | Getty Images Paramount Skydance's CBS News has hired Nick Bilton as the new executive producer of "60 Minutes," ushering in a new era for the No. 1 rated news broadcast for the past 52 years. Bilton replaces Tanya Simon as the show's executive producer. Simon had spent more than 30 years at "60 Minutes." In contrast, Bilton has no experience running a TV news show. Bilton is a former New York Times technology columnist and has made several documentaries for HBO and Netflix . One of Bilton's biggest initial challenges will be winning over CBS News employees who believe many of the changes being implemented in the newsroom are politically motivated. Skydance and Paramount merged last year, putting new leadership in charge of CBS and other Paramount properties including the storied film studio and more nascent streaming business. Paramount Skydance Chief Executive Officer David Ellison is now trying to merge Paramount with Warner Bros. Discovery, and he needs the Trump administration's regulatory approval to complete the deal. In 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump sued "60 Minutes," alleging the program deceptively edited an interview with his opponent, Kamala Harris. Paramount settled the lawsuit for $16 million, which irked some veteran "60 Minutes" employees, including longtime correspondent Scott Pelley . …