Crosby, Stills & Nash - CBS West 57th profile - 1987

Explosive interview into the inner-workings of CSN in the late 1980s. Volatile, to say the least....

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West 57th
Format Newsmagazine
Created by Andrew Lack
Howard Stringer
Starring Meredith Vieira
John Ferrugia
Jane Wallace (1985-1988)
Bob Sirott (1985-1988)
Karen Burnes (1988-1989)
Selina Scott (1987-1988)
Steve Kroft (1987-1989)
Stephen Schiff (1988-1989)
Country of origin United States
Production
Executive producer(s) Andrew Lack
Running time 60 minutes, including commercials
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Original run August 13, 1985 -- September 9, 1989

West 57th was a newsmagazine series which aired on CBS from August 13, 1985, through September 9, 1989. Thought by Don Hewitt to be the younger rival of 60 Minutes, he campaigned internally against the show. West 57th originally premiered as a summer series, and took its name from the New York address of the CBS Broadcast Center. The original correspondents were Jane Wallace, Bob Sirott, Meredith Vieira, and John Ferrugia. Later contributors included Steve Kroft, Selina Scott, Karen Burnes, and Stephen Schiff.

The style of the program was intended to use the contemporary tools of television to tell compelling stories. The show's popularity, a concern for Hewitt, prompted 60 Minutes pundit Andy Rooney to dedicate one of his closing segments on his program to a parody of West 57th correspondents. There was a celebration by the "West 57th" team and its producers because the show had received recognition and publicity from the popular Rooney who was trying to kill their program.[citation needed][neutrality is disputed] A major concern for Hewitt was the rising star within CBS of "West 57th"'s executive producer Andrew Lack.

Hewitt and internal critics of the program prevailed in 1989 when CBS canceled West 57th, despite its profitablility. According to Peter Boyer in his book Who Killed CBS?, Dan Rather was obsessed with having enough resources for the CBS Evening News. He was upset when his star reporters, Jane Wallace and Meredith Vieira, were recruited to join West 57th. After the cancellation, the show was replaced by the short-lived Saturday Night with Connie Chung. Vieira and fellow correspondent Steve Kroft transferred to 60 Minutes, where Kroft currently remains. Vieira went on to anchor NBC's Today Show. Sirott moved to Chicago to continue a successful career in local TV and radio. John Ferrugia moved to Denver, where he is an award-winning investigative reporter for KMGH-TV.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• csn david crosby
• stills
• john ferugia

[fahnke]

What an interview, what a hotbed of dysfunction. As a long time CSN (and sometimes Y) fan, and having read both of Crosby's biographies, I see where this interview fits in. It's interesting to watch it now about 25 years later, knowing where they all are right now, which is in a much better place. Great video - a must for any die-hard CSN fan.