60 MINUTES will devote its entire hour this week to the news magazine's creator and former executive producer, Don Hewitt, who passed away today at the age of 86.  The special 60 MINUTES program will be broadcast Sunday, Aug. 23 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. 

The 60 MINUTES correspondents are working on individual segments that will tell the story of the legendary newsman's life, lasting contributions to the television news industry and especially their favorite stories about their boss and his times at 60 MINUTES.

The hour will be produced by 60 MINUTES Executive Producer Jeff Fager.

DON HEWITT TIME LINE

Dec. 14, 1922  -          Born in New York City

1942 -                          Hired as copy boy at NY Herald Tribune

Joins Merchant Marine and becomes youngest

war correspondent assigned to Eisenhower's

Headquarters - covered N. Atlantic, N. Sea and

then D-Day and South Pacific

1946 -                          Becomes night editor for AP in Memphis

Returns to NY to be editor of the Pelham Sun

and then photo editor for ACME News Pictures

(then-photo division of UPI)

1948 -                          Joins CBS News as associate director for the

first network newscast "Douglas Edwards and

the News" - promoted to director soon after

Covers first political convention - the first to be televised -

                                    and becomes pioneer in methods of covering conventions,

remaining a key player in CBS News coverage of all

conventions and elections through 1980

1949 -                         Promoted to producer-director of "Douglas

Edwards and the News"

1950s -                         Directs break-through public affairs

program "See it Now" (when Edward R. Murrow                                      made the switch from radio to television), directs segments

of "Omnibus" and produces "Town Meeting of the World"

His use of two film projectors cutting back and forth breaks

 up monotony of talking head, improves editing and shapes

                                     future of news broadcasts

1950s (cont.)                Uses cue cards for his anchor

Uses "lower third" of television screen for

the display of graphic information that becomes

 known as "supers"

1952 -                          Direct-produces political conventions and helps shape

Walter Cronkite's news role as anchor

1953 -                          Directs-produces Queen Elizabeth Coronation

1956                            Flying over the Atlantic, gets the only footage of the

                                    sinking Andrea Doria as it disappears

1960 -                         Directs-produces the first televised                                           

                                   presidential debate - Kennedy/Nixon

1961 -                          Puts CBS News coverage of the early space                          launches on screen in NYC's Grand Central Station

1962 -                          Directs the history-making "A Conversation

with the President" with John F. Kennedy

on three networks

1963 -                         Is the executive producer of CBS EVENING NEWS                                     WITH WALTER CRONKITE when the broadcast                                     becomes the first network half-hour newscast

1965 -                          Becomes head of CBS News documentary unit and

directs-produces first in-depth news special on Frank Sinatra

1967 -                         Invents "news magazine" format when he creates 60 MINUTES           

1968 -                          60 MINUTES debuts on Sept. 24 with Don Hewitt

as executive producer

1971 -                          60 MINUTES is broadcast in varying times and           

                                    days, including Sunday, in fall season

1971                            Pits Nicholas von Hoffman against James J.

Kilpatrick in first "Point-Counterpoint" segment

1972 -                          60 MINUTES moves to Sunday, 6-7pm

1973 -                          Marks 25 years with CBS News

1976 -                          60 MINUTES starts its first season in its famous time slot

on Sundays, 7-8pm starting Sept.. 19

60 MINUTES finishes in Nielsen Top 20 for

first time

1978 -                          60 MINUTES finishes in Nielsen Top 10 for

first time, where it remains for 23 seasons

Gives Andy Rooney a "Few Minutes" during

summer broadcasts - segment becomes part of                                     program alternating with "Point-Counterpoint"

1980 -                          Hewitt named Broadcaster of the Year by

International Radio and Television Society

60 MINUTES ranks number one in Nielsens for

the first time

1983 -                          60 MINUTES ranks number one in Nielsens for

the second time

1985 -                          Hewitt publishes Minute By Minute, his autobiographical book

 about  television news and his creation of 60 MINUTES

1987 -                          60 MINUTES finishes in Nielsen Top 10 for                                     11th consecutive time, passing the streak of

10 straight earned by "Lucy" programs (1962-72)

1988 -                          60 MINUTES honored with duPont Gold Baton                                     "for two decades of reporting that changed the nature

 of television news."

Marks 40 years with CBS News

1990 -                          Elected to the Television Academy Hall of Fame

1992 -                          Is awarded (with Washington Post's Bob Woodward)

                                    the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative

Journalism from Harvard

                                    60 MINUTES again ranks number one in Nielsens and            

                                    becomes the only program to do so in three  separate decades

1993 -                         Elected to the National Association of

                                   Broadcasters Hall of Fame

                                    60 MINUTES ranks number one in Nielsens

60 MINUTES 25th Anniversary

1994 -                          60 MINUTES ranks number one in Nielsens for the fifth

                                     time to tie with "Cosby" and  "All in the Family" for most

                                    number-one finishes

1995 -                          Receives the "Founders Emmy" from the International

Council of National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

1996 -                          Chosen as a subject of the venerable PBS

program "American Masters" for '98 airing

1997 -                          60 MINUTES finishes in Nielsen Top 10 for

20th consecutive season

1998 -                          Marks 50th year at CBS News (March 22)

                                    PBS American Masters: "90 MINUTES on 60 MINUTES"

                                    Is broadcast

60 MINUTES finishes in the Nielsen Top 10 (7th ) for

21st consecutive season and posts a five percent increase

in viewers

Accepts the President's Award for Lifetime Achievement from the

Overseas Press Club for 60 MINUTES' foreign affairs reporting

60 MINUTES 30th anniversary (September 24)

Video shot by Dr. Jack Kevorkian showing him lethally injecting a terminally ill man is broadcast on 60 MINUTES.  The controversial tape leads to Kevorkian's conviction for second degree murder

1999 -                         60 MINUTES finishes in the Nielsen Top 10 (7th ) for the

22nd consecutive season

Wins two First Amendment awards: Committee to Protect Journalists' Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for press freedom and the Spirit of Liberty award from People for the American Way Foundation

2000 -                          Is presented with the Fred Friendly First Amendment                                                    award by Quinnipiac College.

2001 -                          Publishes his second book, "Tell Me A Story: Fifty Years and

60 MINUTES in Television (PublicAffairs)

2002 -                          Receives achievement award from the Directors Guild of America

                                    in recognition of 54 years in television

2003 -                          Receives Spirit Award for lifetime achievement from

                                    National Association of Broadcasters

Honored with the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors (AFTRA) George Heller Lifetime Achievement Award

Is the second recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Emmy from the

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Announces he will step down as 60 MINUTES executive producer

At season's end to assume a new role at CBS News

2007 -                          Hewitt executive produces the first ever network television                                                        specialcoverage of Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show - on NBC  Dec. 1

2008 -                          Accepts the Edward R. Murrow Award from Washington State                                                University

                                    Has aortic valve replacement surgery

2009                            Diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on his pancreas

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Press Contact:  Kevin Tedesco                                     212 975-2329 kev@cbsnews.com