60 Minutes, the CBS newsmagazine that has been a Sunday staple since its 1968 debut and has dominated television ratings for decades, is showing signs of strain. According to Mediaite, a recent episode built around an interview with Secret Service director Sean M. Curry delivered another round of mediocre viewership compared with other installments.

The episode drew 6.061 million total viewers, including 767,000 viewers in the key 25-54 age demographic — the audience slice advertisers and network executives have long used to gauge a news program's commercial health. It also trailed the rest of CBS's Sunday lineup: both Tracker and Marshals, which air after 60 Minutes, drew more than 7 million total viewers, leaving the newsmagazine in last place for the night.

The soft numbers follow a stronger October 4 broadcast, which attracted 10.2 million total viewers and 2 million in the demo. They also fit a broader season-long decline. The season premiere drew 7.9 million total viewers, a 21% drop from the previous year's debut and the lowest-rated season opener since 2000 — a 25-year low. Premiere broadcasts are traditionally used within the industry as an early gauge of a season's audience trajectory.

Behind the scenes, tension continues. Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl has reportedly considered leaving the program amid editing conflicts over her segment about Israeli settler harassment in the West Bank. Other staffers are also dissatisfied, and the report notes that employees who have protested the show's direction have been warned they could lose their jobs. Many are reportedly unhappy with the current leadership at CBS News.

The program is now under new direction following a staff overhaul led by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. Her tenure has drawn heavy criticism from viewers and former staff alike for her reimagining of the show. For a franchise long identified with its veteran correspondents, the combination of eroding ratings and a restive newsroom gives CBS News two storylines to manage at once: whether the audience stabilizes under the new leadership, and whether the internal dissent subsides.

Former 60 Minutes journalist Scott Pelley accused Weiss of "murdering" the program during a tense staff meeting. He was later dismissed, losing his role without severance or other benefits effective immediately, but went on to sign a major deal with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the major Hollywood talent and sports agency. In a termination note, executive producer Nick Bilton reprimanded Pelley for his "performative display of hostility," writing that he "hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt," per USA Today.

Former executive producer Bill Owens took issue with the removal or exit of veteran correspondents and executives — including Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, Tanya Simon, Draggan Mihailovich and Pelley — and their replacement with figures such as Nick Bilton. Owens also questioned Weiss's shift in editorial direction and coverage. Other concerns have centered on the firing of mostly female on-air personalities. Upcoming weekly ratings reports, and any further staffing moves, are the natural markers to watch as the overhaul continues.