Steve Kroft will retire from “60 Minutes” at the end of his 30th season on America’s most-watched news program. The 73-year-old correspondent is currently the news magazine’s longest-tenured reporter, having reported nearly 500 “60 Minutes” stories, many among the broadcast’s biggest moments. Kroft will announce his plans to step down this Sunday, May 19th after the broadcast’s 51st season finale. “60 Minutes” will celebrate his 50-year career as a journalist with a special tribute broadcast this September.
“Steve Kroft’s reporting for 60 Minutes has been as important as any correspondent’s in the history of this broadcast,” “60 Minutes” Executive Producer Bill Owens said. “Steve, with his sharp eye for detail, rich writing and demanding journalism, has set the bar at “60 Minutes” for three decades.”
“From the moment Steve Kroft arrived at CBS News in 1980, he has been shot out of a cannon and wherever he landed his stories broke news, had depth, and a strong sense of humanity,” said Susan Zirinsky, CBS News president and senior executive producer. “From Central America to a tour of duty in London, and back to New York, his destiny was clear, Kroft’s investigative instincts and ability to unravel the most complex stories made him a perfect fit for the “60 Minutes” team.”
Kroft’s last segment this Sunday will be an investigation into bank fraud. It’s a fitting coda for a correspondent who won most of his awards for investigations, including all five of his Peabody Awards. Two of the coveted medals came in the same year in a feat no other “60 Minutes” reporter duplicated, for segments on the astronomical costs of end-of-life care and the vulnerability of infrastructure to computer hackers.
You can catch his last show this Sunday at 6 p.m. on Channel 5.
Read more at CBSNEWS.com.
