60 Minutes was the first profitable TV news show in history

Evidence

This began to change with the appearance of the CBS news show 60 Minutes in 1968, which (after its first three years) became the first news show in history to turn a profit. Suddenly a lightbulb went on at the networks. Although it did not change the model or expectations for TV news immediately, network executives began to see that news could be profitable. — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 129

Categorization

• CANDY: A tidy, tweetable historical fact: the first profitable news show only arrived in 1971 — news had been a loss leader for decades.
• XREF: connects to: 60 Minutes proved news could profit, ending the loss-leader era.

Broader Connections

• 60 Minutes proved news could profit, ending the loss-leader era. #corroborates (1.00)