Jeff Fager spent nearly four decades at CBS News, where he held positions ranging from field producer to executive producer of 60 Minutes and chairman of CBS News. Jeff is best known for his long association with 60 Minutes and for helping guide the news division during a period of change across broadcast and digital platforms.
Jeff began his career in television news in the late 1970s after graduating from Colgate University with a degree in English literature. He started at a CBS affiliate in Boston, working as a production assistant, news writer, and assignment editor, before moving to KPIX-TV in San Francisco as a broadcast producer. In the early 1980s, he worked on several CBS News programs, including weekend editions of the CBS Evening News and the overnight broadcast Nightwatch. He later took on international assignments and was based in London, where he produced coverage of events such as conflicts in the Middle East, the 1986 bombing of Libya, and meetings between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Jeff later helped launch the news magazine 48 Hours and, from 1989 to 1994, served as a producer at 60 Minutes, contributing to a wide range of stories with correspondents such as Morley Safer and Steve Kroft. In the 1990s, he moved into senior production roles at the CBS Evening News, where he worked on major international stories, including the war in Bosnia and the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. His work during this period earned a Peabody Award.
From 1996 to 1998, Jeff served as executive producer of the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. During that time, the program placed greater emphasis on hard reporting and expanded its foreign coverage, thereby increasing its audience. He later became executive producer of 60 Minutes II during its early years before taking over as executive producer of 60 Minutes, a role he held for 14 seasons. His approach focused on timely reporting and clear storytelling while maintaining the program’s established standards, and the broadcasts received numerous major journalism awards.
In 2011, Jeff was named the first chairman of CBS News while continuing to oversee 60 Minutes. He worked on relaunching CBS This Morning with a stronger hard-news focus and contributed to editorial direction at the CBS Evening News. He also supported the expansion of CBS News into digital platforms, including updates to the 60 Minutes website, partnerships with online distributors, and the launch of 60 Minutes Overtime. Jeff Fager remained focused on extending long-form reporting to new platforms while maintaining editorial standards, and his career reflects steady involvement across many areas of television journalism.
