5.2 /10 1 Votes
5.2/10 TV First episode date 13 August 1985 Executive producer Andrew Lack | 5.3/10 IMDb Country of origin United States Final episode date 9 September 1989 Original network CBS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Created by Andrew Lack
Howard Stringer Starring Meredith Vieira
John Ferrugia
Jane Wallace (1985-1988)
Bob Sirott (1985-1988)
Karen Burnes (1988-1989)
Selina Scott (1987-1988)
Steve Kroft (1987-1989)
Stephen Schiff (1988-1989) Running time 60 minutes, including commercials Original release August 13, 1985 – September 9, 1989 Nominations Special Classification for Outstanding News and Documentary Program Achievement - Programs Program creators Don Hewitt, Howard Stringer Similar Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Today, CBS Morning News, The View, CBS Reports | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Crosby stills nash cbs west 57th profile 1987
West 57th is a newsmagazine series that aired on CBS from August 13, 1985, through September 9, 1989. West 57th originally premiered as a summer series, and took its name from the New York address of the CBS Broadcast Center, 524 West 57th Street. The original correspondents were Jane Wallace, Bob Sirott, Meredith Vieira and John Ferrugia. Later contributors included Steve Kroft, Selina Scott, Karen Burnes and Stephen Schiff.
Contents
The style of the program was intended to use the contemporary tools of television to tell compelling stories. The show's popularity, a concern for 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt, prompted pundit Andy Rooney to dedicate one of his closing segments on his program to a parody of West 57th correspondents.
After the cancellation, the show was replaced by Saturday Night with Connie Chung. Vieira and fellow correspondent Steve Kroft transferred to 60 Minutes, where Kroft currently remains. Vieira went on to anchor NBC's Today Show (after appearing on The View for 9 years). Sirott moved to Chicago to continue a successful career in local TV and radio. John Ferrugia moved to Denver, where he is the host of "Insight with John Ferrugia" at Rocky Mountain PBS.
Sam kinison on west 57th
Reaction
The show was criticized for its slickness and superficiality. The Christian Science Monitor called it “a ditsy, disco-beat docu-mag for viewers with a short attention span.” In The New York Times, John Corry wrote that the show "isn't really television, and it certainly isn't journalism; it's video, and it's a mess. Nothing works well except the synthesizer music. It's as if news and entertainment fell into combat and neither side won."