Before the firings and the turmoil that have followed Nick Bilton’s arrival to lead CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” he brought in TV production consultant Kelly Funke to help manage the newsroom transition. CBS later described her role as operational support, while “6
Nick Bilton’s first days leading the “60 Minutes” newsroom came with a private kind of preparation—one staffer role the public hadn’t previously seen.
Bilton hired television production consultant Kelly Funke. a TV consultant with more than a decade of experience. to support his transition as chief of the CBS program. TheWrap confirmed the move had been made before the firings and turmoil that later swept through the show. Funke has been accompanying Bilton during his early days, including helping organize meetings with staff, producers and assistants.
The goal, as described by a staffer, was practical: helping to fix trust issues between management and employees by learning how “60 Minutes” works operationally from top to bottom.
A CBS News spokesman said Funke’s presence is meant to be operational rather than editorial. “Kelly Funke is excellent,” the spokesman said. “She is supporting Nick in an operational capacity – not as a journalist or editorial consultant.”
Funke’s contract was also set up to stay limited. Reuters previously reported that she is working under a 90-day contract with an option to renew.
Her arrival sits beside a broader. more public reckoning inside “60 Minutes.” Bilton became the first “60” chief to come from outside traditional TV journalism. He is a former tech columnist and documentary filmmaker. and his transition to CBS came after Weiss was installed to oversee the news division following David Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount through Skydance Media.
The management overhaul accelerated quickly. On May 28, CBS dismissed executive producer Tanya Simon, longtime producer Draggan Mihailovich and correspondent Cecilia Vega. The network declined to renew correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi’s contract the day before. CBS has not publicly explained the personnel decisions, citing legal and personnel considerations.
Those tensions reportedly broke open during Bilton’s first staff meeting on June 1. Reuters reported that veteran correspondent Scott Pelley directly challenged the new executive. After the meeting, Pelley was fired following criticism of network leadership and accusing Weiss of “murdering” the program.
While the newsroom grappled with the fallout of leadership change, Bilton worked to reassure employees that “60 Minutes” would retain its editorial independence. Ellison reportedly delivered a similar message directly to veteran correspondent Lesley Stahl during a private conversation.
Bilton also brought in another new face: 24-year-old Nick De Lucca, named operations manager. Reuters reported that De Lucca previously worked as an associate producer at Bilton’s production company, and that he has told staff he is “Nick 2.0.”
The stakes aren’t just internal. “60 Minutes” finished its most recent season as the nation’s top-rated television news program, increasing its audience by 9% from the previous year, according to Nielsen data.
The timeline now reads like two simultaneous transitions—one handled quietly at the operational level. and one playing out loudly in personnel decisions and staff-room conflict. Funke’s hiring. described as a way to navigate how the show works end to end. arrived right before the kind of rupture that tests trust in the most immediate way.
Nick Bilton Kelly Funke 60 Minutes CBS News operational consultant newsroom transition Tanya Simon Draggan Mihailovich Cecilia Vega Sharyn Alfonsi Scott Pelley Weiss Lesley Stahl Nick De Lucca operations manager