West 57th (TV series)
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| West 57th | |
|---|---|
| Format | Newsmagazine |
| 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) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Andrew Lack |
| Running time | 60 minutes, including commercials |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | August 13, 1985 – September 9, 1989 |
West 57th is a newsmagazine series which aired on CBS from August 13, 1985, through September 9, 1989. Thought of internally by Don Hewitt as the younger rival of 60 Minutes, West 57th originally premiered as a summer series, and took its name from the New York address of CBS News. 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.
The style of the program was intended for viewers under the age of 40. The show's popularity prompted 60 Minutes pundit Andy Rooney to dedicate one of his closing segments on his program to a parody of West 57th correspondents.
CBS canceled West 57th in September of 1989 due to lack of resources. According to Peter Boyer in his book Who Killed CBS?, Dan Rather was always obsessed with having enough resources for the CBS Evening News. He was very upset when his star reporters, Jane Wallace and Meredith Vieira, were recruited to join West 57th. After the cancellation, the show was replaced by the short-lived Saturday Night with Connie Chung. Vieira and fellow correspondent Steve Kroft transferred to 60 Minutes, where Kroft currently remains. Sirott moved to Chicago to continue a successful career in local TV and Radio. John Ferrugia moved to Denver to anchor local news and begin an award winning investigative team.
