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CBS makes changes to Gates interview
NEW YORK (AP) - CBS was working quickly Monday to change the focus of its upcoming 60
Minutes II story on Bill Gates following a judge's finding that Microsoft misused its
monopoly power.
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| CBS' interview with Gates will run on 60 Minutes II Tuesday (AP). |
The story, based on interviews with Gates conducted by Charlie Rose over the past few
months, airs at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
CBS had been touting the interview as a glimpse into the billionaire's personal life. As
originally written, the segment opened with Gates and Rose going to a Seattle hamburger
joint and talking about what it's like to be the world's richest man.
That opening has been thrown out and the story given a harder edge that immediately
discusses the government's case against Microsoft, said Jeff Fager, executive producer of
60 Minutes II.
Although Rose called Gates after last Friday's ruling, the segment doesn't include
anything from him that hadn't been taped before the decision. Microsoft's defense against
the charges hasn't changed, Fager said.
''We would have been in trouble if the judge had thrown the whole thing out,'' Fager said.
''We would have had to redo the piece and throw half of it out.''
The segment's timing wasn't coincidental. CBS knew its 60 Minutes II piece would
run either a few days before or after U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson issued
his decision and also during a ''sweeps'' period in which TV ratings are closely watched
to set advertising rates.
Rose worked on securing the interview for more than six months, Fager said. Although an
interview that appears to humanize Gates when he is under fire plays into a Microsoft
public relations strategy, Fager said CBS pulls no punches.
''All of us have to keep our eyes open in terms of people trying to get on to further
their cause,'' Fager said. ''When isn't that the case? You just have to be smart about how
you tell the story. This is not a valentine to Bill Gates.''
CBS's transcript of the original story also quoted former Netscape head Jim Barksdale and
David Boies, the lawyer making the government's case against Microsoft.
During the interview, Gates tells how he and his wife, Melinda, plan to give away most of
his fortune and leave their two children $10 million apiece. Gates tells Rose that he
feels ''a little bit guilty'' about his lavish estate.
Gates also tells Rose that he's spending less time at the office and more time with his
family.
''I'm sure the 20-year-old Bill Gates would look at the 43-year-old Bill Gates and say
'you're just not tough,''' he said.
Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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