Jeff Fager
{{Short description|American television producer (born 1954)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jeff Fager
| image = Jeff Fager October 10 2011.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name = Jeffrey B. Fager
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|12|10}}
| birth_place = Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| known_for =
| education =
| alma mater = Colgate University
| employer =
| occupation = Television producer
| title =
| spouse = Melinda Wooster
| children = 3
| parents = {{Plainlist|
- Margaret Bulkley Fager
- Charles Anthony Fager
}}
| relatives =
}}
Jeffrey B. Fager (born December 10, 1954) is an American television producer who is the former chairman of CBS News and former executive producer of 60 Minutes.
Biography
Fager was born in Wellesley, Massachusetts, to an Episcopalian family,[http://www.jewishledger.com/2013/05/16046/ Jewish Ledger: "60 Minutes: At War With The Truth" by Judie Jacobson] May 15, 2013 | Then, on April 7 of this year, CBS chairman Jeff Fager spoke at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in New Canaan, where he is a member, as part of the church’s weekly program, “Abraham’s Tent: Jews, Christians and Muslims in the World Today.” the son of Margaret (née Bulkley) and Charles Anthony Fager.[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/wickedlocal-needham/obituary.aspx?pid=174469043 The Needham Times: "Margaret Fager"] from March 24, 2015 | "Memorial Service will be held at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Wellesley"[http://patch.com/massachusetts/wellesley/in-memory-of-dr-charles-a-fager Wellesley Patch: "In memory of Dr. Charles A. Fager" by Carol Kerbaugh] April 9, 2014 He graduated from Colgate University in 1977.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/team/jeffrey-fager/|title=CBS News Team: Jeffrey Fager|work=CBS News|access-date=2018-09-12|language=en}} He began his career in broadcast news in Boston and joined CBS News in 1982 from San Francisco, California, CBS affiliate KPIX-TV, where he was a broadcast producer.
Fager was Executive Producer of the CBS Evening News from 1996 to 1998 and held senior and field producer positions for that and other CBS News programs, including 60 Minutes. He left the Evening News in 1998 to become the first executive producer of 60 Minutes II. In June 2004, he assumed the position of Executive Producer of 60 Minutes.[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hewitt-sets-i60-minutes-i-transition/ Hewitt Sets 60 Minutes Transition], January 27, 2003
In February 2011, it was announced that Fager would lead the news division of CBS as Chairman of CBS News, a newly created position. In tandem with the newly appointed president, David Rhodes, Fager would head CBS News while continuing to executive produce 60 Minutes.[https://archive.today/20120703013631/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/08/60minutes/bios/main26911.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody Jeffrey Fager CBS News Bio], February 28, 2011
After stepping in as Chairman of CBS News, Fager said he would "restore CBS News to where it should be, where it needs to be", using the original reporting and storytelling of 60 Minutes as a benchmark for its other news programs.[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-news-well-never-pay-216224 CBS News: We'll Never Pay Casey Anthony, Apologize to Lance Armstrong], July 28, 2011
On January 1, 2015, Fager stepped down as chairman but continued in his executive producer role of 60 Minutes until his 2018 departure from CBS News. David Rhodes continued to serve as President of the CBS News Division.[http://www.cbscorporation.com/news-article.php?id=1110 Jeff Fager Announces His Decision to Return to Role as Executive Producer of "60 Minutes" Full-Time and to Step Down From Post as Chairman of CBS News], November 20, 2014
Personal life
Termination for harassment
In 2018, nineteen existing and former CBS employees told The New Yorker that Fager allowed harassment in the news division. Six former employees also told the magazine that while inebriated at company parties, he touched employees in ways that made them uncomfortable.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/06/les-moonves-and-cbs-face-allegations-of-sexual-misconduct?stream=top-stories|title=Les Moonves and CBS Face Allegations of Sexual Misconduct|author=Ronan Farrow|author-link=Ronan Farrow|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=2018-07-29|language=en-US}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/as-leslie-moonves-negotiates-his-exit-from-cbs-women-raise-new-assault-and-harassment-claims|title=Leslie Moonves Steps Down from CBS, After Six Women Raise New Assault and Harassment Claims|last=Farrow|first=Ronan|date=2018-09-09|magazine=The New Yorker|access-date=2018-09-13|language=en-US}}
Fager was ousted from CBS News on September 12, 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/12/60-minutes-executive-producer-jeff-fager-leaves-cbs-after-violating-company-policy.html|title=CBS: '60 Minutes' executive Jeff Fager is out because of violating policy|last=Castillo|first=Michelle|date=2018-09-12|work=CNBC|access-date=2018-09-13}}{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/09/12/media/jeff-fager-cbs-steps-down/index.html|title='60 Minutes' producer Jeff Fager leaving CBS amid allegations of inappropriate conduct|author= Brian Stelter|date=September 12, 2018|website=CNN}}{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/cbs-60-minutes-executive-producer-jeff-fager-to-depart-1536775321|title=CBS '60 Minutes' Executive Producer Jeff Fager to Depart|author=Keach Hagey|date=September 12, 2018|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}} CBS News reported that Fager had sent a threatening text message to Jericka Duncan, one of the network's correspondents, when she sought his response to the report in The New Yorker.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fired-60-minutes-boss-jeff-fager-warned-cbs-news-reporter-there-are-people-whove-lost-their-jobs-trying-to-harm-me/|title=Fired "60 Minutes" boss warned CBS News reporter: "There are people who've lost their jobs trying to harm me"|date=2018-09-13|work=CBS News|access-date=2018-09-13|language=en}} The text read "Be careful, There are people who lost their jobs trying to harm me, and if you pass on these damaging claims without your own reporting to back them up, that will become a serious problem."{{Cite web |last=Stelter |first=Brian |date=2018-09-12 |title='60 Minutes' producer Jeff Fager fired after sending CBS reporter 'unacceptable' message |url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/09/12/media/jeff-fager-cbs-steps-down/index.html |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=CNNMoney}}
Awards
- 2007: Gerald Loeb Award for Television Enterprise business journalism for "The Mother of All Heists"{{Cite web |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20070625006020/en/2007-Gerald-Loeb-Award-Winners-Announced-UCLA |title=2007 Gerald Loeb Award Winners Announced by UCLA Anderson School of Management |date=June 25, 2007 |website=Business Wire |access-date=February 1, 2019}}
- 2012: Paul White Award, Radio Television Digital News Association{{cite web |url=http://www.rtdna.org/content/paul_white_award#.U4FBHS8-Ngc |title=Paul White Award |publisher=Radio Television Digital News Association |accessdate=2014-05-27 |archive-date=2013-02-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225052416/http://rtdna.org/content/paul_white_award#.U4FBHS8-Ngc |url-status=dead }}
- 2014: Gerald Loeb Award for Personal Finance business journalism for "60 Minutes: 40 Million Mistakes"{{cite web|title=UCLA Anderson School of Management Announces 2014 Gerald Loeb Award Winners|url=http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/media-relations/2014/2014-gerald-loeb-awards|website=UCLA Anderson School of Management|date=June 24, 2014|access-date=January 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201120336/http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/media-relations/2014/2014-gerald-loeb-awards|archive-date=February 1, 2019|url-status=dead}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0265061}}
- {{emmytvlegends name|jeff-fager}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-bus}}
{{succession box |
before=Sean McManus|
title=CBS News President |
years=2011-2015 |
after=David Rhodes
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Presidents of CBS News}}
{{60 Minutes}}
{{GeraldLoebAward Personal Finance}}
{{GeraldLoebAward Television}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Commons category|Jeff Fager}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fager, Jeff}}
Category:Television producers from New York (state)
Category:Colgate University alumni
Category:Gerald Loeb Award winners for Television
Category:Gerald Loeb Award winners for Personal Finance