R.I.P. Don Hewitt of ' 60 Minutes'

Don Hewitt, the creator of CBS News' iconic "60 Minutes," died today of pancreatic cancer. He was 86.

Hewitt was a director/producer for such early CBS icons as Edward R. Murrow, produced and directed all three networks' coverage of the 1963 presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, and was the original executive producer of the 30-minute "CBS Evening News With Walter Cronkite," which debuted in 1963. There, he created such staples of TV news broadcasting as the use of cue cards for anchors, the placement of text in the bottom third of the screen, and the cutting back and forth between two projectors, known as the "double."

A few years later, Hewitt proposed a new, hourlong magazine format for a TV news show, saying he wanted to "package an hour of reality as compellingly as Hollywood packages an hour of make-believe." With Mike Wallace cast as the "black hat" and Harry Reasoner as the "white hat," the original "60 Minutes" debuted on September 24, 1968. The show didn't just make news, again and again; it also made money. That was something Hewitt would later acknowledge with some regret, because he said it led to pressure for ever-greater ratings and a growing sensationalism. "60 Minutes" has had many victories, a few high-profile mistakes, and a string of imitators -- some better than others, some bolder. But the show remains the gold standard for magazine-style TV news, remarkable for its continued influence.

Hewitt is survived by his wife, Marilyn Berger, two sons, a daughter, a stepdaughter, and three grandchildren. He died in Bridgehampton, New York, surrounded by family.