L. Franklin Devine retires from 60 Minutes
L. Franklin Devine may be a name that regular 60 Minutes viewers recognize. It has appeared before some of the broadcast's most memorable stories.
Frank spent 43 years as a CBS News producer, including 35 years at 60 Minutes. As a producer for Steve Kroft for more than 20 of those years, Frank introduced us to an ambitious Illinois senator named Barack Obama, explained an underlying cause of the 2008 financial crisis, and produced an interview with Charles, then Prince of Wales.
Bill Owens, executive producer of 60 Minutes said, "Frank is to 60 Minutes what Ben Franklin was to the Declaration of Independence. He didn't create it, but he helped with the writing and editing and made the final product better. That's what people see on TV today."
Steve Kroft said, "Frank was the best producer I ever had, bar none and among the best to ever work on the floor. He held everything together. He laid out every story with his 'bibles,' a term for the story research and a practice he invented. Everything flowed from those. He was also the safety net not just for our stories but sometimes for whole shows. Always there when you needed him. What a great career. People on the broadcast will remember him for a long time."
Frank Devine produced over 100 stories for 60 Minutes during his decades with the broadcast. Below, watch some of his memorable work.
1993: Bob Dole of Kansas
In 1993, Steve Kroft profiled the 70-year-old Senate minority leader and WWII veteran, who was the second most powerful man in Washington at the time.
1994: P.J. O'Rourke
In 1994, political satirist and bestselling author P.J. O'Rourke told Steve Kroft about his style of taking middle-aged, Midwestern sensibilities and observations to different places.
1997: Seinfeld
In 1997, Steve Kroft sat down with comedian Jerry Seinfeld, whose quirky television show about a handful of neurotic New Yorkers quickly became a ratings juggernaut.
2001: Survivors
Not only did Sandler O'Neill lose more than one third of its employees on 9/11, but it also lost its entire World Trade Center headquarters. Steve Kroft was there as the financial firm returned to business.
2004: Jon Stewart
In 2004, 60 Minutes chronicled Jon Stewart's comedic coverage of the presidential election campaigns.
2005: Prince Charles
"What is the most difficult part of your job?" Steve Kroft asked then-Prince Charles in 2005. King Charles III also discussed his responsibilities as the Prince of Wales, and took 60 Minutes to Poundbury, an 18th century village adapted for the 21st century, which he created on his land near Dorchester, in the south of England.
2005: Chasing the Flu
In 2005, Dr. Anthony Fauci told 60 Minutes the U.S. was not prepared if the H5N1 flu, also known as the avian flu, became a pandemic.
2007: Barack Obama
Steve Kroft interviewed then-Sen. Barack Obama for the first time in February 2007, when Obama was just announcing his bid for the presidency.
2008: Wall Street's Shadow Market
In 2008, Steve Kroft looked at some of the arcane Wall Street financial instruments that magnified the economic crisis.
2009: A Living for the Dead
In 2009, 60 Minutes reported on how deceased celebrities continue to generate income after they have passed.
2010: Inside the Collapse
In 2010, Steve Kroft spoke with Michael Lewis about his book "The Big Short" which explained how some of Wall Street's finest minds managed to destroy $1.75 trillion of wealth in the subprime mortgage markets.
