CBS News Sunday Morning - Format

Format

Each episode begins with a short summary of national and world headlines, sports and a national weather forecast—which unlike most morning news programs does not allow a cue to affiliates to run a local weather insert. It then follows a story totem pole in the center of the CBS soundstage. Each story covered in a given episode has a glass plate with its headline on this pole, which the camera follows after Osgood's introductions. Music in the show is usually limited to the opening and closing title theme. Osgood introduces each story with a short monologue, then sends the show out to the pre-taped segment. The show usually ends with Osgood going to Washington D.C. to check in on Bob Schieffer who tells the viewers what is coming up on Face the Nation followed by a preview of next week's show. After the commercial break, there is a 60-second tranquil nature scene. After that, a subtle plug is delivered by Osgood for his weekday The Osgood File radio commentaries for CBS Radio News, with the closing "Until then, I'll see you on the radio."

The program follows a format similar to a Sunday newspaper, but presented in a television show. Notably, Sunday Morning includes significant coverage of the fine and performing arts, including coverage of topics usually not covered in network news, such as architecture, painting, ballet, opera, and classical music, though increasingly more popular forms of music have been included as well. The program correspondents tend to ask nontraditional questions of guests; for instance, actor Brad Pitt was asked about his love of architecture, and Grant Hill about his painting collection. Television essays similar to the kinds delivered on PBS also appear, and the program generally has a stable of equally positive and negative news stories to fill up the program when there is no breaking news of note. Story lengths are longer and the pace of the program is considerably quieter and more relaxed than the weekday CBS This Morning. Commentators Ben Stein and Nancy Giles appear in recurring segments, delivering their opinion, and correspondent Bill Geist also contributes human interest stories. The program ends with a nature scene, not given a formal title for most of the program's history, but since entitled "Moment of Nature" as it is now a sponsored element. Despite the stereotype of the program appealing primarily to senior citizens, the show actually placed first among its time slot in the key 25–54 demographic, beating all of the other Sunday morning talk shows.

On one occasion, the entire program served as a showcase for classical music. This took place in April 1986, when a live broadcast of Vladimir Horowitz's historic Moscow piano recital was aired. For that presentation only, the program departed from its usual newsmagazine format and devoted the entire ninety minutes to a complete presentation of the recital. Because the recital was given at 4:00 p.m. Moscow time, CBS was able to broadcast it at 9:00 a.m. EDT. The presentation was such a critical and popular success that it was repeated two months later, and was subsequently released on VHS and DVD.