<P> It was only when the FCC returned an hour to the networks on Sundays (for news or family programming), which had been taken away from them four years earlier, in a 1975 amendment to the Access Rule, that CBS finally found a viable permanent timeslot for 60 Minutes . When a family - oriented drama, Three for the Road, ended after a 12 - week run in the fall, the newsmagazine took its place at 7: 00 p.m. Eastern Time (6: 00 Central) on December 7 . It has aired at that time since, for 42 years as of 2017, making 60 Minutes not only the longest - running prime time program currently in production, but also the television program (excluding daily programs such as evening newscasts or morning news - talk shows) broadcasting for the longest length of time at a single time period each week in U.S. television history . </P> <P> This move, and the addition of then - White House correspondent Dan Rather to the reporting team, made the program into a strong ratings hit and, eventually, a general cultural phenomenon . This was no less than a stunning reversal of the historically poor ratings performances of documentary programs on network television . By 1976, 60 Minutes became the top - rated program on Sunday nights in the U.S. By 1979, it had achieved the #1 spot among all television programs in the Nielsen ratings, unheard of before for a news broadcast in prime time . This success translated into great profits for CBS; advertising rates went from $17,000 per 30 - second spot in 1975 to $175,000 in 1982 . </P> <P> The program sometimes does not start until after 7: 00 p.m. Eastern, due largely to CBS' live broadcast of NFL games . At the conclusion of an NFL game, 60 Minutes will air in its entirety . However, on the West Coast (and all of the Mountain Time Zone), because the actual end of the live games is much earlier in the afternoon in comparison to the Eastern and Central time zones, 60 Minutes is always able to start at its normal start time of 7: 00 p.m. Pacific Time, leaving affiliates free to broadcast local news, the CBS Evening News, and other local or syndicated programming leading up to 60 Minutes . The program's success has also led CBS Sports to schedule events (such as the final round of the Masters Tournament and the second round and regional final games of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament) leading into 60 Minutes and the rest of the network's primetime lineup, thus (again, except on the West Coast) pre-empting the Sunday editions of the CBS Evening News and affiliates' local newscasts . </P> <P> Starting in the 2012 - 13 season, in order to accompany a new NFL rule that the second game of an NFL doubleheader start at 4: 25pm, CBS officially changed the start time of 60 Minutes to 7: 30 p.m. Eastern time on Sundays in Eastern and Central Time Zone markets when there is an NFL doubleheader scheduled to air (there are nine doubleheaders during the NFL season--eight during the first 16 weeks of the season, and the final week) to protect against overruns . The start time remains at 7: 00 p.m. Eastern time in markets where only a single game is set to air (markets that have only a 1: 00 p.m. Eastern time game on single game weeks, and in markets where a home team's NFL game is on Fox at 4: 05 p.m., meaning CBS cannot air a doubleheader because of restrictions imposed by the NFL). </P>

When does 60 minutes come on west coast