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'60 Minutes' to Air Report on Snake River Dams by Dan Hansen, Staff Writer The Spokesman Review, November 17, 2000

Show's reporters spent months researching the issue

Spokane - The debate over Snake River dams will get a national audience this weekend.

If Sunday is typical, about 17 million people will watch the CBS news program "60 Minutes."

They'll see a segment about the dams and salmon, featuring interviews with a variety of Northwest politicians, activists and scientists.

It is the second time this month that Eastern Washington has been featured on a national news show.

NBC television's "Dateline" program spent an hour last week on the story of convicted Spokane serial killer Robert Lee Yates Jr.

CBS spent about six months investigating the Northwest's efforts to restore salmon, spokesman Kevin Tedesco said.

At issue is whether the government should breach four Eastern Washington dams for the sake of the fish.

Bruce Lovelin of the Columbia River Alliance was one of the Northwesterners interviewed by CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl.

Lovelin, who represents industry groups opposed to breaching, said he spent more than an hour in the interview and is "very nervous" about how the program will turn out.

"It could be the end of a glorious career," he quipped. "`60 Minutes' has ended more than a few careers."

The program originally was scheduled to air in October. It was postponed so programmers could shift gears and cover the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen.

The show airs at 7 p.m. Sunday on Spokane's KREM-2.