I do wonder if maybe W5 wouldn't have benefited more from a 60 Minutes type approach... I've found that 60 Min will do a mix of dark/gloomy stories and then something more optimistic (cute animal story, interview with a famous celebrity, positive story about future technology, etc). 

Whenever I see promos for W5, it's usually a dark depressing story about human trafficking, injustice against some undeserving victim, environmental disaster, serial killers, etc. It's not enticing to promote a W5 story during the 6pm newscast which is already filled with depressing news. Viewers are not going to clamour for more bad news, no matter how important or insightful it might be.

 

W5 did have some lighter stories every so often but like 60 Minutes this isn't what they are likely going to put in a promo running prior to the show.

When we still had weekly ratings available to us, W5 usually was in the top 30 shows in Canada.  60 Minutes didn't make the top 30 that often in Canada, partially because it got so messed up by NFL football and Global not benefitting from the NFL lead in.  So 60 Minutes is huge in the US but not so much here, or at least according to the weekly ratings a few years ago. 

W5 also predated 60 minutes by two years, so a shame that Bell can't see fit for this successful newsmagazine to continue.