Woman to lead CBS News
Susan Zirinsky will be the first female chief of the storied division.
Longtime producer Susan Zirinsky is replacing CBS News President David Rhodes in March, becoming the first woman to lead the storied division in the network’s history.
A legendary figure at CBS News, Zirinsky had been a leading candidate to become the executive producer of the network’s newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” replacing the program’s ousted leader, Jeff Fager.
But CBS Corp. acting Chief Executive Joseph Ianniello wanted to put Zirinsky in a larger role as Rhodes, who has been president of CBS News since 2011, is nearing the end of his contract. He had been brought in by former CBS CEO Les Moonves, who was recently stripped of his $120-million severance over allegations of sexual misconduct after a four-month investigation.
“‘60 Minutes’ is the No. 1 news program and will continue to be that,” Ianniello said in an interview. “Susan can add more value creatively on some of our other broadcasts and have an impact that’s much greater on the entire organization.”
Rhodes will depart in March after overseeing Zirinsky’s transition and have an advisory role after that.
Zirinsky, 66, will be CBS News president and senior executive producer — signaling that she will have a strong hand in guiding the division’s content.
“Being a producer is my oxygen and the core of who I am,” she said in an interview. “I’ve got to manage money and contracts, but management people will be there for me. My whole approach is as a producer and that’s what will differentiate us.”
Top female executives have been rare in network TV news. Deborah Turness was the first woman network news president, serving in the role for NBC from 2013 to 2017. On the cable side, Fox News is currently led by Suzanne Scott.
Bill Owens is likely to take over as executive producer of “60 Minutes.” Owens, currently executive editor, has been running the program since Fager’s departure in September.
The upheaval comes during one of the most turbulent times in the history of CBS, which like other media entities has been rocked by the #MeToo movement.
CBS recently settled a lawsuit filed by three female employees who said they were sexually harassed by former “CBS This Morning” co-anchor Charlie Rose, who was ousted a year ago. The firing disrupted the progress the network had made in the morning against entrenched competitors “Today” on NBC and “Good Morning America” on ABC.
CBS was also shaken by the departure of Fager, who was under investigation amid allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior when he was fired Sept. 12. His ouster came after he sent a threatening text message to CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan, who was working on a piece following up on #MeToorelated reporting in the New Yorker, which described the allegations against him.
Zirinsky said she is committed to improving the CBS News workplace.
“The #MeToo movement isn’t behind us, it’s alongside us in our thinking,” she said. “There will be a new and more powerful human resources person in the news division that is working on culture change. It’s really important to me to have an environment where there is transparency, where you can talk, where there are reactions based on actions.”