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Susan Zirinsky (born March 3, 1952) is an American journalism and television news producer. She served as the President of CBS News from January 2019 until April 2021, when she was succeeded by Neeraj Khemlani and Wendy McMahon. She previously served as executive producer of 48 Hours from 1996 to 2019. In 2003, she won a Primetime Emmy Award as producer of the documentary 9/11, which aired on CBS in 2002.
In 2013, Zirinsky was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Television & Film Awards.
As CBS News President and Senior Executive Producer, Zirinsky was responsible for CBS News broadcasts and the division's newsgathering across all platforms including television, CBS News Radio, CBSNews.com and CBSN. Zirinsky is the first female President and Senior Executive Producer of CBS News.
Zirinsky graduated from the School of Communications at American University in Washington, D.C., and made a career in television journalism. In 2009, she delivered the 123rd Commencement Address, School of Communication at American University.
Zirinsky was assigned to cover the White House for CBS, which she did for over a decade. During this time she worked with Marcy McGinnis and Lesley Stahl, who became her mentor. She has also specialized in covering political campaigns and war assignments. She went with Dan Rather to Kuwait during the Gulf War, where she produced the news, and Rather reported live from Kuwait City.
Zirinsky was the senior executive producer of '48 Hours'. She also produces breaking news specials for CBS News. Her frequent collaborators include Bob Schieffer. Her nickname in the newsroom is "Z".
On March 1, 2019, Zirinsky became the first female President and Senior Executive Producer of CBS News, replacing David Rhodes. Rhodes will step down as president of CBS News amid falling ratings and the fallout from revelations from an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against CBS News figures, Rhodes and the CBS network said. She was first offered the position in 2011, however she turned the job down because it would have taken her away from the work she loves, which is producing.
Zirinsky is described as a media icon, legendary, and trail-blazing. She is the second woman to be appointed head of a broadcast news network. After Zirinsky was named president and senior executive producer of CBS News, employees said the mood was upbeat and hoped the appointment would boost morale after a scandal-plagued year. Zirinsky takes her assignment when CBS' longtime chief Les Moonves was forced out following a series of reports accusing him of sexual harassment. Charlie Rose was fired because of the same revelations and Jeff Fager, chief of 60 Minutes, was also forced out during Rose's departure.
The New York Times reported the employees at CBS greeted Zirinsky with a "roaring ovation." Gayle King, co-anchor, CBS This Morning, was quoted as saying, "I was doing the happy dance. ... She is a badass in every sense of the word."
The profession lacks female executives. In 167 years, The New York Times has had one female, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal are at zero. NBC News and Fox News have each had one female news executive and USA Today has had three female top editors, including the current Editor in Chief Nicole Carroll. On January 10, 2019, Showtime announced changes in the wake of Moonves being ousted at CBS. Jana Winograde became one of the new presidents of entertainment at the cable network.
Over the years, Zirinsky has worked with Dan Rather, Lesley Stahl and Ed Bradley. Zirinsky said she has never forgotten them and in her office there are photos of all three newscasters. In her role as president and Senior Executive Producer of CBS News, she is described as having to clean up after the bad boys, restore credibility at CBS, improve the ratings for the news programs that have seen their ratings slump, and chart the future for CBS News. With the announcement of Ryan Kadro, executive producer of CBS This Morning stepping down, high on her to-do list is finding a new executive producer for CBS This Morning. She was also charged with naming a full time permanent executive producer for 60 Minutes.
Zirinsky has attended screenings of the film for young journalists and lectured about her career and the making of the film.
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