CBS News Taps Trail-Blazing Woman Susan Zirinsky to Clean Up After Bad Boys
After a year of sexual harassment scandals brought down top male talent and executives, CBS decided it had enough and put one of its beloved and legendary female producers in charge.
Susan Zirinsky took over CBS News from president David Rhodes on Monday. Zirinsky has been at the network for four decades, helming programs including 48 Hours and the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, working in war zones and covering the White House. (She was the inspiration for Holly Hunter’s character Broadcast News.) Now she will be only the second woman to be appointed head of a broadcast news network.
One of Zirinsky’s major moves could be the appointment of a woman to another top post at the network, by tapping CBS This Morning host Norah O’Donnell to host the Evening News, according to sources. O’Donnell has in the past made her desire to host the Evening News job well known, they said. Her allies have gloated to tabloids about current host Jeff Glor’s ratings failures, and suggested that the network may have been buyer’s remorse.