Susan Zirinsky Biography
Susan Zirinsky is an American journalist and news producer who served as the President of CBS News from January 2019 until April 2021. Previously, she served as an executive producer of 48 Hours from 1996 to 2019. As the president of See It Now Studios, she oversees the development, production, and distribution of original documentaries and docuseries for Paramount+, CBS, ViacomCBS networks, and third-party platforms.
Susan Zirinsky Age
Zirinsky was born on March 3, 1952, in New York, United States. Therefore, as of 2022, the journalist is 70 years old.
Susan Zirinsky Height
Zirinsky stands at a height of 1.7m. and his weight is about 72kg.
Susan Zirinsky Family
Being raised in Neponsit, Queens, Susan is the daughter of Cynthia Finkelstein and Richard Zirinsky who were together from 1915 to 2002. She had a younger sibling sister, Barbara Zirinsky Faden, who died in 1999 at age 50 due to cancer. Moreover, her mother, Cynthia founded Gracie Square Hospital in New York City working as a mental health care professional. Likewise, her father, Richard was a New York City real-estate developer. The Richard and Cynthia Zirinsky Center for Bipolar Disorder was dubbed after her parents for their philanthropy and it is located at Mount Sinai Beth, Israel.
Susan Zirinsky’s Photo
Susan Zirinsky Husband
Zirinsky married Joseph Peyronnin, a journalist in 1984. Peyronnin has as well won an Emmy Award and together, they have covered the Tiananmen Square Massacre. In 1996 they adopted a baby girl from China, naming her Zoe after their 12 years of marriage without a child.
Susan Zirinsky Career
Zirinsky enrolled and graduated from the School of Communications at American University in Washington, D.C., making a career in television journalism. She delivered the 123rd Commencement Address, School of Communication at American University in 2009. Susan joined the CBS News Washington Bureau in 1972 when she was around 20 years old. Susan worked as a weekend production clerk and helped write stories about the Watergate Scandal in her senior year. She was allocated to cover the White House for CBS, for a decade. At this time, Zirinsky worked with Marcy McGinnis and Lesley Stahl and specialized in covering political campaigns and war assignments. Afterward, she went with Dan Rather produce and report in Kuwait during the Gulf War.
Zirinsky is the senior executive producer of 48 Hour and a producer for breaking news specials for CBS News. Z her nickname in the newsroom became the first female President and Senior Executive Producer of CBS News on March 1, 2019, replacing David Rhodes. She was first offered the position in 2011, but she, unfortunately, turned the job down because she loved producing. Additionally, Susan is the second woman to be appointed head of a broadcast news network. In about 167 years, The New York Times has had one female, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal being at zero. Being the president and senior executive Producer of CBS News, she had to clean up after the bad boys, and restore credibility at CBS. These are some of the other anchors that Zirinsky works with at CBS News:
Sharyn Alfonsi
John Dickerson
Lesley Stahl
Bill Whitaker
Tanya Simon
Norah O’Donnell
David Martin
Steve Hartman
James Brown
Awards and Recognition
Zirinsky’s two projects have won Peabody Awards for Excellence, 9/11 in 2002. 48 Hours: Heroes Under Fire and a documentary about the World Trade Center from the opinions of firefighters from a Lower Manhattan company. In 2003, Zirinsky was also honored with the First Amendment Service Award by the Radio Television and Digital News Foundation. She has won the News & Documentary Emmy Award and the Christopher Award. In 2010, Z’s work on 48 Hours: The Lost Children won an Edward R. Murrow Award. Likewise, she was as well awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Television & Film Awards in 2013.
Production
She was also an associate producer of Broadcast News and senior executive producer of Whistleblower. As an executive producer, here are some of the shows and programs she has featured in
- In God’s Name
- The Lord’s Bootcamp
- That’s The Way It Was: Remembering Cronkite
- Ted Kennedy: The Last Brother
- The Royal Wedding: Modern Majesty
- David Letterman: A Life on Television
- Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs
- 9/11
- Elvis by the Presleys
- Britney & Kevin: Chaotic
- Beslan: Three Days in September
- Fashion’s Night Out
- Vanity Fair’s Hollywood
- That’s The Way It Is: Cronkite at 90
- Mary Tyler Moore: Love Is All Around
- Princess Diana: Her Life—Her Death—The Truth
Susan Zirinsky Salary
Zirinsky’s salary is about $105,000 per year.
Susan Zirinsky Net Worth
Zirinsky’s estimated net worth is about $2.4 million. Her primary source is her job as a journalist and television news producer.
Social Media Accounts
Zirinsky is active on social media and she posts personal and work-related stuff from time to time. She has over 2000 followers on Instagram, 2.4k on Facebook, and 19.7k on Twitter.