Report: The Showdown At CBS News

Susan Zirinsky

“60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley last fall tried to quash CBS executive Susan Zirinsky’s chances of becoming his boss at the award-winning news show, sources tell The NY Post.

Zirinsky was named head of all CBS news programming this year. But a few months earlier, in October, she had been considered for the job of “60 Minutes” executive producer.

Bill Owens

The Post reported correspondents from the magazine-style news show were apoplectic over the idea that Zirinsky — then boss of crime-focused news show “48 Hours” — could take the job over Bill Owens, then “60 Minutes” executive editor.

According to three sources with knowledge of those events, Pelley was among those protesting, marching with Owens into the office of CBS interim Chief Executive Joe Ianniello to demand that Owens be named “60 Minutes” executive producer — not Zirinsky.

The problem was solved several months later, in January, when Zirinsky was promoted to head of all CBS news programming in a reshuffling led by Ianniello that forced out then-president David Rhodes. As the new boss, Zirinsky named Owens head of “60 Minutes.”

“I strongly advocated for Susan Zirinsky to become president of CBS News and for Bill Owens to be executive producer of 60 Minutes,” Pelley said in a statement. “With these principled leaders in place, the public should have the greatest confidence in the future of CBS News.”