SUSAN ZIRINSKY, Executive Producer, 48 Hours  Susan Zirinsky was named executive producer of 48 Hours in July 1996. In 1997, she received an Emmy for the 48 Hours report, 48 Hours: The Citadel.
She had been executive producer of Campaign '96 since September 1995, running the day-to-day operation of the CBS News' coverage of the campaign. Prior to that, she was executive producer of the primetime/ CBS news magazine Eye to Eye (October 1994-September 1995), after having been its senior broadcast producer. She joined Eye to Eye as a senior producer when it premiered in June 1993. Zirinsky was the director of CBS News' 1992 political coverage. In that capacity, she was responsible for coordinating the coverage of candidates, issues, and events for all CBS News broadcasts relating to the 1992 political year, culminating in the presidential election. She also held the position of senior CBS News producer at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France, where she was responsible for overseeing the CBS Sports News Desk. In February 1991, Zirinsky became senior broadcast producer of the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. Prior to that, she was a senior producer for the Evening News (September 1989 - February 1991). Her responsibilities included managing all feature pieces and overseeing editorial content of the day-to-day coverage of hard-news events. She also oversaw coverage of special events for the Evening News and other CBS News broadcasts. A Veteran of Political Coverage Zirinsky was a Washington-based senior producer for the CBS Evening News (March 1986-September 1989), responsible for all news segments originating from Washington, DC. She had been a producer for the broadcast, primarily covering the White House during the Carter and Reagan administrations (1979-86). Before joining the Evening News, she worked for other CBS News broadcasts, including the CBS Morning News and weekend news. Zirinsky has held a number of special assignments at CBS News, including floor producer at the Democratic and Republican Convenions of 1976, 1980, 1984, and 1988, senior producer for both conventions in 1992, and as an election night producer since 1976. Zirinsky traveled on every major foreign trip with Presidents Carter and Reagan and was the lead producer at every US-Soviet summit during that time. In the spring and summer of 1989, she ran the Beijing newsroom during CBS News' critically acclaimed coverage of the student uprising and subsequent army crackdown. Earlier that year, Zirinsky was lead producer for CBS News' extensive coverage from Japan the week of Emperor Hirohito's funeral. She was the senior producer responsible for setting up and overseeing the Network's news operation in Kuwait during its coverage of the Persian Gulf War, and it was under her stewardship that CBS News was the first network to enter Kuwait, just behind the allied forces. Zirinsky joined CBS News as a part-time production clerk in 1972. She graduated cum laude from American University in Washington, DC. | 
