CBS News President David Rhodes announced on Twitter late Sunday night that he would be stepping down as head of the network.
He named Susan Zirinsky, a veteran producer who has been with the network for four decades and is currently serving as the senior executive producer of the news magazine "48 Hours," as his successor.
“It’s been eight incredible years since I joined @CBS. I’m pleased to announce that I’ll soon be handing the reins @CBSNews to Susan Zirinsky, our Senior Executive Producer,” he wrote in a tweet.
Rhodes added in a following tweet that after Mar. 1., he will be acting as a senior advisor to Zirinsky and CBS News.
He later tweeted that, “The world we cover is changing, how we cover it is changing, and it’s the right time for me to make a change too #2019goals.”
Rhodes' announcement comes after CBS News’ ratings fell in 2018 following Charlie Rose's exit amid sexual assault allegations, the departure of CBS Corporation CEO Les Moonves following multiple allegations of sexual harassment, and the firing of "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager.
MarketWatch reports,
CBS News ratings fell last year, following the 2017 ouster of Charlie Rose amid sexual harassment allegations, and the network's flagship news show, ‘60 Minutes’ lost its longtime executive producer, Jeff Fager, who resigned in September after sending a threatening email to a reporter amid allegations he fostered an atmosphere at ‘60 Minutes’ that tolerated sexual misconduct.
CBS Corp. CBS, +2.25% was also rocked last year by the ouster of longtime CEO Les Moonves, who was accused of multiple instances of sexual misconduct and assault. The Los Angeles Times reported Zirinsky will take over as president in March. She will be the first woman to lead the network's news division.