The turmoil at CBS News over the controversial “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris has put the show’s boss on the hot seat – and insiders are speculating the network could dump him if President Trump wants a “head on a spike,” The Post has learned.
Bill Owens – executive producer of “60 Minutes” since a sexual-misconduct scandal engulfed CBS and ousted his predecessor, Jeff Fager – has remained defiant amid fury from the rank-and-file over a possible settlement with Trump over his $10 billion lawsuit.
The president claims CBS edited the Harris interview to make her look better ahead of the election – an accusation the network has denied.
On Monday, 58-year-old Owens told staffers that the edit was “perfectly fine” and that “the company knows I will not apologize for anything we have done,” The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Nevertheless, CBS confirmed it reluctantly sent the full interview transcript on Monday to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who has vowed to fast-track an investigation into any wrongdoing, as The Post reported.
On Monday, Carr told The Post he will vet the transcript in light of an FCC “prohibition against news distortion on our books for 50 years” that applies to TV broadcasters. Some CBS insiders fear the outlook for the probe isn’t good.
“It might not matter what the transcripts show,” a CBS source told The Post. “Trump might want a head to roll.”
If Owens gets the boot, network sources are chattering that one of the people who could replace him is Susan Zirinsky, the legendary producer who inspired Holly Hunter’s character in the classic movie “Broadcast News.”
Last month, the 72-year-old Zirinsky, was named interim executive editor of CBS News to help the Tiffany Network “quickly and effectively deliver balanced, accurate, fair and timely reporting, including highly complex, sensitive issues like the war in the Middle East,” CBS CEO George Cheeks said in a memo.
At the time, Paramount’s controlling shareholder Shari Redstone praised Zirinsky’s appointment, saying the network is “fortunate” that she “stepped in.”
That was after “60 Minutes” drew barbs over a segment on the Gaza war – leading Redstone to voice concerns about the show’s direction, multiple sources said.
A “livid” Redstone, whose family stands to pocket about $1.75 billion if the $8 billion merger with Skydance Media goes through, allegedly pressed CBS News president Wendy McMahon to fire Owens for airing the one-sided report, another source with knowledge of the situation said.
Redstone and CBS declined to comment.
The segment also drew scorn from the ADL and the American Jewish Committee for being “biased” and “villainizing Israel” and the US’ support of the country.
The backlash against “60 Minutes” comes at a delicate time for Paramount as it tries to sidestep regulatory hurdles from Trump’s appointed FCC chair to complete the long-winding Skydance deal.
Owens, who like his predecessors has run “60 Minutes” as an independent fiefdom apart from CBS news, isn’t happy about having his work vetted by Zirinsky, sources said.
Zirinsky and Owens declined to comment.
The pair were locked in a bake-off for the “60 Minutes” gig in 2019. Some “60 Minutes” staffers, including host Scott Pelley, were apoplectic over the idea that Zirinsky — then boss of crime-focused news show “48 Hours” — could get the job over Owens, as The Post previously reported.
advocacy groups. FilmMagic
Owens did get the role after Zirinsky was promoted to CBS News president – a position whose bureaucratic duties she reportedly didn’t relish. She stepped down in 2021 to run See It Now Studios, a CBS documentary unit.
Owens, in the meantime, has racked up criticism on his watch over the program’s allegedly leftward skid.
In addition to the Harris interview, in which CBS was accused of editing down her lengthy, “word salad” responses to tough questions, “60 Minutes” has taken heat for giving former President Joe Biden similar, soft-glove treatment during a fawning 2023 interview by Pelley.
“Bill Owens has so many strikes against him,” another CBS insider told The Post, adding that Zirinsky may finally get her chance to run the prestigious program “if Trump wants a head on a spike.”
Other bones of contention include Leslie Stahl’s 2020 sit-down with Trump in which she claimed the Hunter Biden Laptop story could not be verified.
Credit: Source link
