(Reuters) -Paramount Global’s CBS News on Thursday appointed Tanya Simon as the executive producer of its prime time news magazine broadcast “60 Minutes”, in place of Bill Owens, who had stepped down citing lack of editorial independence.
Owens left the post in April after months of legal battle with U.S. President Donald Trump who claimed in a lawsuit that “60 Minutes” deceptively edited an interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris that the network broadcast in October.
Earlier this month, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle the suit, allocating the money to Trump’s future presidential library.
Simon, who began her career at CBS News in 1996, has been with “60 Minutes” for 25 years and recently served as interim executive producer after Owens’ exit.
She is the fourth executive producer in the broadcast’s 57-year history and the first woman in the role, CBS News said.
“Tanya knows that the success of today’s 60 Minutes depends on delivering a weekly mix of the most informative, impactful and entertaining stories and investigative journalism from around the world,” said Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News.
Paramount is awaiting approval from the Federal Communications Commission for its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.
The FCC did not make a decision by the 180-day informal deadline in mid-May and FCC Chair Brendan Carr has denied Trump’s lawsuit was a factor.
(Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
