Diane Ronnau, a longtime CBS News producer, died on July 23 after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. She served as a producer on many news programs on the channel. Ronnau was most recognized for her work on 48 Hours and the CBS Evening News.
Ronnau discussed her pancreatic cancer diagnosis and determination to battle it in a 2007 interview with CBS’ Sandra Hughes. Prior to the aforementioned interview, the senior news producer was diagnosed with cancer and had been battling the condition for 15 years.
Ronnau seemed to have survived cancer, according to CBS News correspondent Joy Benedict’s Facebook tribute to her. Her message, however, implies that Ronnau’s pancreatic cancer has been cured.
Everything You Need To Know About Diane Ronnau
There isn’t much information regarding Diane Ronnau’s life prior to joining CBS. Ronnau joined CBS in 1990 and worked there for almost 32 years, according to her LinkedIn profile. Ronnau worked for CBS for three decades, producing series such as 48 Hours and the CBS Morning Show. Her LinkedIn profile said that the senior news producer lived in Los Angeles, California. In addition, she produced CBS Sunday Morning on occasion. CBS reports that:
“For the previous 20 years, she worked as a producer for CBS Evening News, covering issues ranging from the legal and political sectors to medical and scientific discoveries.”
Diane Ronnau was also linked to recent coverage of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial verdict and punishment for the murder of George Floyd, according to the news network’s online publishing portal. Ronnau is said to have generated certain chunks of the coverage.
Ronnau was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the category of “Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast” in 2018 for the network’s coverage of the Las Vegas tragedy. Ronnau was nominated as a member of the team responsible for the creation and airing of the aforementioned piece in two programs, CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley and CBS This Morning.
Diane Ronnau’s fight against pancreatic cancer
The late CBS News producer did not say much about her 15-year battle with pancreatic cancer. During a 2007 interview with Sandra Hughes, Ronnau described her reasons for remaining silent about the sickness. The native of Los Angeles informed the host:
“The fact is that you sometimes do things because you have to. I’m unwell, but I also have obligations. I have a family, I work, and I must do those things. As much as I was concerned about becoming unwell, I really wanted to engage in the rest of my life, to which I am quite devoted.”
She went on to say at the time:
“Cancer decided not to identify me. I have chosen to identify as a working mother.”
Ronnau had Stage IV pancreatic cancer, according to numerous tweets after her death. Joy Benedict’s Facebook memorial to Ronnau said that the late journalist is survived by her kids, Ben and Aiden.
Following the news of Diane Ronnau’s death, condolences poured in.
As CBS confirmed her untimely death, many well-wishers and colleagues of Ronnau flocked to Twitter to pay their respects to the late news producer. Moreover, numerous of her colleagues mentioned how she had survived cancer for 15 years. Others, however, applauded her work on CBS.
