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come again?
Should Barack Get a Talk Show, or Should Tyra Be President?
CBS president Les Moonves on talk show host / former supermodel Tyra Banks: “We’re in a new day. We’ve seen with Tyra that the audience is changing. In the past, her audience would have been primarily African-American, but the television audience in general is becoming increasingly colorblind, and younger viewers are particularly colorblind. It’s similar to the pattern we’re seeing with voters and Barack Obama—he and Tyra have a similar appeal to the youth audience.” [NYT]
sumner redstone
The Battle For Sumner Redstone's Heart
There are dueling views on who is winning the battle for supremacy in the eyes of the notoriously combative media mogul Sumner Redstone. On one side is Philippe Dauman, head of Viacom, who recently decided to form a new movie channel to distribute films from Viacom's Paramount. On the other side is Les Moonves at CBS, who was allegedly "royally screwed" by Dauman's new channel since it ended the hope that his Showtime network would screen Paramount films. Daubman hopes the incident will help him get CBS and Viacom merged back together and put under his control, the Post reported this morning. Not so fast, said the Wall Street Journal: Dauman's movie channel is a supremely bad idea. More »
television
Four Reasons American Idol Ratings Are Dropping Like Ryan Seacrest's Testicles
American Idol's ratings are falling to record lows, and Scott Collins of the Los Angeles Times is all over the reasons why. Collins blames the bloated two-hour charity special, Idol Gives Back; the writer's strike; generic show fatigue; the contestants; the presentation, Facebook; and CBS boss Les Moonves' undercover operatives. But that's the least of it. Here are the four real reasons the Fox talent show has finally lost its opiate-strength hold on America's masses. (Difficulty level: 9). More »
feuds
New Movie Channel "Royally Screwed" Les Moonves
CBS honcho Les Moonves had a week from hell. It started with a Times highlighting how his salary keeps going up while revenues at his beleaguered company keep going down. Then he had to answer to news department staff about leaks that made Katie Couric look like a lame duck in the anchor chair at CBS Evening News. Now he's said by Nikki Finke's sources to be "royally screwed" after fumbling negotiations with Viacom, a sibling company in the Sumner Redstone media empire. Moonves had been trying to cut the amount CBS' Showtime was paying for Paramount movies, but Paramount said "screw this" and decided to form its own cable channel along with studios MGM and Lionsgate. Here's why the whole situation is especially awkward, according to the Times: More »
The Dead and The Dying
Moonves Backs Couric, Nobody Believes Him
Embattled anchor Katie Couric (legs!) of the long-withering CBS Evening News got a vote of confidence from network boss Les Moonves yesterday, but it was probably just a bunch of meaningless hoo-ha. Moonves said at a staff meeting that Couric "is my anchor today, tomorrow and in the future." Aw, sweet. "But the public display does not change the reality that Couric is likely to relinquish the anchor chair after the election, according to two top network executives who declined to be named discussing a private meeting." More »
les moonves
Katie Couric Just One Element Of How CBS Sucks
Anonymous CBS News employees complained to the Times about how Katie Couric was getting too much attention and the rest of the company was going ignored. The paper went ahead and looked at the rest of CBS and, what do you know, it turns out Evening News host Couric "may be the least of" CBS's worries. Its prime time ratings are down 20 percent, viewers are the oldest among major networks, the news and sports websites are behind rivals, the Early Show just lost its executive producer and the news division is laying off people and cutting back budgets. Meanwhile, CBS chief Les Moonves (pictured) saw his salary rise to $37 million last year, more than twice what Couric is believed to make. Anyone else want to complain to the Times about how they are not getting enough attention? [Times]
scape goats
Old Men To Blame For Everything, Again
The subprime mortgage situation, the looming social security crisis and the History Channel: old men are ruining this country for us young women. If we were in charge, every day would be talk about periods and make-up day. And here's another thing old men are destroying: The broadcasting career of Katie Couric. Les Moonves, CBS chieftain, blames his own demographic for Couric's dismal run as news anchor. Men don't like getting information from a lady! Well, maybe if that Miss Couric tramp talked less about periods and make-up and more about how WWII was really won, she would do better in the ratings. [pagesix.com]
les moonves
Congratulations, Returning Writers
Leaders of the writers strike declared a "huge victory" over the suits when they won a larger share of revenues from internet video. Oh yes? One of those suits, Les Moonves of CBS, says the TV network learned during the stoppage that it didn't need nearly as many expensive scripts and pilots. Explaining healthy earnings, he says: "I think there's been a lot of wasted spending...You don't need to spend $5 million on a pilot." So let's get this straight: writers traded in the traditional pilot season, the audition for their boldest ideas, for a cut of non-existent internet revenues. But don't be too harsh in judging their business acumen: this is why they're writers.
scions
Simon Doonan Hates Les Moonves' Kid
Reading-born necklace eater Simon Doonan is passive-aggressively grumbly this morning in the Observer about how all the city's media internships have been swarmed by "fancy-pants progeny" like CBS CEO Les Moonves' daughter Sara (a Vogue and former Teen Vogue intern, beside whom Doonan was seated at a recent industry event, poor man) and Evgenia Peretz, daughter of longtime New Republic editor Marty Peretz and former Vanity Fair intern, who now writes for the magazine full time. These people might not have their fancy jobs were their parents not famous, he's noticed! More »
After reporting the company's second quarter earnings this morning, "a giddy Sumner Redstone, CBS's chairman, gushed about the performance of CBS and raved about the company's CEO Leslie Moonves. Redstone called Moonves 'the best executive in the media industry' and raved about the 'smart strategic moves' that CBS made to 'position itself in the digital landscape'..." Then he fired him. [CNN]
manly catfights
Yesterday Les Moonves said that Dan Rather's remarks about Katie Couric were "sexist." Yesterday afternoon, Neil Cavuto let Dan Rather strike back. "Les Moonves knows about entertainment, but he doesn't know about news," Rather said. Snappity snap! More »
Dan Rather Gives Les Moonves The Smackdown
Yesterday Les Moonves said that Dan Rather's remarks about Katie Couric were "sexist." Yesterday afternoon, Neil Cavuto let Dan Rather strike back. "Les Moonves knows about entertainment, but he doesn't know about news," Rather said. Snappity snap! More »
CBS CEO Les Moonves defends the honor of Katie Couric, calling remarks about her by Dan Rather "sexist." CBS, long known for its championing of female equality, broadcasts such empowering programs as "Two and a Half Men" and "The King of Queens." [AP]
teen vogue
How To Become A Conde Nast Intern
Still haven't finalized your summer internship plans? For shame! Good thing Cynthia, who's currently interning at Teen Vogue, has some hot tips for you. "My advice for anyone applying for an internship would be to be prepared to answer anything from who your favorite up and coming designers are to why you think you are an eligible canidate [sic] for the position." Solid advice. So, uh, Cynthia, is that how you ended up where you are today, doing everything "from preparing photo shoots and fashion shows to screwing in a light bulb"? "A good friend and former Teen Vogue intern, Sara Moonves (who is now in the New York Vogue office) recommended me for the position. Getting the interview is one of the most difficult parts!" You heard her, kids: put "know the CEO of CBS's daughter" on your to-do lists, or start boning up on your back issues of Woman's Day.Meet Cynthia [Teen Vogue]
media matinee
Media Matinee: Fragments From 'Imus! The Musical'
From time to time the news cycle offers up an event of such import and complexity that it can only be comprehended through the medium of musical theater. Ben Greenman, the Rodgers & Hammerstein of the age (or, at least the Hammerstein), will lead you down the Great White Way to understanding. Shhh, the curtain's starting to rise! More »
media
Media Bubble: Yeah, Bill Clinton LOVED The 'Times'
media
Media Bubble: Yet More Reality For MTV
media
