CBS Leader Les Moonves accused of Misconduct

unclehonkey said:

Why would she be on the Skew???? I think you mean The Talk (since she is a host on there)

Click to expand...

TheBigA said:

When a parole board makes a decision about releasing an accused prisoner, the question they ask is "Have you rehabilitated yourself?"

Had the early accusers spoken up when the incidents happened, and Moonves had been found guilty and put in jail, his sentence would be done by now. Have there been other more recent incidents, or has the accused rehabilitated himself? That's the question that needs to be asked.

Click to expand...

TeaPartyDude said:

Take a deep breath and try and get a little sense of humor

Click to expand...

FreddyE1977 said:

The charges involving Bill Cosby date back to the 1960's.

Click to expand...

.
Play Video
Ronan Farrow's new piece on CBS and harassment
The New Yorker's bombshell story about alleged harassment at CBS came out while "60 Minutes" staffers were enjoying their annual summer break.
Now the vacation is over. The staffers are coming back to work. And they are wondering who's in charge.

Jeff Fager, the executive producer of "60 Minutes," stands accused of making unwanted advances and enabling harassment by others in positions of power at the newsmagazine, according to Ronan Farrow's report in The New Yorker.

Fager firmly denied the allegations. He seems determined to defend both his own reputation and the esteemed "60 Minutes" brand.

But the accusations of misconduct came as no surprise to "60 Minutes" veterans, who had long suspected that stories might be coming. Now CBS staffers are openly wondering if Fager will be replaced -- a smaller-scale version of the speculation that has enveloped CBS CEO Les Moonves in the wake of Farrow's story.

Multiple staffers told CNN that they don't see how Fager can remain in the job.

The speculation ramped up on Wednesday when some, though not all, "60 Minutes" staffers returned to work. Fager's No. 2, Bill Owens, was there, but Fager was not.

Some sources said Fager's vacation was always scheduled to continue for a few more days.

The newsmagazine goes "dark," in TV speak, during the summer months. New seasons premiere in September. So the full staff is due back in the office next Monday -- and Fager said he will be there.

In response to a question from CNN about his status, Fager said, "I am handling everything and today was our first day back but I'm not in the office until Monday."

"60 Minutes" is beginning its 51st season. The season premiere is slated for Sunday, September 30, so the clock is ticking.

A CBS News spokeswoman declined to comment on Wednesday.

But the news division previously told The New Yorker that it is investigating the accusations against Fager. The law firm Proskauer Rose is conducting the review.

Click to expand...

RadioPatrol said:

https://deadline.com/2018/08/cbs-bo...oversee-les-moonves-investigation-1202438523/

And the CBS board is investigating Moonves through a lawfirm.

Click to expand...

TeaPartyDude said:

Can't they corner him in the executive washroom for a few spontaneous Q&A?

Click to expand...

TeaPartyDude said:

Frank Sinatra must be looking down on him with a smile.

Click to expand...

.
CREDIT: DAVID BUCHAN/VARIETY/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
An investigation into claims of harassment at CBS News by law firm Proskauer Rose, ongoing since March, is expected to be completed by the end of August, the division’s top executive told staffers Thursday.

“In recent days we have been advised that the Proskauer investigation at the News Division is in high gear and is expected to return its conclusions this month,” CBS News president David Rhodes (above, pictured) said in a memo to employees. “The independent nature of this probe means News management does not get incremental updates on its findings — although one factor in its duration is that since March, we have added new areas of inquiry for the lawyers.”

Like its corporate parent, CBS News has been besieged by a set of allegations about sexual harassment and the culture of the company. A blockbuster article in the New Yorker by journalist Ronan Farrow cites interviews with 19 current and former CBS employees who claim Jeff Fager, executive producer of “60 Minutes” and a former chairman of the news division, turned a deaf ear to instances of harassment even as three financial settlements paid to employees of the newsmagazine were related to allegations of discrimination or harassment. The division has been under scrutiny since the ouster of former “CBS This Morning” co-anchor Charlie Rose, who left last year in the wake of allegations about harassment that were published in The Washington Post.


David Rhodes CBS News
CREDIT: DAVID BUCHAN/VARIETY/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
An investigation into claims of harassment at CBS News by law firm Proskauer Rose, ongoing since March, is expected to be completed by the end of August, the division’s top executive told staffers Thursday.

“In recent days we have been advised that the Proskauer investigation at the News Division is in high gear and is expected to return its conclusions this month,” CBS News president David Rhodes (above, pictured) said in a memo to employees. “The independent nature of this probe means News management does not get incremental updates on its findings — although one factor in its duration is that since March, we have added new areas of inquiry for the lawyers.”

Like its corporate parent, CBS News has been besieged by a set of allegations about sexual harassment and the culture of the company. A blockbuster article in the New Yorker by journalist Ronan Farrow cites interviews with 19 current and former CBS employees who claim Jeff Fager, executive producer of “60 Minutes” and a former chairman of the news division, turned a deaf ear to instances of harassment even as three financial settlements paid to employees of the newsmagazine were related to allegations of discrimination or harassment. The division has been under scrutiny since the ouster of former “CBS This Morning” co-anchor Charlie Rose, who left last year in the wake of allegations about harassment that were published in The Washington Post.



RELATED
CBS Says Q2 Profit Rises, But Keeps Mum on Moonves Questions
Samantha Bee Slams Leslie Moonves' Continued Employment at CBS
“I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitivity at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate,”Rose said in November. “I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.”

Fager has denied the allegations. “It is wrong that our culture can be falsely defined by a few people with an axe to grind who are using an important movement as a weapon to get even, and not by the hundreds of women and men that have thrived, both personally and professionally, at ‘60 Minutes,’”he said in a statement to The New Yorker. The probe has been in place since before the CBS Corp. board this week hired two other law firms to investigate claims made in the New Yorker piece by six women against CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, as well as the culture of CBS as a whole. Moonves has acknowledged “making advances” against some women. “Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely,”he said in a statement to the magazine.

Click to expand...

Jeff Fager, the powerful executive producer of "60 Minutes," is delaying his return to work from summer vacation as an investigation continues into sexual misconduct and an abusive culture at the show.

"Having heard the investigation will be wrapping up soon, Jeff has decided to stay on vacation," a CBS News spokesperson said on Sunday.

In March, CBS retained attorney Betsy Plevan of the law firm Proskauer Rose to conduct an independent investigation of alleged misconduct at CBS News, which would include "60 Minutes." The investigation came in the wake of a report by the Washington Post that led to the firing of Charlie Rose, who was co-anchor of "CBS This Morning" and a contributing correspondent for "60 Minutes."

That investigation is ongoing and is expected to conclude this month, a CBS News spokesperson said last week.

Allegations against Fager became public in a report on July 27 by Ronan Farrow in The New Yorker, which also detailed allegations against CBS CEO Les Moonves. Those claims led the board of CBS Corporation to hire two additional law firms to conduct new investigations into both Moonves and the culture at CBS. CBS News is a division of CBS Corporation.

In the New Yorker story, Farrow reported that 19 current and former employees said Fager protected men accused of misconduct, including men who reported to him. One former female senior producer told Farrow that Fager promoted another senior producer who had been physically abusive toward her and advised her against taking her concerns to human resources. She also claimed that Fager told her to apologize to the other producer to "mitigate conflict in the office."

Six former employees told Farrow that Fager had touched employees in ways that made them uncomfortable at company parties, and in one instance made a drunken advance toward a junior staffer.

Fager previously served as chairman of CBS News and became executive producer of "60 Minutes" in 2003. He has been at CBS News for more than 35 years.

In a statement to The New Yorker, Fager said, "It is wrong that our culture can be falsely defined by a few people with an axe to grind who are using an important movement as a weapon to get even, and not by the hundreds of women and men that have thrived, both personally and professionally, at '60 Minutes.'" Fager went on to call the accusations "false, anonymous, and do not hold up to editorial scrutiny."

Click to expand...

. CBS is confirming that embattled NCIS: New Orleans exec producer Brad Kern has been formally suspended from the show as the network conducts a third investigation into allegations that the onetime Charmed EP for decades created toxic, sexist and altogether hostile work environments. Kern, however, has not been formally fired.

“I believe in terms of keeping him out of the workplace during the investigation, that was to be as fair and open as we could be,” CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl told reporters Sunday at the Television Critics Assoc. summer press tour. “The investigation is ongoing. I’m told we will have results soon.”

Last December, in the wake of an explosive Variety story that detailed the Kern allegations, CBS confirmed that Kern had been the subject of two internal investigations, the results of which were inconclusive. “We were aware of these allegations when they took place in 2016, and took them very seriously,” CBS TV Studios said in a statement at the time. “Both complaints were acted upon immediately with investigations and subsequent disciplinary action. While we were not able to corroborate all of the allegations, we took this action to address behavior and management style, and have received no further complaints since this was implemented.”

Click to expand...

RadioPatrol said:

https://tvline.com/2018/08/05/brad-kern-fired-ncis-new-orleans-showrunner-sexual-misconduct/


A third person has been named at CBS for Misconduct allegations.
According to the CBS Entertainment division Brad Kern has been fired from NCIS New Orleans for Misconduct

Click to expand...

. CBS News employees will need to wait a while longer for a law firm's findings about harassment claims leveled against television icon Charlie Rose to be released.

CBS News stated Tuesday in a story that the law firm of Proskauer Rose — which had been hired by the company in March to probe claims against TV anchor Rose made public in a Washington Post article — would fold its findings "into the efforts of two other law firms hired last week by the CBS board."

The Proskauer Rose report had been expected to be released this month. On Aug. 1, CBS hired the law firms of Covington & Burling and Debevoise & Plimpton to investigate claims of misconduct by six women against Moonves in a New Yorker exposé by Ronan Farrow. CBS did not respond to a request for comment on the timetable change for the report.

CBS News president David Rhodes wrote in an internal memo to staff on Aug. 2 that, "In recent days we have been advised that the Proskauer investigation at the News Division is in high gear and is expected to return its conclusions this month."

Added Rhodes: "The independent nature of this probe means News management does not get incremental updates on its findings — although one factor in its duration is that since March, we have added new areas of inquiry for the lawyers."

The 14-member CBS board of directors said that the law firms would "conduct a full investigation of the allegations in recent press reports about Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves, CBS News and cultural issues at all levels of CBS."

Several women, including actress Illeana Douglas, writer Janet Jones, producer Christine Peters and writer Dinah Kirgo, went on the record against Moonves in the New Yorker story. Moonves, who has run CBS since 2003, had said in a statement following Farrow's piece, "I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected — and abided by the principle — that 'no' means 'no.'"

The Washington Post's first story about Rose was published on Nov. 20 of last year and included claims of sexual harassment by eight women. In Ronan Farrow's New Yorker story last month, CBS News' 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager is alleged to have "allowed harassment in the division."

Fager had denied the claims, saying, "It is wrong that our culture can be falsely defined by a few people with an ax to grind who are using an important movement as a weapon to get even, and not by the hundreds of women and men that have thrived, both personally and professionally, at 60 Minutes."

Click to expand...

. Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of CBS Corporation, is quietly looking for a potential replacement for Leslie Moonves, the embattled chief executive of CBS, according to two people close to her.

The sources, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said that Redstone has asked people about possible replacements who could run CBS.

Richard Parsons, the former CEO of Time Warner, who is expected to join the CBS board, is helping to forward names of potential candidates to Redstone, according to one executive. Parsons was not immediately available for comment, according to an assistant at his office.

Spokespeople for CBS and National Amusements, the Redstone family’s holding company that controls CBS, both declined to comment.



THE QUERY
CBS '60 Minutes' chief delays return as harassment investigation continues
The discussions come as Moonves continues to grapple with the fallout from sexual misconduct allegations recently published in The New Yorker, though it is far from clear that Moonves is planning to step down. On July 27, the magazine reported that six women, four of whom spoke on the record, have accused Moonves of sexual harassment or misconduct. Of these allegations, four accused Moonves of forcible touching or kissing, and two alleged sexual misconduct or harassment. The allegations stretch from the 1980s to the 2000s.

Moonves said in a statement to The New Yorker: "I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected — and abided by the principle — that 'no' means 'no,' and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone’s career."

On a recent earnings call, Moonves, on advice of counsel, did not address the allegations and instead discussed future growth projections at the company. The CBS board of directors announced an investigation into the allegations, but did not take any action against Moonves.

Redstone and Moonves have squared off in recent years, with Redstone seeking to merge CBS with Viacom, which is also controlled by Redstone’s National Amusements. CNBC reported in April that Redstone would try to replace Moonves if the two companies were not combined.

Those tensions boiled over in May, when CBS sued National Amusements for breaching its “fiduciary duty.” CBS later voted to dilute the voting power of National Amusements, a move that is being challenged in court.

Click to expand...

The complaint alleges the company should have disclosed that enforcement of its own harassment policies was inadequate.
Allegations of sexual misconduct against CBS chairman Leslie Moonves have now hit a courtroom as one CBS shareholder on Monday filed a putative class action against the company.

Gene Samit, represented by the firm of Pomerantz LLC, is suing in New York federal court with the contention that CBS promulgated its ethical standards in proxy statements and then failed to disclose information that would have a material impact on its business.

The complaint alleging securities violations comes a month after The New Yorker published a big story that detailed how Moonves allegedly made unwanted sexual advances on several women in the industry. The July 27 report immediately sent the company's shareprice tumbling and has triggered an investigation now being handled by two outside law firms.

Samit seeks to represent a class of CBS stockholders who purchased securities in the four years prior to The New Yorker story and points to a 2014 proxy statement that included the company's standards for ethical conduct. CBS directors had to certify certain things, according to the complaint, including a commitment to providing a bias-free and harassment-free workplace environment.

A 2016 letter from Moonves himself, directing employees to commit to a harassment-free workplace among other things, is also quoted in the lawsuit. He wrote that CBS "is known for the quality of its people, the content it creates and distributes around the globe and the integrity of its business practices."

Click to expand...