Les Moonves Stays as CBS C.E.O. While Its Board Plans an Investigation

Leslie Moonves, the embattled chief executive of CBS Corporation, survived the meeting.

On Monday, three days after the publication of an article detailing allegations of sexual harassment against Mr. Moonves, the company went through with a regularly scheduled meeting of its board of directors in advance of a Thursday earnings call.

Afterward, CBS said in a statement that its board was “in the process of selecting outside counsel to conduct an independent investigation.”

The company had announced the planned investigation on Friday, hours after The New Yorker published a report that included six women who said Mr. Moonves had asked them for sexual favors and retaliated when they declined.

The CBS statement on Monday added, “No other action was taken on this matter at today’s board meeting.” And so ended the speculation that Mr. Moonves would face immediate consequences for his alleged behavior.


The New Yorker quoted four of the women by name, including the film and TV actress Illeana Douglas. She described a 1997 meeting with the executive during which, she said, he was “violently kissing” her while holding her down.

The lack of action by CBS was striking at a time when some media companies have swiftly removed prominent employees who were accused of misconduct. CBS fired the anchor Charlie Rose a day after allegations were made against him, and NBC acted quickly to fire Matt Lauer of “Today” after he, too, was accused of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment.

 
Mr. Moonves is well known in the entertainment community but has spent the bulk of his career in executive suites, rather than in front of the camera. Still, the CBS board could face recriminations from consumers and from those who believe it should have taken immediate action.

“It’s shortsighted and cowardly of the board,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale School of Management. “They think they’re showing courage on behalf of the C.E.O., but they’re just circling the wagons right now.”

Mr. Moonves, 68, has been the chairman of the CBS board since 2016, and the majority of its 14 members started their tenures after he was appointed chief executive in 2006. Three of the 14 are women, and the board’s average age is 73.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com

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