Shari Redstone is considering removing Les Moonves from atop CBS if he doesn’t agree to take on Viacom boss Bob Bakish as his No. 2 should the two companies become one again, according to Reuters. But would she really?
Not according to a spokeswoman for National Amusements, Inc., the umbrella company through which the Redstone family controls CBS and Viacom. “National Amusements has tremendous respect for Les Moonves and it has always been our intention that he run a combined company,” the rep told TheWrap.
A person with knowledge of the plans told TheWrap that the Reuters report of a threat to Moonves (which was echoed by CNBC) is “not reflective” of where the process stands.