CBS to investigate CEO over harassment claims

Six women tell magazine Les Moonves sexually harassed them from the 1980s to the late 2000s.

CBS said Friday it is investigating personal misconduct claims after the company’s chief executive, Les Moonves, was the subject of a New Yorker story detailing sexual misconduct allegations.

The media company said it takes all allegations of personal misconduct seriously. It said the independent directors are “investigating claims that violate the company’s clear policies in that regard.”

CBS Corp.’s stock fell 6 percent — its worst one-day loss in nearly seven years — as the reports of the misconduct allegations began to circulate around noon Friday, triggering investor concerns Moonves might be forced to step down.

The CBS chief has been a towering figure in televi- sion for decades, credited with turning around a network that had been mired for years at the bottom ratings.

The company did not men- tion Moonves by name but said it issued the statement in response to the New Yorker article, which was published on the magazine’s website late Friday.

It was written by Ronan Farrow, who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning story for the same magazine uncovering many of the allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein

The article says six women who had professional dealings with Moonves say he sexually harassed them between the 1980s and late 2000s.

Four of t he women described forcible touch- ing or kissing during business meetings, it says, while two said that Moonves physically intimidated them or threatened to derail their careers.

Moonves acknowledged in a statement that there were times decades ago when he may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. But he says, “Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely.”

He said that he never misused his position to harm or hinder anyone’s career.

The New Yorker article also said a culture of misconduct extended from Moonves to other parts of the corporation, including CBS News. It said men in that division who were accused of sexual misconduct were promoted, even as the company paid settlements to women with complaints.

CBS said that once the investigation by independent members of its board is completed, the full corpo- rate board will review the findings and “take appropriate action.”

It took issue in a statement, however, with the New Yorker article for not accurately representing “a larger organization that does its best to treat its tens of thousands of employees with dignity and respect.”

Mooves is the latest media giant to become embroiled in sexual misconduct allegations since the downfall of Weinstein in October triggered the #metoo social media movement.

In November, CBS fired veteran news host Charlie Rose over allegations he had groped women, walked naked in front of them and made lewd phone calls. Rose has apologized for his behavior but questioned the accuracy of some of the claims.

In December, Moonves joined a meeting of chief executives of nearly every major Hollywood studio, TV network and record label to establish a commission to comb sexual misconduct in the industry. They agreed to fund the Commission On Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace, and chose Anita Hill to chair it.

The allegations come as CBS is in the middle of a legal battle with its controlling shareholder, National Amusements, which has been pushing for a merger with Viacom, also controlled by National Amusements.

CBS and Viacom were once part of the same company, known as Viacom, but were split in 2005 into separate entities, both controlled by Sumner Redstone. His daughter, Shari Redstone, has been pushing to reunite the companies under one corporate umbrella. Moonves has been opposed to the deal.

CBS said its current “management team has the full support of the independent board members” in the ongoing litigation involving National Amusement. The legal case is being played out in Delaware court.

National Amusement jumped into the controversy with a statement denying what it called “the malicious insinuation that Ms. Redstone is somehow behind the allegations of inappropriate personal behavior by Mr. Moonves or today’s reports.”