Moonves Ouster could accelerate leadership change at CBS News



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09:09 PDT 12/09/2018

by

Marisa Guthrie
,
Jeremy Barr

The company's board of directors has not updated the progress rankings of the survey.

The ousting of CBS Corp. chief Leslie Moonves, after a new wave of accusations of misconduct, also threatens CBS News and 60 minutes executive producer Jeff Fager.

September 9th New YorkerRonan Farrow reported that a television producer accused Fager of having inappropriately touched her while she was interning at CBS in 2008. At the end of July, Farrow reported that six women were in prison. had accused of improperly touching, but they were not named. At the time, he also cited 19 current and former network employees saying Fager "tolerated harassment" in the workplace.

Internally, press staff members expressed concern that the CBS board – which has hired two law firms to investigate Moonves' allegations last July – and the general culture of the company – could put in place a facts, "says one insider. This could sweep not only Fager, but also other employees with decades of experience in TV news.

"It seems that his days are numbered now that Moonves is gone," said a TV official who knows how CBS works. "It's too closely related to the story of Moonves."

Moonves chose Fager as president of CBS News in 2011, a position he held until the end of 2014. But 60 minutes Staff members say that while Moonves was a very active leader, he respected the autonomy of the news division. He was known to send emails or phone calls to praise an interview or a particular show, but for the most part he was not involved in the business of 60 minutes. (The only notable exception was in 2017, when Moonves helped attract Oprah Winfrey as a special correspondent.)

When the first New Yorker history has been published, much of the 60 minutes The staff was at the end of a traditional summer break. And Fager has extended his own weeklong vacation in anticipation of the conclusion of an investigation by law firm Proskauer Rose that began last March and was motivated by allegations against Charlie. Pink. This survey was to be completed at the end of August. But it was later incorporated into the Moonves investigation – led by Covington & Burling and Debevoise & Plimpton – leaving Fager in the clouds and in limbo.

The CBS Board of Directors has not updated the rankings of the progress of the investigation. (Proskauer Rose's lawyers began questioning 60 minutes employees last spring.) On September 9, Time's Up issued a strong statement calling for "full transparency" in the investigation. But the settlement between Moonves and Shari Redstone's National Amusements Inc., which resulted in Moonves' exit as chief executive officer of CBS Corporations, includes non-disparagement and confidentiality provisions that cover the company's findings. investigation. At this point, it's hard to know what CBS can or will publish on the results.

Before the #MeToo movement began to spread in the media industry, Fager, 63, was considering retiring from the show. He has been at CBS News for 36 years, with over two decades at 60 minutes, where he appeared under the creator Don Hewitt. And several of Fager's relatives thought he would retire after the 50th season of the show. But now, he is fighting to save his reputation and legacy as the second-largest executive producer among the latest iconic news magazines on television.

Fager has its backers at CBS, who believe that what he's accused of hurting compared to Moonves and the journalists who were caught up in the #MeToo movement, including Rose, that Fager hired for multiple roles . "Jeff was a force of civility at 60 minutes", said one officer, even though another conceded that even a named accusation of inappropriate touching could deserve termination. And while 60 minutes has long been known as a challenging and highly competitive environment, culture has evolved, and throughout the industry. A large part of Fager's leaders are women.

There is also the question of who would replace Fager at the helm of the series, not a small task for the president of the network, David Rhodes. "It's a hard act to follow," said one leader. Meanwhile, the staff has a program to broadcast, the 51st season being scheduled for September 30. "It's extremely frustrating and extremely distracting," said a senior official.

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