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CBS: Can media pressure get a CEO fired?

CBS (NYSE: CBS) does not need to have the press tell its investors that the company is doing poorly. Broadcast advertising has been hit hard by the advertising recession.

So far, none of the CEOs at the large media conglomerates have been fired. With share prices down as much as 75% that may change. CBS could start the trend. The press is beginning to mention the chief of the firm, Les Moonves, as the fall-guy for the company's problems. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Leslie Moonves sometimes gives the impression he could see a glass as half full even if it was upside down."

Continue reading CBS: Can media pressure get a CEO fired?

CBS files motion to dismiss Dan Rather's breach of contract suit

CBS (NYSE: CBS) said it has filed a motion to dismiss Dan Rather's $70 million, breach of contract lawsuit, calling Rather's claims "far fetched" and "baseless."

Rather, the former anchor of the CBS Evening News filed suit against CBS, its former parent Viacom (NYSE: VIA), CBS president/CEO Leslie Moonves, CBS and Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone, and one-time CBS News president Andrew Heyward, alleging that he was erroneously blamed for the 2004 "Memogate" scandal about President George W. Bush's Vietnam-era military record.

"There was no such nefarious scheme, and Rather's allegations bear no resemblance to reality," CBS said in its motion, Reuters/Hollywood Reporter reported. "CBS and its executives are not now, and never have been, out to get Dan Rather."

CBS's shares were virtually unchanged Friday, falling 8 cents to $27.14 in mid-day trading.

Media Analysis: Although Rather is unlikely to win his suit, the suit represents another demerit for CBS, a network adrift. Few organizations have done more to tarnish their reputation and trample on their tradition and legacy than CBS, the network of Edward R. Murrow and Eric Sevareid. The tasteless, disrespectful treatment of Rather during his departure stands in stark contrast to the respect, decorum, and professionalism that was the network's norm for generations.

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Last updated: November 24, 2009: 05:43 AM

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