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Hollywood Breakdown

Sumner Redstone Resigns, What's Next for His Media Empire?

Media mogul Sumner Redstone has resigned as executive chairman of CBS and Viacom. Les Moonves will be the new executive chairman at CBS and Philippe Dauman will take the same position at Viacom.

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By Kim Masters • Feb 5, 2016 • 3m Listen

Earlier today the board of Viacom voted to promote CEO Philippe Dauman to executive chairman of the media company that includes MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount. This move was in direct contradiction to the wishes of Shari Redstone, the daughter of 92-year-old Sumner Redstone, who resigned as executive chairman yesterday. Shari Redstone felt the company should not be run by someone who is a member of the family or a member of Redstone's trust, which Dauman is. This is the same board that issued Dauman a massive paycheck in a year when the company's stocks dropped 40%. On the CBS side, Les Moonves will take on the role of executive chairman. What remains to be seen is if a court will declare Redstone mentally competent, and what effect that ruling could have on the leadership of Viacom.

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    Kim Masters

    partner/writer at Puck News, host of KCRW's “The Business.”

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    Matthew Belloni

    founding partner of Puck News

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    Kaitlin Parker

    Producer, 'The Business' and 'Hollywood Breakdown'

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