Viacom’s Sumner Redstone, Les Moonves and Tom Freston revived Showtime’s erstwhile "No Limits" tagline as each man pocketed compensation in salary, bonus and stock options worth $52mln-$56mln in ’04, a year when the company’s stock fell 18%. An SEC filing after market close Fri disclosed the trio garnered a total of $160mln. Viacom noted the package was based on operating performance, not stock price. The filing said Redstone’s salary was $5mln, his bonus $16.5mln; Freston’s salary was $4mln, his $16mln; and Moonves’s salary was $6mln, with a $14mln bonus. The NY Times’ quoted compensation critics and Wall St analysts blasting the men’s package as extravagant, even citing unnamed media execs who charged the filing was made late Fri to avoid attracting attention.

The Daily

Subscribe
Monday–June 23

Cable Rate Proceeding Pales Next to Broadcast Ownership

With an incoming FCC commissioner and a just-opened docket on relaxing broadcast media ownership rules, there is plenty to watch out for at the agency. But first up is Thursday’s open meeting.

Read the Full Issue
The Skinny is delivered on Tuesday and focuses on the cable profession. You'll stay in the know on the headlines, topics and special issues you value most. Sign Up

Calendar

Sep 11
2025 Faxies Awards Faxies Nominations Open! Final deadline: 4/4/25
Full Calendar

Jobs

Seeking an INDUSTRY JOB or hiring for one?
VIEW JOBS

In conjunction with our sister brand, Cynopsis, we are offering hiring managers a deep pool of media-savvy, skilled candidates at a range of experience levels and sectors. The result will be an even more robust industry job board, to help both employers and job seekers.

Contact Carley Ashley, [email protected], for more information about posting a job on the website and our Jobs newsletter, sent twice weekly to 85,000 media professionals.