Marketers Keep An Eye On Their Ad Buys

AS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST LES MOONVES AND THE NETWORK MOUNT, MEDIA BUYERS AREN’T BOYCOTTING THEM—YET.

- Jason Lynch

During CBS Corp.’s quarterly earnings call last Thursday, Les Moonves sounded like his usual über-confident self, making his typical boasts to investors about “record results,” “another very strong quarter,” “another terrific upfront” and “another great schedule this fall.” But the CEO and chairman was only able to maintain his braggadocio because no one on the earnings call—not Moonves himself nor any analysts who questioned him—brought up the elephant in the room: Ronan Farrow’s explosive New Yorker story in which six women, including actress Illeana Douglas, accused Moonves of sexual harassment and intimidation over several decades.