• March 20, 2003

The Sumner and Mel Show has been renewed. Viacom announced that the conglomerate reached new employment agreements with CEO Sumner Redstone and operating chief Mel Karmazin, and that Karmazin will stay through May 2006. It had been long rumored that tensions between the two would cause Karmazin to defect to another media company. CBS Televisions’ and Viacom’s cable properties’ high performance were attributed mostly to Karmazin. According to Syracuse University professor of Television Richard Dubin, the two personalities can continue to conflict and results can continue to be stable. “If I’m in the media business this has to be reassuring to me that the top two guys at the top network are in accord,” said Dubin. “They can continue to have a tumultuous personal relationship. But in a worlds where the Dillers and Eisners are under fire for bad performance, it’s good to see good management stay in place.”