CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves will be at the University of Miami on Monday. During his visit, he will discuss his career in television and share his insight with students and faculty.
When Moonves joined CBS in 1995, he developed shows like “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Survivor.” He is credited with launching shows like “Friends” and “ER” during his time as president of Warner Bros. Television.
He was named president and CEO of CBS Corporation in 2006 and helped make CBS the most-watched network in America. “NCIS,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “60 Minutes” are all rated No. 1 in television drama, comedy and news program, respectively.
“He took CBS from the cellar to the ceiling,” said Ellen Fleysher, chair in broadcast journalism and electronic media at the School of Communication (SoC). “His leadership at CBS is marked by his extraordinary programming skills and creative instinct.”
According to the CBS website, international syndication sales have made a significant impact to the company’s revenue under Moonves’ leadership. The company has made deals with large distributors like Netflix and Amazon.
“The industry is changing very fast … there are so many decisions being taken right now,” journalism professor Yves Colon said. “And Les Moonves is sitting at the table making all kinds of decisions … CBS just signed a contract with Netflix where you can see ‘Dexter’ now, you don’t have to have Showtime …”
As chief executive officer, Moonves oversees other company operations like the CBS Television Network, CBS Sports Network, Showtime Networks and the CW.
“This is somebody that you can hear from who is very connected to the industry,” Colon said. “But I think more than that, we are setting very good relationships with CBS, and this is going to mean something for our students now and in the long run for people who want to do internships and so forth.”
Moonves will participate in two forums during his visit – first a morning conversation with Paul Driscoll, vice dean of SoC, on the future of broadcast network television and an afternoon session on the entrepreneurial spirit at CBS. The latter talk will take place during a class on media start-ups by professor Ana Francois.
“Mr. Moonves’ visit provides a tremendous opportunity for our students, faculty and staff to hear and learn from one of the giants of the television industry,” said SoC Dean Gregory Shepherd in a UM Media Relations press release. “We couldn’t be more grateful or more excited.”
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What: Leslie Moonves’ visit
When: “The Future of Broadcast Journalism” discussion at 10:10 a.m. Monday; “Entrepreneurship” talk at 2:30 p.m. Monday
Where: School of Communication’s Shoma Hall (CIB 3053)
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