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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Viacom OKs split of company

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Viacom Inc., the media conglomerate that owns CBS and MTV, said Tuesday that its board had unanimously approved a plan to split the company into two separate entities, one focusing on broadcast television and the other on cable networks.

Viacom said the split will occur in the first quarter of 2006. Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone will be chairman and controlling shareholder of the companies, which will both be based in New York.

The company said the separation will be made through a tax-free spinoff, meaning that holders of Viacom shares will receive shares of a new company called CBS Corp., that will include the CBS and UPN networks, a group of TV stations as well as a major radio and outdoor advertising group.

The new CBS company will be led by Les Moonves, the current head of CBS and co-president of Viacom. The other company, which will retain the Viacom name, will include MTV, Nickelodeon, BET and several other cable networks as well as the Paramount movie studio. That company will be led by Tom Freston, the longtime chief of MTV and Viacom’s other co-president.

Viacom had announced in March that it was considering a plan to split itself into two companies, saying it wanted to allow investors to value its array of businesses separately.

The company decided to pursue the breakup after becoming frustrated with its languishing stock price. Viacom’s shares traded as high as $75.88 in July 2000, but have generally struggled since then, finishing up 11 cents at $34.21 on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.

Viacom hopes that the MTV-based unit will attract investors seeking fast-growing businesses, while those seeking dividends and more aggressive share buybacks will buy shares in the new CBS Corp., whose businesses are slower-growing but still generate a lot of cash.

The splitup also resolves the pressing issue at Viacom of who will succeed Redstone, who turned 82 last month, as chief executive. Before the splitup plan was announced in March, Freston and Moonves had been seen as competing to succeed Redstone as CEO.