How CBS handled sexual misconduct allegations against Les Moonves

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personality Julie Chen (L) and President and CEO of CBS
Corporation Leslie Moonves attend Premiere Of CBS Television
Studios & Amblin Television’s ‘Extant’ at California Science
Center on June 16, 2014 in Los Angeles,
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• CBS may have missed an opportunity to get ahead of sexual
  misconduct allegations against its ousted chief Les Moonves
  because of the well-publicized power struggle between Moonves
  loyalists and Shari Redstone, president of the CBS parent
  company, National Amusements.
• According a Wall Street Journal report published Monday
  night, Redstone asked members of CBS’ board of directors about
  allegations against Moonves in January.
• The board brushed off the concerns, as did Moonves when
  Redstone spoke to him directly, The Journal said, citing sources
  familiar with the conversations.
• Those bombshell accusations came to light via a New Yorker
  exposé in July.
  New allegations emerged on Sunday, forcing Moonves to step
  down as CEO of CBS Corporation.
• Redstone and Moonves had been in a long-playing fight over
  the future of CBS, raising the possibility that the network could
  rejoin Viacom in a merger now that Moonves is gone. The Journal’s
  report Monday night indicates Redstone will hold off on that “for
  at least two years.”

New details about the events that led up to Les Moonves’
resignation from CBS Corporation emerged on Monday night.

A report
from The Wall Street Journal, says Shari Redstone, the
president of CBS’ parent company, National Amusements, was asking
members of the network’s board of directors about a police
inquiry into sexual misconduct allegations against Moonves in
January.

According to the report, which cites sources familiar with the
discussions, the board brushed off Redstone’s concerns and so did
Moonves when Redstone contacted him directly.

It wasn’t until investigative journalist Ronan Farrow
published a bombshell exposé in the New Yorker that CBS leapt
into action, hiring two law firms to dig into the allegations.
Additional claims of misconduct published on Sunday
forced Moonves to rush the exits.

Redstone and Moonves have been locked in a long-playing, public
battle over the future of CBS, with Redstone pushing for a new
merger between the network and Viacom. Moonves had been fighting
it.

A lack of trust between the two sides ultimately hamstrung CBS’
response to the sexual misconduct allegations, The Journal’s
Keach Hagey and Joe Flint wrote.

“Some board members were skeptical, believing Ms. Redstone was
spreading the rumors,” Hagey and Flint reported.

Industry insiders have speculated that, with Moonves off the
scene, a new CBS-Viacom merger would be inevitable. At least one
expert
said it could happen in 2019.

Despite apparently gaining the upper hand in such negotiations,
Redstone reportedly said she would not push for the merger “for
at least two years.”