CBS O&O Bosses Placed On Administrative Leave

Some inside CBS are calling it the beginning of the end for the regime of CBS O&O President Peter Dunn and VP of News David Friend.

After a number of former and CBS staffers shared stories of a pattern of discriminatory behavior through the instruction of others regarding hiring, firing, promotion and pay setting of employees based on race, gender and sexual orientation at the CBS owned stations, the company has placed the two on “administrative leave” while they investigate the claims.

An internal memo went out to the staff at CBS and was obtained by FTVLive:

CBS Stations Team – I know these have been a difficult few days. I wanted to reach out tonight with an update on a few important developments.

Effective immediately, Stations President Peter Dunn and your Head of News David Friend have been placed on administrative leave pending an independent investigation of issues including those that were published in the recent Los Angeles Times stories. Below is the statement that will be provided to the press.

In addition, CBS Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Bryon Rubin will assume interim leadership of the Stations group. Bryon is very familiar with your business and ready to support your efforts.

I also wanted you to know that on Sunday evening, Marva Smalls, ViacomCBS’ Head of Global Inclusion, and I met with the leadership of the National Association of Black Journalists. We pledged to continue a dialogue with the NABJ on our best path forward.

Please know that you have my commitment – and that of ViacomCBS’ senior leadership – to foster and maintain a positive, inclusive and equitable workplace at Stations and across CBS. We have important work to do here. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion values, goals and programs are essential to our culture and our business success.

Thank you for the incredible work you do every day for your viewers and for CBS.

George

Along with being the President of the O&O’s Dunn is the GM of WCBS in New York, David Friend is the News Director at WCBS, along with being the VP of News.

The pair have also been running WFOR in Miami after longtime General Manager Adam Levy was pushed out and News Director Liz Roldan left for the Tegna station in Miami.

Placing Dunn and Friend on leave is basically leaving two stations without a GM or News Director.

Yesterday, FTVLive told you that the NABJ was asking CBS to fire Dunn and Friend after meeting with the network.

“There is no way that they survive this,” said one CBS staffer to FTVLive. “The network cannot keep them and it a number of us think it is long overdue,” the insider added.

Stay tuned….