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Sumner Redstone, the businessman and media magnate who formerly served as executive chairman of CBS and Viacom, has died. He was 97. Redstone, who often boasted that would live forever, died Tuesday, according to a statement from National Amusements released Wednesday morning. Redstone was a media mogul who built his family’s drive-in theater chain into a global multibillion-dollar empire. In his 90s, he became the center of a jilted lover’s lawsuit that nearly cost his family his financial legacy.

SUMNER TAKES A FALL By PETER LAURIA October 11, 2008 -- Sumner Redstone had his own Black Friday yesterday. All three of the companies Redstone controls - National Amusements Inc., CBS, and Viacom - took hits as a result of the credit crunch. The most ominous move - and one that raised concerns that Redstone might be experiencing liquidity issues - came from movie theater operator National Amusements, which is being forced to sell $400 million of stock in Viacom and CBS to meet debt-covenant agreements. The sale will reduce Redstone's combined stakes in Viacom and CBS by 20 percent...

March 16, 2007 Last summer we went to Vietnam to shoot several "War Stories" episodes for FOX News Channel. As one might expect in a communist country where they take red tape very seriously, my producers spent weeks before our trip filling out forms, questionnaires and documents required by numerous government bureaucracies. In the process it became evident that not all the folks in Hanoi were on the same sheet of music -- but after several weeks of negotiation we were able to accomplish all that we set out to do and more, thanks to their cooperation. As it turns...

Infighting and Weak Ad Sales Hurt Both New Companies; Questioning a Media Fad 'I Have No Second Thoughts' On Jan. 3, Viacom Inc. Chairman Sumner Redstone stood on the balcony of the New York Stock Exchange and heralded the split of his media conglomerate. "The world has changed," he declared after he rang the opening bell. Seven months later, the world indeed has changed -- but not entirely in the way Mr. Redstone predicted. The decision to separate the fast-growing MTV Networks from the more mature CBS TV and radio operation coincided with a sudden slowdown in cable-TV ad sales....

Sumner Redstone....."I don't want to denigrate Kerry," he went on, "but from a Viacom standpoint, the election of a Republican administration is a better deal. Because the Republican administration has stood for many things we believe in, deregulation and so on. The Democrats are not bad people. . . . But from a Viacom standpoint, we believe the election of a Republican administration is better for our company." Mr. Redstone's office immediately went into overdrive, denying on Wednesday that he's a raised funds for the Democratic presidential nominee. Then came yesterday's "I vote Republican" vow in Hong Kong.

With the scandal at CBS still festering, questions are being raised about whether a felony was committed when the network broadcast apparently forged memos in an attempt to discredit George W. Bush. Yesterday, the chairman of CBS's parent company chose Hong Kong as a place to drop a little bomb. Sumner Redstone, who calls himself a "liberal Democrat," said he's supporting President Bush. The chairman of the entertainment giant Viacom said the reason was simple: Republican values are what U.S. companies need. Speaking to some of America's and Asia's top executives gathered for Forbes magazine's annual Global CEO Conference, Mr....

With the scandal at CBS still festering, questions are being raised about whether a felony was committed when the network broadcast apparently forged memos in an attempt to discredit George W. Bush. Yesterday, the chairman of CBS's parent company chose Hong Kong as a place to drop a little bomb. Sumner Redstone, who calls himself a "liberal Democrat," said he's supporting President Bush. The chairman of the entertainment giant Viacom said the reason was simple: Republican values are what U.S. companies need. Speaking to some of America's and Asia's top executives gathered for Forbes magazine's annual Global CEO Conference, Mr....

VIA.B INSIDER TRADING ACTIVITY Transaction Date Name 09-14-2004 REDSTONE, SUMNER Chairman of the Board Transaction # of Shares Price Exercised Options 341,500 $15.25 Est Proceeds (Remaining Shares: 351,580) Transaction Date Name 09-14-2004 REDSTONE, SUMNER Chairman of the Board Transaction # of Shares Price Sale of Shares 341,500 $35.00 Est Proceeds $11,952,500 (Remaining Shares: 10,080)

Experts in corporate governance say the directors of CBS's parent company, Viacom, are obliged to assume some role in resolving the fiasco over CBS News's use of what appear to be fake documents about President Bush's military record. The political affiliations of Viacom's board and senior management, however, could undercut the credibility of any action the board may take. Viacom's chairman and chief executive, Sumner Redstone, is a self-described "liberal Democrat" and a prolific donor to Democratic campaigns. Of the company's 13 board members, eight contribute primarily to Democratic candidates and party committees. Two other members of the board, Joseph...

On September 14, in the midst of the CBS/Rathergate scandal, Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone sold 341,500 shares of his options -- 1/3 of his shares. Insider info, anyone?

Need to keep the heat on CBS. The CEO of Viacom (Sumner Redstone) is long time Kerry contributor.

<p>MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Viacom is in preliminary discussions to launch a gay cable network in the United States, the media giant's chairman and chief executive said Tuesday.</p> <p>Sumner Redstone's conglomerate has also "tightened up" its decency standards in the wake of Janet Jackson's racy performance at halftime of the Super Bowl.</p>

Fresh from his latest win in Maine, the favourite to challenge George Bush for the US presidency has secured the financial support of some of the most powerful media moguls in the world. As John Kerry's campaign to secure the Democrat nomination - and with it a crack at the White House - continues to gather pace, it has emerged that it is being bankrolled by key executives from News Corporation, MTV-owner Viacom and Sony. The victory in Maine, Mr Kerry's 10th out of the 12 primaries in the opening weeks of the Democrat selection campaign, confirmed his position as...

<p>So the entire world has now got a taste of what passes for entertainment on MTV every day. That was our reaction to the furor over the MTV-produced Super Bowl halftime show, which network President Judy McGrath described as "exciting" and "great" and marred only by "five seconds none of us knew anything about."</p>

VIACOM CHAIR SUMNER REDSTONE EXPRESSED GRAVE CONCERN FOR NETWORK BROADCAST...WILL AIR ON SHOWTIME UNCUT [WITH AIDS QUOTE ONLY DELETION]...CBS will issue press release early in morning; Robert Greenblatt, head of SHOWTIME will announce that SHOWTIME will air the telepic. Bob Ackerman the Director has said he will re-edit some portions of the film for SHOWTIME. CBS to write-off $9 million...

Would you like to contact the management of CBS and/or Viacom? Express your opinion of the upcoming Reagan Miniseries? Ask them for a list of their advertisers so you can contact these companies directly?

BEIJING, July 30 (Reuters) - Viacom chief Sumner Redstone is trying to get permission to show a 24-hour Mandarin MTV music channel over cable systems in the rich southern Chinese province of Guangdong, industry sources said on Tuesday. "They are pitching very, very hard to have the landing rights of MTV," said an executive at a rival media group in Beijing, referring to MTV China, one of eight channels MTV broadcasts in Asia. By getting rights to broadcast MTV China in Guangdong, the U.S.-based media giant would gain access to China's tightly regulated cable television market comparable to early birds...