Broadcasting for advertisers is still the best game in town, and they know it. Look, I admire a lot of the shows on cable. I think ‘Mad Men’ is wonderful. I think ‘Breaking Bad’ is wonderful. But let’s remember they’re about one-tenth the audience of NCIS. Leslie Moonves Read Quote
The reason I’ve been able to maintain my position of chairman of CBS in addition to all the Viacom stuff is my team. Leslie Moonves Read Quote
It is too soon to tell, but old, tired ‘Survivor’ last night beat ‘X Factor.’ We’re really proud of that. We’re anticipating a very strong season for CBS. Leslie Moonves Read Quote
My wife is the host of ‘Big Brother.’ Her name is Julie Chen, and she’ll say, ‘Da da da, but first we do this.’ So they mashed together her saying ‘but first’ a couple dozen times. Literally. In different outfits. And when you cut it together like that, it appears very robotlike. They called her the Chenbot. Leslie Moonves Read Quote
I think many years from now, people will still watch television, though it will probably be 150 inches wide. What will change is the ability to get ‘CSI’ not only on TV but also on the Internet, even watching it in a foreign country as it’s playing in the U.S. Leslie Moonves Read Quote
Broadcast TV is still the mothership and it will be for the foreseeable future. Audiences may be declining slightly but revenues are going up and profits are going up. Leslie Moonves Read Quote
I was one of the first to read the ‘ER’ script and the good news is George Clooney still gives me credit for helping to launch his career. I had George Clooney under contract for four years in a row before ‘ER’ happened. He’s one of the few who remembers the people who helped him. Leslie Moonves Read Quote
By the same token, I think news has more and more of a pro bono aspect to all the networks. When we do our election coverages throughout this coming year, it’s not a money-maker for us. It is more of a public service situation. Leslie Moonves Read Quote
I read the papers, I surf the Web. At the beginning of the year, I try to see at least two episodes of every show on our network. Am I surfing? All the time. I’m aware of the landscape. I’m a competitor, so I have to know whom I’m competing with. Leslie Moonves Read Quote
