With earnings coming out today, which means he can't talk business, and CNN's Larry King as his interviewer, Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp. Chairman Sumner Redstone was able to dodge a grilling during his interview session at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills.
Instead, the two seemed to be rehearsing for a summer tour of the Catskills.
A sampling:
King: "How old are you?"
Redstone: "I'm 65." (He's actually 85.)
King: "Then you don't look so amazing."
Although Redstone did not share much business wisdom, he did say that at Viacom he "treats everyone like a member of my family." Considering his latest marriage ended after five years, he's estranged from his son Brent and he has a tense relationship with his daughter, Shari, we're not so sure how much comfort Viacom employees should take in that.
Redstone didn't steer completely clear of shop talk, however. He laughed off the idea of Jay Leno's new prime-time show being a threat to CBS. "CSI will beat the hell out of him," Redstone said. He also predicted that Paramount's new "Star Trek" movie would be a blockbuster.
As for new media and technology such as Facebook and Twitter, Redstone cracked, "I have people that do that stuff for me."
Although he may not be twittering or updating his Facebook status, Redstone still reads newspapers and had kind words for Rupert Murdoch's stewardship of the Wall Street Journal. "He hasn't screwed it up like the New York Post," he said. However, Redstone doesn't have much faith that the newspaper business will outlive him. "I think it is dying," he said of print.
But he is sure that he will be around in 10 years. We lost count of how many times he said he wasn't going to die. King cracked that a eulogist at his funeral would simply say, "He lied."
Redstone shared his longevity secret, which includes a diet that has a heavy dose of antioxidants, tomato juice with "drugs for men," fish, red wine and vodka.
Redstone expressed frustration at being a bachelor again. "Most of the attractive women I know are married," he said.
Later, during the audience Q & A session, Redstone asked several female questioners whether they were married (most were), which he said proved his point. After the interview Redstone bantered with one young woman that he had "more energy" than any man she knew.
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Peter Chernin is still keeping his cards close to his vest about his post-News Corp. plans but dismissed speculation he was headed to Viacom.
