Avoid Viacom and Subsidiaries

Mel Karmazin and Sumner Redstone are the men overseeing and leading CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, BET, Paramount Pictures, Viacom Outdoor, Infinity Broadcasting, UPN, Spike TV, TV Land, CMT: Country Music Television, Comedy Central, Showtime, Blockbuster and Simon & Schuster.

Mel Karmazin is the COO of Viacom

Below is a short list of quotes, questions, statements and links documenting our concern.

QUOTING ROBERT MCCHESNEY, CO-FOUNDER OF FREE PRESS

MTV is ultimately there to serve Sumner Redstone and the owners of Viacom. It has nothing to do with kids. They couldn't care less about teenagers. Teenagers are just people to turn upside-down and shake the money out of their pants and then you let go.

KARMAZIN IN FRONT OF A U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE HEAD BY MICHIGAN REP FRED UPTON
SHOWING HIS INDEPENDENT INCLINATIONS

" ...During a lengthy grilling by lawmakers, Karmazin was asked why Infinity fired Opie & Anthony for the Sex In St. Pat's stunt but hasn't paid the $357,000 fine the Commission imposed for it. "That we fired someone doesn't mean they violated the indecency standard," Karmazin said. Acknowledging that the stunt was objectionable, offensive, and shouldn't have aired, Karmazin said Infinity lawyers "have assured me that what we aired wasn't indecent. ...
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/168128p-146939c.html

QUOTING FROM COMMON CAUSE:

"Today's teens, the largest single consumer group in the country, are the centerpiece of Viacom's television, cable and radio empire. Popular teen stations such as MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, and Black Entertainment Television (BET) all fall under the massive Viacom corporate umbrella. Unfortunately
for teens and parents, Viacom is more concerned with its business interests than the public interest.

Viacom's success is dependent on their ability to sell advertising on their ability to sell advertising on their radio, television and cable stations. As a result, networks like MTV spends millions researching today's teenagers. But Viacom and MTV are less interested in understanding what teens want and need to see on TV. What they really want to know is how to create an image of youth culture for Viacom to package and sell to the younger generation.

Viacom: The Equation of the Mega Media Youth Model 
Youth Culture = Youth Market = $
http://www.commoncause.org/action/action.cfm?artid=150&topicid=11

MEL KARMAZIN STANDS BEHIND HOWARD STERN AND GIVES STRENGTH AND EMPOWERMENT TO 
HOWARD STERN'S FORM OF "ENTERTAINMENT"

"While I understand that there were some sexual references in the interview, I have been advised that our editors made the good-faith judgment that the references which aired were not graphic, patently offensive descriptions of sexual activity," he wrote. ...
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/variety/20040317/va_ne_al/karmazin_stands_by_stern_1