A Mogul in Full

The studio is on the upswing. We just opened a picture, "Failure to Launch," that did twice [in ticket sales] what anyone expected. We are opening "Mission: Impossible 3" in May. That's followed by "Nacho Libre," with Jack Black. That's followed by Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center." DreamWorks had a picture, now Paramount's, which is called "Dream Girls" with Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy. And I understand it's phenomenal. So you will see the old Paramount, maybe better than it ever was.

Are Leslie Moonves, the CEO of CBS, and Tom Freston, CEO of the new Viacom, competing aggressively against each other?

I think they may very well be. They are both fierce competitors. And that doesn't bother me. Their styles are little different. Tom seems to be more laid back. He has assembled an incredible management team. He's done a fantastic job. Les seems to be more of a driver. He has all the best TV shows in every category. He has a gut about shows. But, in fact, they are both winners. And they both want to win. Their competitive spirits are enormous. I like winners. I need those two guys to win. They have a right to compete with each other in any area of their businesses, as long as they don't do something outside the law that puts the other one out of business. So yes. And there's nothing wrong with competition.

Neither executive seems to like the part of the job that involves catering to Wall Street. Making presentations to analysts obviously is boring compared with picking TV shows. Is that a fair assessment?

I used to do all of that in Viacom [before the split]. And it's a new experience for these guys. But they are doing a great job.

Earlier this month, CBS managed to woo Katie Couric of NBC's "Today" show to the CBS News division as Dan Rather's successor. Everyone is wondering whether she can revitalize the evening-news segment of television. What do you think?