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Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy Audiobook, by James B. Stewart Play Audiobook Sample

Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy Audiobook

Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy Audiobook, by James B. Stewart Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Robert Petkoff Publisher: Penguin Audio Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 8.17 hours at 1.5x Speed 6.13 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: February 2023 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9780593170632

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

40

Longest Chapter Length:

41:21 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

13 seconds

Average Chapter Length:

18:34 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

8

Other Audiobooks Written by James B. Stewart: > View All...

Publisher Description

The instant New York Times bestseller! "Addicted to Succession? Well, here's the real thing." - The Hollywood Reporter “Jaw-dropping . . . an epic tale of toxic wealth and greed populated by connivers and manipulators.” The New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice The shocking inside story of the struggle for power and control at Paramount Global, the multibillion-dollar entertainment empire controlled by the Redstone family, and the dysfunction, misconduct, and deceit that threatened the future of the company, from the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists who first broke the news In 2016, the fate of Paramount Global—the multibillion-dollar entertainment empire that includes Paramount, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Showtime, and Simon & Schuster—hung precariously in the balance. Its founder and head, ninety-three-year-old Sumner M. Redstone, was facing a very public lawsuit brought by a former romantic companion, Manuela Herzer—a lawsuit that placed Sumner’s deteriorating health and questionable judgment under a harsh light.   As one of the last in a long line of all-powerful media moguls, Sumner had been a relentlessly demanding boss, and an even more demanding father. When his daughter, Shari, took control of her father’s business, she faced the hostility of boards and management who for years had heard Sumner disparage her. Les Moonves, the popular CEO of CBS, felt particularly threatened and schemed with his allies on the board to strip Shari of power. But while he publicly battled Shari, news began to leak that Moonves had been involved in multiple instances of sexual misconduct, and he began working behind the scenes to try to make the stories disappear.   Unscripted is an explosive and unvarnished look at the usually secret inner workings of two public companies, their boards of directors, and a wealthy, dysfunctional family in the throes of seismic changes, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams. Through the microcosm of Paramount, whose once victorious business model of cable fees and ticket sales is crumbling under the assault of technological advances, and whose workplace is undergoing radical change in the wake of #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and a distaste for the old guard, Stewart and Abrams lay bare the battle for power at any price—and the carnage that ensued.

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“This new biography of the Redstone family should scratch any lingering itch to learn more about the inner workings of a rich, powerful, and very complicated family.”

— Town & Country

Quotes

  • “Blockbuster reporting.”

    — New York Times
  • “Jaw-dropping…An epic tale of toxic wealth and greed populated by connivers and manipulators.” 

    — New York Times Book Review

Awards

  • A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice of the Week
  • A #1 Amazon bestseller
  • A #1 Barnes & Noble bestseller

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About the Authors

James B. Stewart is the author of numerous works, including the blockbuster Den of Thieves. He is a columnist for the New York Times and a professor at Columbia Journalism School. In 1988, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the stock market crash and insider trading. Rachel Abrams, a former media reporter for the New York Times, is a senior producer and reporter for the television series The New York Times Presents. In 2018, she was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for reporting that exposed sexual harassment and misconduct.

About Robert Petkoff

Christine Lakin is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and acclaimed television actress, best known for her roles as Alicia “Al” Lambert on the hit family comedy Step by Step and as Joan of Arc on Showtime’s Reefer Madness.