Thompson Hosts Second Roundtable On New York State's Entertainment Industry Investments
Albany, NY- Antoine M. Thompson, New York State Senator, 60th District (D-60, Parts of Erie & Niagara Counties) is hosting a roundtable meeting today at 1:00pm in the Senate Minority Conference Room, located in Room 315 of the State Capitol Building, with invited representatives from sixteen (16) entertainment industry companies that New York State invests over $2.8 billion in retirement pensions with.
This is a follow up to the initial meeting that was held on July 31, 2007. Entertainment Industry representatives have been asked to review their respective content and decency policies and to comply with requests made by the Senate Minority. Companies that choose to continue to promote illicit and derogatory material by not taking corrective action potentially face divestment from State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
Thompson states, “Our goal is to get these respective companies to comply with a decency public policy statement… We will not beg companies that we invest with to do the right thing; if they do not want to comply, then we will seek out those that want to be responsible.”
The Senator will be available for comments and questions afterwards.
According to Comptroller DiNapoli's office, New York State holds investments in the following entertainment companies:
4 Kids Entertainment; Alfred R. Kahr, Chairman and CEO $349,056
Clear Channel Communications, Inc.; L. Lowry Mays, Chairman $57,693,421
CBS Corporation; Sumner M. Redstone, Executive Chairman $107,236,840
Comcast Corporation; Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO $316,603,590
The DIRECTV Group, Inc.; K. Rupert Murdock, Chairman $69,240,239
General Electric Company; Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman and CEO $1,318,542,721
Live Nation, Inc.; Randall T. Mays, Chairman $2,368,152
News Corporation; K. Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO $189,629,325
Radio One, Inc.; Catherine Liggins Hughes, Chairperson and Secretary $841,488
The E.W. Scripps Company; William R. Burleigh, Chairman $12,920,290
Sony Corporation; Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and CEO $35,854,674
Time Warner, Inc.; Richard D. Parsons, Chairman and CEO $305,854,674
Viacom, Inc.; Sumner M. Redstone, Executive Chairman $110,023,105
The Walt Disney Company; John E. Pepper, Jr., Chairman $281,019,558
Westwood One, Inc.; Norman Pattiz, Chairman $1,752,975
Entercom Communications Corporation; Joseph M. Field, Chairman $2,834,304
TOTAL $2,812,764,412
