Thompson Hosts Second Roundtable On New York State's Entertainment Industry Investments

Albany, NY- Antoine M. Thompson, New York State Senator, 60^th 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