Tom Freston

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Thomas E. Freston (born 22 November 1945) is an American television executive who most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the post-split Viacom, until his resignation on September 5, 2006.

Freston began his career in the field of advertising, but later moved to New Delhi, where he ran a textile and clothing business for eight years. After returning to the United States, where he worked for Benton & Bowles advertising agency (which later merged with D'Arcy) on the Charmin Toilet Paper account.

Later on, choosing to change directions with his life, Freston saw an ad in a newspaper that a music channel was being developed and joined Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment (WASEC) in 1980, which later became MTV Networks. In 1981, he was one of the founding members of MTV: Music Television, and as the head of marketing, created the "I want my MTV" ad campaign. In 1987 he became the CEO of MTV Networks.

As CEO, Freston used his position to advance his networks' positions in new markets, both domestic and overseas, receiving increasing ratings every year, and launching several ancillary product lines featuring various segments and characters from popular series within his networks, including previous and current tie-ins, with Double Dare, Beavis and Butt-head, Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues, Rugrats, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, South Park, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Behind the Music, The Real World, and Total Request Live.

In 2004, after Viacom President & COO Mel Karmazin stepped down (he later went on to become Chairman & CEO of Sirius Satellite Radio), Freston was named Co-President & Co-COO of Viacom (along with Leslie Moonves). Freston oversaw all cable network properties (MTV Networks and Showtime Networks), the motion picture businesses of Paramount Pictures, and the publishing operations of Simon & Schuster.

This dual appointment led to some confusion as to who would take over Viacom when Chairman & CEO Sumner Redstone retired. The uncertainty regarding succession was resolved in June 2005 when the Viacom board of directors agreed to split the corporation into two separate companies. The newly-split CBS Corporation is now headed by Moonves. The new Viacom, Inc. includes Paramount Pictures and both MTV and BET television networks, was headed by Freston until Redstone replaced him with Philippe Dauman, Freston resigning September 5, 2006. Redstone remains the majority shareholder and chairman of both companies.

Educated at Saint Michael's College and New York University, Freston is currently on the Board of Trustees for Emerson College in Boston.

Freston filed suit on behalf of his disabled son Gilbert in New York City Board of Education v. Tom F. a legal case to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.