Did Viacom Chairman Give Plum PR Job To Unqualified Candidate?

According to the Daily Beast’s Peter Lauria, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone “forced” the Showtime network, which is part of Viacom, to put a “young, apparently unqualified brunette on the public company’s payroll.”

The employee in question is Rohini Singh [pictured in red], who sources speculated to Lauria only got a job because of her association with Redstone. A source told Lauria that Showtime CEO Matt Blank “basically” told Richard Licata, the network’s executive vice president for corporate communications, to “make her happy.”

So what is Singh doing at Showtime? According to Lauria’s sources, “only the most basic entry-level tasks like compiling clips and making phone calls.” Meanwhile, she is receiving a decent salary and also received a substantial amount of Viacom stock.

Are these kind of moves unheard of in the media and entertainment world? Many would argue that they’re not. Nonetheless, when Lauria reached Singh for comment, she seemed defensive, and only stated, “This is not my first job, but I can’t tell you where I worked before. I have to go now.”

It also serves as more fuel to the fire between Redstone and the media. Just last week Redstone left a voice-mail to Lauria in which he said he would be “well-rewarded and well-protected” if he gave up a source to one of his stories about him and another scandal at Viacom.

RELATED: Showtime Hires VP Corporate PR Johanna Fuentes

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