Media titans took half the slots on a Top Ten CEO compensation list compiled by the Wall Street Journal and Hay Group.
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CBS chief Leslie Moonves earned $65.4M in total 2013 compensation, trailing only Larry Ellison of Oracle, who pocketed $76.9M.
Liberty Global CEO Michael Frites held the No. 3 position with a package of $45.5m.
The WSJ reported that the trio’s combined $188M in compensation topped the combined pay of the 50 CEOs at the bottom of the list of 301 chieftains.
Viacom’s Phillipe Dauman pulled in $36.8M, putting him at the No. 5 slot. Walt Disney’s Robert Iger ($33.4M) and Time Warner’s Jefffrey Bewkes ($32.4M) held the No. 7 and No. 8 slots, respectively.
A CBS spokesperson told the WSJ that Moonves was rewarded for “strong leadership” and the company’s 69.1 percent shareholder return last year, which CBS says topped all major media companies.
LG said Frites’ comp was based on performance with the vast majority of it tied to stock appreciation.
Viacom pointed out that Dauman’s benefited due to the almost 60 percent return on shareholder investment.
The Top Ten executives accounted for 23 percent of the top group comp, while the bottom 30 percent account for 13 percent of the total.
OMC’s Wren Checks in at No. 87
Omnicom CEO John Wren ranked as the sole advertising/PR executive on the list. He weighed in at No. 87 with a cool $14.4M.
The WSJ/HG calculated that Wren’s pay package increased 20.2 percent as the company reported a 52.7% one-year return on shareholder investment.
News Corp/21st Century Fox chief Rupert Murdoch ($25.8M pay) and Comcast boss Brian Roberts ($22.6M) cracked the Top 20.
Time Warner Cable chief Glenn Bitt was the other media exec on the list. He held the No. 102 position with $13.6M.
Britt retired at yearend 2013, replaced by Robert Marcus, who is merging the company into the much longer Comcast operation -- pending government approval
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