Robert Bakish on Monday was named the acting chief executive and president for Viacom Inc. , the third CEO in as many months for the entertainment company amid reported merger talks with CBS Corp. Bakish, who has been Viacom’s head of international channels for a decade, replaces interim CEO Tom Dooley, who took over after Philippe Dauman agreed to step down in August after a power struggle with majority owner Sumner Redstone and his family. Viacom announced that Dooley would be leaving the company last month. Viacom, which owns media properties like Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, has reportedly been in talks with CBS about a tie-up for more than a month, and board chairman Tom May mentioned the potential merger in Monday’s announcement. “We are determined to move forward aggressively to strengthen Viacom for the future, whether as a stand-alone company or in a potential combination with CBS,” May said in a prepared statement. Viacom shares gained 0.1% in late trading Monday after announcing the move, which Bloomberg News reported was in the works last week.
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