Who

Sean McManus is the president of both CBS News and CBS Sports.

Backstory

McManus comes from a family with a history in TV sports: His father is Jim McKay, the host of ABC's Wide World of Sports. (McKay's real name is McManus.) The younger McManus started in television as an associate producer at ABC in 1977, then moved to NBC and worked his way up to become a vice president within five years. In 1987, McManus went to work for the television arm of sports marketing giant IMG. He returned to network television in 1996 when he was named president of CBS Sports, and was given the added responsibility of overseeing the news division in 2005. McManus didn't arrive at a particularly auspicious time: He took over the news unit in the wake of the reporting scandal over George W. Bush's National Guard service, a saga that cost former CBS News chief Andrew Heyward his job and ultimately led to the ouster of Dan Rather, too. The selection of McManus was a controversial one. Many veteran journalists viewed the decision to hand over the unit to McManus, who had no newsroom experience, poor judgment on CBS's part.

Of note

McManus has helped turn CBS into a sports powerhouse, landing the rights to NFL games (he recently renegotiated the contract through 2011) and negotiating deals with the NCAA, the PGA Tour, the U.S. Tennis Association, the Big Ten, and the SEC. But while his management of the sports department has largely been a success, the same can't be said for the news division. CBS News has yet to regain its momentum following the National Guard debacle of 2005, and recent decisions by McManus and CBS boss Les Moonves haven't reinforced hopes that the company will turn things around any time soon. In 2007, Moonves and McManus lured Katie Couric to take over as anchor of the CBS Evening News. The pricey hire has since turned into an albatross for the network: Couric has been unable to boost the program's lackluster ratings and compete with Brian Williams and Charles Gibson, and she's also managed to undermine morale, too. CBS's morning program, The Early Show, hasn't fared much better: It consistently finishes in last place.

Drama

A prostitute and former lingerie model named Charlotte von Vogt alleged that in 1997 she met McManus at an Upper East Side bar and he invited her back to his Park Avenue apartment for a drink. She claims they "used drugs and had kinky sex"; McManus said they had a drink and "went for a walk." The woman later stalked McManus and was arrested for harassment in 1998.

Personal

The CBS exec is married to Tracy Torre McManus. They live with their kids in a home in New Canaan that McManus purchased for $5.35 million in 2005.