Sumner Redstone gets divorce papers
The merger of CBS and Viacom may be a marriage made in heaven, as Viacom chief Sumner Redstone suggests, but in his personal life the 76-year-old mogul is facing the divorce from hell. Hell in this case being wife Phyllis and the $3 billion she's asking for in divorce papers filed last week in Middlesex, Mass. That would make her even wealthier than she already is and likely put her in the Guiness book of world records as the recipient of the largest divorce settlement in history. What has Phyllis irked with Sumner this time is some fooling around on his part with a much younger woman whom Phyllis learned about through a private detective she hired to tail her elderly husband and take pictures where appropriate. The fool-aroundee is believed to be Christine Peters,  former wife of John Peters, who as everyone will recall was once a hairdresser until marrying Barbra Streisand, whereupon he became a movie producer. Mrs. Redstone has twice before filed for divorce, though not on grounds of adultery.

At Cahners the axeman goeth
After months of telling people they were through at Cahners, Bruce Barnet has himself quit as president of Cahners, the huge trade publishing house in the Boston suburbs. He resigned abruptly last week. Cahners is owned by Reed Elsevier, the Anglo-Dutch media and information services giant, and over recent months the parent has been ordering budget slashes in the wake of poor performances in the U.S. end of things as well as at home.  Over that period, Barnet has been charged with handing some 400 people their walking papers.

Times names some internet chiefs
New York Times brass have named some executives to its new internet business operation, called Times Company Digital. Ellen Taus, treasurer and vice president, will become the CFO of TCD. James C. Lessersohn has been named vice president and treasurer; he was formerly vice president of planning for the parent.  Ann. S Kraus, director of compensation for the Times, becomes vice president for compensation and benefits.

Nielsen to measure early morning hours
Nielsen Media Research says come November it will start measuring ratings in the wee hours between 2 a.m. and 6a.m. Nielsen will provide data showing individual quarter-hour audience estimates by day and individual weeks for all designated market areas.