Who's Providing Shareholder Value: The New York Times Or Exxon ?

It's a decent question to ask.Are the shareholders at Exxon happier than the shareholders at the New York Times ? Timeswatch reports:

Saturday's front page features economics reporter Jad Mouawad following the liberal media herd in tsk-tsking the big payday of Exxon CEO Lee Raymond.

"For his efforts, Mr. Raymond, who retired in December, was compensated more than $686 million from 1993 to 2005, according to an analysis done for The New York Times by Brian Foley, an independent compensation consultant. That is $144,573 for each day he spent leading Exxon's "God pod," as the executive suite at the company's headquarters in Irving, Tex., is known.

"Despite the company's performance, some Exxon shareholders, academics, corporate governance experts and consumer groups were taken aback this week when they learned the details of Mr. Raymond's total compensation package, including the more than $400 million he received in his final year at the company.

"Shareholder advocates point to what they describe as stealth compensation arranged for Mr. Raymond but not disclosed in proxy filings. Consumer groups complain that while last year's rise in global oil prices left many consumers feeling less prosperous, oil executives have become a lot richer from the higher prices. And some corporate governance experts argue that much of Mr. Raymond's pay came from easy profits generated by skyrocketing oil prices."

Well who outperformed a major market index and who didn't? Here's a long term stock chart comparing Exxon,the Dow 30,and the New York Times.You'll notice how Exxon outperformed the index while the New York Times didn't.Which CEO would you rather have? Lee Raymond or Pinch? One guy runs a family business and one guy doesn't.