US broadcasting and media company CBS Corp said it was investigating claims of personal misconduct by its chief executive Leslie Moonves.
The allegations against Mr Moonves surfaced as he is locked in a legal battle over control of CBS with the company's largest shareholder, National Amusements Inc, owned by Shari Redstone and her father Sumner who also control media company Viacom.
The New Yorker report, published yesterday featured claims against Mr Moonves from six women spanning different time periods over two decades, from 1985 to 2006.
The allegations included sexual assault and unwanted advances.
"I recognise that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances", Mr Moonves said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
"Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely," he added.
"But I always understood and respected and abided by the principle that 'no' means 'no,' and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone’s career.
"This is a time when we all are appropriately focused on how we help improve our society, and we at CBS are committed to being part of the solution."
One of the women in the story was identified as actress Illeana Douglas. Her publicist Danny Deraney confirmed her comments in the story.
"Real change will occur when victims of sexual assaults are not stigmatised as whistle blowers, or people with some kind of agenda for coming forward," Ms Douglas said in a statement.
"Speaking for myself, real change will occur when I can walk through the front doors of CBS and resume the creative and working relationship that was so tragically cut short in 1997," she added.
According to the New Yorker, 30 current and former CBS employees described harassment, gender discrimination, or retaliation for refusing sexual advances at the company.
CBS said in a statement that it takes each report of misconduct very seriously but it does not believe "the picture of our Company created in The New Yorker represents a larger organisation that does its best to treat its tens of thousands of employees with dignity and respect."
Before the New Yorker article was published, CBS said in a statement that its board would promptly review the findings and take appropriate action.
Mr Moonves, 68, joined CBS in 1995 as president of CBS Entertainment and has been CEO since 2006. He is widely credited with turning CBS into one of the top-performing US media companies.
He clashed with Ms Redstone earlier this year over her bid to merge CBS with Viacom Inc, also owned by National Amusements.
Mr Moonves resisted that deal because he believed CBS's prospects were better without taking on Viacom's turnaround challenges.
A CBS board committee in May turned down the potential merger with Viacom and sued to strip National Amusements of its control of CBS.
Ms Redstone is challenging a plan by CBS to issue a special dividend aimed at cutting National Amusements' voting power in the company to 17%t from 80%.
The trial in a Delaware court is expected to start in October.
Multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against politicians, business leaders and entertainers in the United States have been made in the past year, leading to resignations,o ften inspired by the #MeToo social movement.
Veteran TV journalist Charlie Rose, 76, was fired by CBS in November after being accused by more than ten women of sexual misconduct.
He apologised for inappropriate behavior but questioned the accuracy of some of the accounts.
Mr Moonves has been married since 2004 to Julie Chen, a CBS news anchor and TV host. Ms Chen tweeted yesterday that she stands by Mr Moonves and that he is a "good man and a loving father, devoted husband and inspiring corporate leader."
— Julie Chen (@JulieChen) July 27, 2018
The author of the New Yorker article, Ronan Farrow, previously has written reports that contributed to the resignation of Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein from his film and TV studio.
More than 70 women, mostly actresses and other women employed in the movie business, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, including rape, in a series of incidents dating back decades.
Mr Weinstein has denied the accusations.
