[i.h]

I am imagine it happens in non media organisations as well, if you're heading to a competitor.

In my world (broadcast adjacent, I guess) they wouldn't, but that's because the commercially sensitive info is not time sensitive, a few weeks off isn't going to lead to you forgetting about things that may not go public for months. That's what an NDA is for.

In this case there is much more of a reason to put him on leave (and he probably wouldn't say no, he can still start planning for the new gig)