BRERALEX
That's a wrap.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2001
- Messages
- 917
Eisner no longer lost or desperate on ABC
Tue Oct 5, 7:11 PM ET Movies - Variety
Jill Goldsmith, STAFF
NEW YORK -- Michael Eisner was cautiously upbeat Tuesday about the surprise trio of hits that's catapulted once-torpid ABC into the ratings ether and into the headlines.
"I'm very, very good at managing failure, and we have to learn now about managing success. We high-five (each other) and then we say, 'Now we have to manage our success.' We say, 'We hope it lasts,' " the Walt Disney CEO told hundreds of investors at the Goldman Sachs media conference in Gotham.
Dramas "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" and unscripted skein "Wife Swap" have rolled out strong this season, with the "Housewives" opener Sunday beating earlier fall bows of CBS' "CSI: NY" and NBC's "Joey."
"The programs aren't derivative of the other networks. (They were) well marketed. We have to see if the audience feels like we delivered what we promised," Eisner said. He stressed that the net doesn't expect to claim victor status anytime soon. "It's a marathon, not a sprint. We will go from here and we will build a schedule night by night. You only need one hit a semester. We will eventually be where we have to be."
Stronger financial leadership
One rare upside of ABC's poor perf in recent years was a focus on cost-cutting and stronger financial management, he said.
Eisner praised chief operating officer Robert Iger for installing ABC's new top execs. "I think Bob has done an excellent job promoting Anne Sweeney. I think Bob and Ann did a great job in promoting Steve," he said, referring, respectively, to Disney-ABC Television Group prexy Anne Sweeney and ABC Entertainment prexy Steve McPherson.
Eisner has indicated that Iger is his preferred successor as CEO. Eisner has said he will resign when his contract expires in September 2006. The Disney board will chose an executive search firm to pinpoint potential replacements; chairman George Mitchell said two weeks ago that Iger is the only internal candidate being considered.
Reviewing the arc of his 20 years at the Mouse, Eisner joked, "It was a little simpler in '84. There wasn't as much talk about succession in '84." He added, "I am not going to succeed Sumner (Redstone) in his job -- although he is on the short list for Disney." The Viacom chairman-CEO was in the audience.
On the film side, Eisner promised that Disney will emerge as one of the few successful players in CGI animation in its own right after what he predicted will be a glut of CGI pics from a number of players. "It will boil down to character and story" and cost, he said. Disney's immensely profitable collaboration with Pixar Animation is set to expire after two more pics, the upcoming "The Incredibles" and "Cars" next summer.
I say he's still desperate
Tue Oct 5, 7:11 PM ET Movies - Variety
Jill Goldsmith, STAFF
NEW YORK -- Michael Eisner was cautiously upbeat Tuesday about the surprise trio of hits that's catapulted once-torpid ABC into the ratings ether and into the headlines.
"I'm very, very good at managing failure, and we have to learn now about managing success. We high-five (each other) and then we say, 'Now we have to manage our success.' We say, 'We hope it lasts,' " the Walt Disney CEO told hundreds of investors at the Goldman Sachs media conference in Gotham.
Dramas "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" and unscripted skein "Wife Swap" have rolled out strong this season, with the "Housewives" opener Sunday beating earlier fall bows of CBS' "CSI: NY" and NBC's "Joey."
"The programs aren't derivative of the other networks. (They were) well marketed. We have to see if the audience feels like we delivered what we promised," Eisner said. He stressed that the net doesn't expect to claim victor status anytime soon. "It's a marathon, not a sprint. We will go from here and we will build a schedule night by night. You only need one hit a semester. We will eventually be where we have to be."
Stronger financial leadership
One rare upside of ABC's poor perf in recent years was a focus on cost-cutting and stronger financial management, he said.
Eisner praised chief operating officer Robert Iger for installing ABC's new top execs. "I think Bob has done an excellent job promoting Anne Sweeney. I think Bob and Ann did a great job in promoting Steve," he said, referring, respectively, to Disney-ABC Television Group prexy Anne Sweeney and ABC Entertainment prexy Steve McPherson.
Eisner has indicated that Iger is his preferred successor as CEO. Eisner has said he will resign when his contract expires in September 2006. The Disney board will chose an executive search firm to pinpoint potential replacements; chairman George Mitchell said two weeks ago that Iger is the only internal candidate being considered.
Reviewing the arc of his 20 years at the Mouse, Eisner joked, "It was a little simpler in '84. There wasn't as much talk about succession in '84." He added, "I am not going to succeed Sumner (Redstone) in his job -- although he is on the short list for Disney." The Viacom chairman-CEO was in the audience.
On the film side, Eisner promised that Disney will emerge as one of the few successful players in CGI animation in its own right after what he predicted will be a glut of CGI pics from a number of players. "It will boil down to character and story" and cost, he said. Disney's immensely profitable collaboration with Pixar Animation is set to expire after two more pics, the upcoming "The Incredibles" and "Cars" next summer.
I say he's still desperate
. I think I may need therapy! 
