Eisner Sees Iger as Successor

[petecaler]

Robert Iger is his "prefered choice"

http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/05/news/fortune500/bc.media.disney.reut/index.htm

 

[manning]

Iger, a former TV weatherman and reporter, joined Disney when the company acquired Capital Cities/ABC in 1996.

And two hurricanes hit Disney. Is this an oman of things to come?

 

[manning]

Starting Tuesday, all mutual funds must file with federal regulators how they voted proxies over the past year.

This will help Roy and Gold.

 

[KNWVIKING]

How ?

 

[Peter Pirate]

IMO, nothing will help Roy & Gold. They had their chance and did nothing (while they were at Disney)...Their main desire now is personal (they want a bigger piece of the pie & they hate Eisner). Neither give a fig about the Disney legacy or they would have attempted BIG THINGS before they were forced out...They're two disgruntled old men who differed with Eisner too lilttle, too late.

As for Iger, there is little evidence of his ability or inability. The one negative he has is his failure to turn ABC around when he was put directly in charge of the task, a possible positive is that he certainly knows the Company inside and out and just because he was part of Eisner's inner circle doesn't necessarily mean he's an Eisner clone any more than it could mean he's just a survivor, doing his job and following the Company line.

I have no fear in giving Iger the chance he's worked for as IMO it'll be better to have that familiarity rather than a hire from without. Further, Iger is rumored to be less outgoing and much more hands off than Eisner, which IS probably what Disney needs especially creativly...

 

[manning]

With the old rule you didn't know how they voted. Now they can be held accountable. This is one thing Roy and Gold was campaigning for. In other words they have gained knowledge and mutual fund owners more power.

Wouldn't that be interesting if the majority of mutual fund holders instructed the fund managers to vote against Eisner and they didn't. You'll see all hell break loose.

Two times Roy and Gold where underestimated. I'm surprised you are prepared to do it a third time.

One very and I mean very smart thing they do is never reveal what they are going to do until it is time to do it. Gold is a very sharp negotiator. He doesn't let his emotions get in his way.

You a poker player and if you are do you reveal you hand?

The one negative he has is his failure to turn ABC around when he was put directly in charge of the task, a possible positive is that he certainly knows the Company inside and out and just because he was part of Eisner's inner circle doesn't necessarily mean he's an Eisner clone any more than it could mean he's just a survivor, doing his job and following the Company line.

Knowing the company inside and out and knowing how to react are two different things. Eisner knows the company inside and out and it took Frank Wells to keep it going.

As far as being a part of Eisner's inner circle, well what can you say about the inner circle.........not much.

He (igers) couldn't turn around ABC, a small piece of the pie, and you think he can handle Disney? All he is, is like the doll in the back window of a car. You know, the one where the head goes up and down. I think they call it a YES MAN. That should give you a clue.

Peter, there is something called office politics and Eisner holds the control on that. He stacked the deck. You have to break up that deck in order to do something. This may be what you will see happen. Many say Eisner got a 45 percent no vote and he is still there. That 45 percent got Roy and Gold the authority now to slate their own candidates.

Often times success in big business is not taking the straight line, but zig zagging.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for Stan and Roy as we all know Michael is 'done', but I don't believe they're being altruistic in their dealings. I believe there are ulterior motives involved and they may not necessarily be what we Disney fans would consider best for the Disney we know and love...Case in point Stan's statements with regard to a Comcast takeover, he was against it ONLY because he felt it was a low ball...This doesn't leave me with the warm and fuzzies regarding his motives...

As for Iger, I agree that he DID fail with ABC, but again we do not know what constraints he was under due to Eisner's desires. I feel that perhaps he's just playing Michaels game because it's basically the only game in town (if you want to keep working at Disney). IF this were true then his knowledge of the Company would be invaluable. If what has been mentioned about Iger's style is true (laid back and decentralized) then it stands to reason that more creative types could get a better shot to run their individual pieces of the show. I'm not saying it's a certainty, but it does seem viable, does it not?

 

[crusader]

One very and I mean very smart thing they do is never reveal what they are going to do until it is time to do it. Gold is a very sharp negotiator. He doesn't let his emotions get in his way.

Stan Gold did let his emotions show wildly during their SaveDisney campaign. That cannot be taken back no matter how covert you may think he is right now.

The truth is they were forced out before they had a plan in order and time wasn't on their side. What they accomplished in terms of the outpouring of support was remarkable, but when you listen to their objectives regarding how to change the direction of the company, it all came down to removing Eisner.

I heard alot of great smoke and mirrors stuff at the shareholders meeting, which surprisingly, mimicked many of the soundbites here, but nowhere - not even on the website was any real plan of vision for the future revealed.

No doubt they're working on something. Meanwhile, Dreamworks steals the competitive advantage by ripping the crown title in animation right out of Nemo's lucky fin. That doesn't fare too well in the argument for traditional animation circles, which aside from branding, was one of Roy's grave complaints.

Even if they succeed in naming a big successor and are courting that jester as we speak, I'm not convinced they have any different objective beyond earnings and market share. In other words, they're heavily focused on corporate Disney as well - they're just outfitted in better camouflage.

And I'm with Mr. Pirate on his observations regarding Comcast. Neither Stan nor Roy came out and publicly condemned it. That was a pretty realistic dose of politics at its' finest and in my view made their SaveDisney slogan a mere contradiction.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

LOS ANGELES — Michael Eisner has told Walt Disney Co. (search) directors that company president Robert Iger is his "preferred choice" to succeed him as chief executive of the media giant, according to a newspaper report published Sunday.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,131557,00.html

 

[KNWVIKING]

***" The truth is they were forced out before they had a plan in order and time wasn't on their side."***

I think the first version of the Savedis.com website is proof of this. It was a terrible,amaturish site that appeared to have been just thrown together just for the sake of having something out there. IMO if they had had a well thought out master plan, the site would have been built well in advance.

 

[Sarangel]

Kevin Yee at Miceage.com has this to say about Iger:

Many of you likely heard the news. In an interview with the L.A. Times last week, Disney CEO Michael Eisner let it fall that Iger "would be an excellent guardian of the Disney assets" and Iger is his "preferred choice" to succeed him as the next CEO of Disney. Eisner’s contract ends in 2006, when he is widely expected to retire. But Iger’s contract ends in 2005, so the maneuvering for Iger’s future role has to happen now.

"There's nobody," Eisner said, "who has a better education and training to do that job."

Richard Verrier at the L.A. Times pointed out that Eisner’s praise represents a real switch; back in 1996, Eisner was far less charitable about Iger. Verrier writes, "In a 1996 memo to directors, Eisner said that if he was ‘hit by a truck,’ he might suggest Iger as a replacement. ‘He will not get the company into trouble,’ Eisner wrote. ‘He is not an enlightened or brilliantly creative man, but with a strong board he absolutely could do the job.’"


A fallen tree from Hurricane Charley became a not-so-hidden Mickey near the Magic Kingdom’s
monorail station. In the background, a new fallen tree from Hurricane Frances.

Verrier has a point. Maybe Eisner’s first reaction is his honest opinion. Does Iger really have the best education and training to do the job of Disney CEO? Iger majored in broadcasting in college, and jumped straight into the broadcast industry as a reporter and weatherman, before rising through the ranks at ABC. When Disney swallowed Cap Cities in 1995, ABC and Iger came along for the ride. The network has been part of Iger’s identity for decades now – it’s even his major in college. Does that qualify for "best education and best training"? Eisner himself majored in English. Perhaps a CEO of a complicated multinational like Disney needs a perspective other than one informed only by broadcast experience?

It’s not like Iger has worked wonders with ABC recently, anyway. The network division has been an anchor on Disney’s corporate performance for ages. Iger was given personal charge of ABC two years ago and told to fix it; he has yet to deliver convincingly. And this guy is meant to inspire confidence among Wall Street types? I have serious reservations that it would work.


They weren’t omnipresent, but if you knew where to look, you could find
hints that branches had snapped during the onslaught of Frances.

Verrier hints that Eisner and Iger became unlikely allies in recent months because both have been under external attack from the crowd at www.savedisney.com – former Board members Roy Disney and Stanley Gold. Was this commonality of purpose really enough to sway Eisner’s opinion of Iger?

Or is Iger really that good? Verrier notes that insiders at Disney support Iger, and deny the allegation that Iger only focuses on ABC, which continues to falter. Maybe Iger really does understand the complicated Disney businesses, synergy, and relationships?

Well, maybe. Iger is a businessman, and a numbers man, not really a creative type in the way that Walt was, or even Eisner used to be. I have my doubts that Iger’s election to CEO, if it ever happened, would be good for the theme parks, let alone for the company as a whole.

Maybe there’s another explanation. Here’s one conspiracy theory: it’s just possible that Eisner never really changed his internal opinion of Iger. If that’s true, you ask, why would Eisner publicly recommend that Iger replace him? Consider the ramifications. If Iger follows Eisner, and then Iger fails miserably, guess who looks great by comparison? In other words, maybe the Iger recommendation is just a part of Eisner ensuring his own legacy?

Let’s hope not. That would be one kind of storm we could do without. I’d rather have Hurricane Ivan than Hurricane Iger to deal with.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Interesting and Yee probably knows much more than me, but there really doesn't seem to be concrete evidence that Iger would be bad for Disney. I contend that his decentralization style would be good for prospective creative types throughout the Company and perhaps a new Eisner/Wells relationship could form given Iger's reported personna (not much ego).

 

[manning]

Let you in on an open negotiating secret and it is text book taught.

Appear stupid and not knowing what you are doing. Two key phrases ''huh" and "I don't get it explain that to me"