I Believe Comcast Will Be BAD For DVC

[deerh]

This is truly a "disturbing venture into the unknown". I for one am NOT going to speculate about DVC going into the tank, or Disney is "gone forever". HOWEVER, I (as many on this board) am concerned about one thing. The "Wholesome Family Entertainment" that Disney is known for. You know, tinker bell, Mickey, Minnie,et.all.
I HOPE THIS is not lost in the "hostile takeover" (if it even happens)!

I think this is the underlying essence of what a LOT of Diser's are concerned about. It is one this Dis'er is TRULY worried about.

IF, Comcast takes over Disney, or whoever does, I think this is what Disney is known for, I hope its not lost!!!

JMHO.

DeerH

P.S Walt IS probably rolling in his grave

 

[CarolA]

I have to agree with Neil.

Lots of posters act like Disney is a charity and then get upset when the "charity" does not act like one. LOL! The whole thing about giving DVC members discounts for example, why should they? We are coming anyway!

I also agree that if you bought DVC as an investment hoping to recoup all of your money or make a profit you failed to truly consider the history of timeshares or the investment return that money could have made someplace else. We are spoiled by Disney's ROFR proping up the price, but I would guantee that down the road no matter who owns Disney things could change on that front. There was never a guarantee on 99.9% of what you like about Disney in your contract.

Why was it that "save Disney" was a great idea, but Comcast is a bad idea? They are clearly related. Roy has managed to put Disney in play which increases his stock value, but decreases the potential that he will get what he wants. As for how it affects DVC..... This entire thread is speculation and rumor. DVC is a SMALL portion of Disney and the suitors have probably not even gotten to a strategic plan for DVC!!! (I have been in takeovers and trust me... we could be overlooked for a while!)


Personally I find all of the Comcast etc... therads funny!

 

[BWVDee]

Bottom line......I bought Disney NOT Comcast or any other company!
I NEVER bought DVC as an investment but as a vacation timeshare to provide myself and my family with many years of WDW vacations. I purchased a timeshare soley with Disney so that it would provide the Diseny standards that I wanted.
I bought DVC because it was a Disney product. Disney is a company that I knew about, had experienced many times with many positive experieces in many venues and was willing to invest many thousands of dollars in.
Who knows maybe Comcast or another company that may take over will bring very positive changes for all DVC members but then again it is very possibly it may very well NOT bring positive changes!
We all have to wait and see where the chips may fall!
As far as selling my current DVC points----at this time I am not .
But as far as buying any additional DVC pts that I have been on a wait list to buy--No way!!!!
This is just how I feel and how I am going to deal with this latest development regarding Disney. The take over of Disney whether it be by Comcast or whomever has an outreaching effect to all of DVC memberships. Regarding how far this will effect DVC memberships remains to be seen.
To call anyone "Chicken Little" is IMO taking the stance of burying your head in the sand., but YMMV

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey

I am not sure about where you live, but where I live there is NO CHOICE. If I want cable TV, the ONLY option is Comcast.

Americans have little on Canadians when it comes to media convergence. We've experienced it all here with Bell Globemedia owning the local telephone system, the Trans-Atlantic telephone cable and satellite systems, a major newspaper conglomerate, the high speed telephone Internet connection, one of the television networks, and one of the DTH satellite systems. (among other things) Bell Globemedia must have some business connection with Comcast, as they seem to represent most of the specialty cable channels in the Canadian market (e.g. Outdoor Life Network, Golf Channel)
Canwest Global Communications (just listed on the NYSE) owns one of the other TV networks and one of the other newspaper conglomerates. (among other things, as well)
As for me -- we have the "other" DTH satellite system, but it's also owned by a cable firm while another major communications company in Canada runs the other major cable company, a significant cell phone system and a magazine publishing empire.
While it might seem like there is little choice, the consumer can go into the deal armed with the information. The Investor Relations sections of websites such as Comcast's (and I presume Disney's) carry a wealth of information as to a company's subsidiary operations. That information can be absolutely fascinating.

 

[DrTomorrow]

It seems like a lot of DIS DVCers are wondering "Who Moved Mickey's Cheese?"

 

[Stinson]

Yesterday, the Boston Globe said the following about the take-over.

"It's hard to see how Disney will be saved for future generations when it's consumed by a giant cable company most interested in getting its hands on ESPN."

Here is the article:

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=100AE28087E69CC0&p_docnum

SORRY - The link above does not work, so here is a reprint of the Boston Globe Article.

A ROLE IN THE DRAMA

Author(s): STEVEN SYRE Date: February 12, 2004 Page: D1 Section: Business

Some people believe we have entered a second era of hostile corporate takeovers, nearly two decades after the first dominated business headlines. Consider Comcast's $54.1 billion bombshell offer for Walt Disney Co., their latest exhibit.

It's true the amount of money on the table in live hostile bids is unprecedented today, but a few gigantic corporate bidders offering mostly stock have replaced the cast of rapacious financial raider-barons who were leveraged to the eyeballs in the 1980s. Dollars aside, it's just not the same. Still, here's one intriguing constant spanning both periods: Roy Disney and Stanley Gold are still in the picture.

Disney, the nephew of Uncle Walt, and Gold, his longtime financial adviser, are remembered locally for their bruising, unsuccessful hostile takeover bid for Polaroid Corp. that finally wilted in 1989.

After battling for nine months, Polaroid paid Disney and Gold $20 million to go away. The real keys to victory: court decisions backing Polaroid's antitakeover defenses and an $800 million stock repurchase plan.

Disney and Gold have turned their attention recently to the Disney company and its chief executive, Michael Eisner. The pair may not be any part of a Comcast team, but they have had a very real role in current events.

To say the least, they are unhappy. A barrage of attacks blaming Eisner for Disney's lackluster stock performance preceded their huffy exit from the company's board two months ago. (Roy Disney was bounced when the company imposed a new age limit on directors, and Gold resigned in protest.) The agitation created some sense of vulnerability for Eisner, though I'd be hard pressed to measure it.

The pressure increased two weeks ago when Pixar, the animation studio behind movie hits like "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo," said it had ended talks to extend an existing distribution agreement with the Disney company. It remains unclear why that decision was made at that time.

Meanwhile, Disney and Gold were pitching their case to replace Eisner to big investors without much obvious success. "The reality is they're not particularly credible with institutional investors like me," says Larry Haverty, a portfolio manager at State Street Research and Management.

But Eisner, up for reelection to the Disney board next month, seemed to take the threat seriously. A two-day investor conference, showcasing booming quarterly profits, was scheduled to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy beginning yesterday. Comcast blew up the timetable by 7 a.m.

The Disney Co. went through a comparable corporate upheaval that led to a new management team 20 years ago. The chief agitators were Roy Disney and Gold. Their choice for new chief executive prevailed after intense board debate in 1984. Eisner got the job.

Now they want Eisner out. Roy Disney sued the company yesterday for access to shareholder records. Nine other lawsuits were filed against the company yesterday.

Meanwhile, Gold pushed his opposition to the Disney board and discussed the possibility of replacing Eisner. Discreet, he was not. "It would be like `The Wizard of Oz' when the winged monkeys stood up and sang, `The witch is dead,' " Gold said on a conference call.

The Disney/Gold campaign against company directors even has a slogan. "Save Disney for future generations" its website (www.save disney.com) implores.

It's hard to see how Disney will be saved for future generations when it's consumed by a giant cable company most interested in getting its hands on ESPN. Then again, the story is only beginning.

Steven Syre is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at syre@globe.com

 

[PamOKW]

Interesting article Stinson. I don't follow this Roy Disney worship at all. I suspected as does this article, that his agitation is what has created the environment leading to this play by Comcast. I don't think Roy or his pal Gold care one whit about the Disney family or the "guest". They have a personal grudge against Eisner and they don't care if they take the whole place down with them in that fight.

 

[WebmasterDoc]

Since recent posts in this thread have shown no interest in how Comcast might affect DVC, please feel free to continue the Comcast/ Roy Disney/ Stanley Gold/ Michael Eisner/ Boston Globe discussion in one of the threads on the News/Rumors Board.

Enjoy!