Jim Hill podcast

[lisakramer]

Hey guys - hopefully it's ok to ask this here... I just started listening to the Jim Hill podcast and I'm wondering how/where his info comes from. He seems to speak as if he's giving "facts" rather than "rumors".
I have no clue who he is, if he's legit or not and how accurate his info may be.
Just hoping someone can give me some scoop.
Thanks!

 

[pipe36]

VERY legit. Fantastic source of Disney knowledge and history. Much of his current info is firsthand as he's quite the insider.

Not a rumor guy, as inaccuracy is gonna kiill the position he's put himself in.

The "Disney Dish" podcasts where he comes on with Len Testa are really good stuff IMO.

 

[Kimberle]

He's very good and generally "spot on". He's been a round a long, long time.

 

[tjevans]

Jim Hill may not report rumors, per se, but many of his scoops are when plans are still very much at the "blue sky" stage, and they may change greatly if they even comes to fruition.

For example, a couple or three years ago, when My Magic + was still on the drawing board, he reported that it would allow special messages to be displayed on some of the rides. The example he gave was they would install screens near the end of Small World, and messages would be displayed in the guest's native language or, if it was your birthday, it may say Happy Birthday! That may still happen one day, but he made it seem like it would be one of the first things implemented.

 

[rteetz]

He's very good and generally "spot on". He's been a round a long, long time.

I wouldn't say he's spot on there is a thread on the news and rumors board about this as well. Jim Hill is very well known in the Disney community but not necessarily because he's good. I believe if I'm not mistaken he's banned from WDW or DLR parks for some reason. Jim's major problem is he reports absolutely everything he hears and a lot of it just doesn't come true. He has good knowledge on Disney history but as for Disney rumors and insider stuff on what's coming he's really not all that great at. For like every 10 rumors he says maybe 1 actually happens.

 

[Vernie822]

I like listening to podcasts with Jim & Len. Len's my fave, though. I don't listen enough to really know if he promotes facts/rumors/etc. I'm a numbers kinda gal so I love Len's strategies.

 

[limace]

I've been listening to him quite awhile and I think he's pretty accurate-and I'm pretty sure he's not banned from the parks. He was the 7 dwarfs press event.

 

[HubbDave]

I could listen to him and Len nonstop

"Weeeeeelllll"

 

[pipe36]

Not sure why it's a problem that he floats a lotta stuff out there he hears. It seems awful clear what he presents as fact, and what is/was just something perhaps on the table.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Jim Hill is very well known in the Disney community but not necessarily because he's good. I believe if I'm not mistaken he's banned from WDW or DLR parks for some reason.

He got banned from Disneyland because he had guest that were booked on a disney tour come on a tour he was conducting with a group of others without disney's permission. I'm not sure if he is still banned or if it was just temporary.

 

[Jafar30]

He's not banned anymore since several of the podcasts he did with Len Testa was touring the parks

 

[rteetz]

Not sure why it's a problem that he floats a lotta stuff out there he hears. It seems awful clear what he presents as fact, and what is/was just something perhaps on the table.

Not really Jim makes it seem like a lot of things are going to happen and are set in stone. I've listened to all of his podcasts over the past 6 or so months and he just spills everything I still listen and enjoy it but his credibility isn't very good.

 

[Spaceace5150]

I'm surprised at some of the negative comments here and on the rumors board. Seems like some have a grudge against Jim Hill for some reason.

I've listend to Jim Hill for years (on Disney Dish podcast now and previously on a show with Nathan Rose which focused more on the Disney movies side of things).

I find the podcast and information excellent. The only disney podcasts I listen to are Dis Unplugged (of course!) and Disney Dish with Jim Hill. Great source of entertainment and information. In the past Pete has also mentioned Jim Hill as a good source of information.

 

[tjevans]

In the past Pete has also mentioned Jim Hill as a good source of information.

He is a great source of information. You just have to understand that much of the information is still so early in the process that if it even comes to fruition, it may not look like the first report.

He is an extremely good source of information concerning Disney history because he knows so much of how things were first planned and what happened to them between the drawing board and brick-and-mortar.

 

[SydneyFalco]

I've always imagined -- I say imagined because I have zero proof of this, only feeling -- that there is quite a bit of enmity floating around the Disney podcast/blog-o-sphere between the big players. There's such a notable lack of call-outs between everybody. It's always "other sources", "other podcasts", etc. (And this seems especially true with the dis-gang, or maybe I'm imagingin things again).

As for why Jim Hill might catch flak on these boards, the information he's privy to has made him quite Disney-jaded, and it tends to have that effect on me as well when I listen to it, and some people may not enjoy that feeling. And then in any internet sphere, there are people who fancy themselves experts and who get very tetchy with others who are clearly more "in" than them.

I have to say the other thing I don't enjoy are his and Len Testa's verbal ticks. Sometimes I feel my whole body tense, and my teeth gnash, when Jim goes, "Wellll......." But it's a small price to pay for the good info.

 

[txvjc]

I've always imagined -- I say imagined because I have zero proof of this, only feeling -- that there is quite a bit of enmity floating around the Disney podcast/blog-o-sphere between the big players. There's such a notable lack of call-outs between everybody. It's always "other sources", "other podcasts", etc. (And this seems especially true with the dis-gang, or maybe I'm imagingin things again).

I don't think your entirely off base with your assumptions because it's actually pretty clear if you listen/visit a lot of the Disney podcasts/websites that there is something there. There are some that will, for lack of a better word, steal things from others and then post it on their own blog as new information without giving any credit to the original source. Also i think things get a blurry on "who had it first" or "our sources tell us" because those same sources also told other websites and it becomes a matter of who manages to get it posted on twitter/FB/a blog first to get the "breaking news" while others will sit on it waiting for verification from other sources or they are not worried about breaking it first. I think this is true of the DisUnpluggged since it's only a weekly podcast so if something breaks on Wed afternoon it won't be discussed until a week later and is often a non-story by that point...the same is true of the blog and social media accts as I often won't see Dis tweet about a big Disney news story until a day or two after others like WDWNT, Inside the Magic, or Attractions posted the info...I'm not saying that's a bad thing, breaking news just isn't the Dis thing, BUT for actual travel info the Dis is much better than those other sites. I also think Pete and the crew protect their sources a little more as they may be given classified info by CMs higher up in the food chain and if they were to report everything that they were told it would out their source since only few people had that info that's why they often say "we were told about this months ago"...they aren't trying to brag but protect that source until it became more public

All of that said, I will give Pete props because he has given credit to other websites on the podcast in the past if they have taken something directly from them for a news story during the show (actually happend recently I think, just can't recall the story).

 

[Suvadoo]

Jim Hill may not report rumors, per se, but many of his scoops are when plans are still very much at the "blue sky" stage, and they may change greatly if they even comes to fruition.

For example, a couple or three years ago, when My Magic + was still on the drawing board, he reported that it would allow special messages to be displayed on some of the rides. The example he gave was they would install screens near the end of Small World, and messages would be displayed in the guest's native language or, if it was your birthday, it may say Happy Birthday! That may still happen one day, but he made it seem like it would be one of the first things implemented.

I've listened to the Jim Hill podcasts for years and find them thoroughly informative and enjoyable. His in depth park history stories are amazing.

I realize that some of Jim's predictions don't pan out, but some do. I don't think that's a reason to dismiss his information. I also believe he is basing his predictions on sources inside of Disney and Universal.

As far as the interactivity Jim predicted with My Magic +, I believe this was the plan, until the costs of Next Gen continued to skyrocket.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I think this is true of the DisUnpluggged since it's only a weekly podcast so if something breaks on Wed afternoon it won't be discussed until a week later and is often a non-story by that point...the same is true of the blog and social media accts as I often won't see Dis tweet about a big Disney news story until a day or two after others like WDWNT, Inside the Magic, or Attractions posted the info...I'm not saying that's a bad thing, breaking news just isn't the Dis thing, BUT for actual travel info the Dis is much better than those other sites.

Not necessarily.

I can only speak for the merchandise aspect of things as this is what I primarily cover, but there are often times when we actually break news on the blog before other sources. For example, when Vera Bradley announced its partnership with Disney Merchandising, we were the first to have it up. The same holds true for news related to Magic Bands, Dooney & Bourke bags, and even the Main Street Bakery changing over to a Starbucks. The blog is often a resource where you will find information immediately as is The DIS's FB page and Twitter account.

With all of this being said, it's important to keep in mind that whatever information we put out there needs to be accurate and well-researched. Could that lead to a delay here or there? Of course, but then again, it's not a race. It's about providing confirmed information to help others plan their Disney vacations.

 

[DisLUV]

I have to say the other thing I don't enjoy are his and Len Testa's verbal ticks. Sometimes I feel my whole body tense, and my teeth gnash, when Jim goes, "Wellll......." But it's a small price to pay for the good info.

We once made a drinking game from the "Ummmm's" we heard. It wasnt pretty when we were done!!!

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

I've met Jim at several different events, and he seems like a nice, genuine guy.