Washington Post on Eisner

[Sarangel]

The Washington Post has a 3 page article on Eisner & Disney. Some of the more interesting quotes follow:

To hear Michael D. Eisner tell it, getting stripped of one his jobs was the best thing that's happened to him in some time.

"I never realized how much work being chairman was," Walt Disney Co.'s chief executive told financial analysts Thursday night. "Immediately, I realized I'm relieved of a lot of the things I had. I am going back to work."

One can only hope that his 'work' is productive...

[Eisner's] fate could well depend on the outcome of important board meetings this month and the release of a highly anticipated financial report in May. Analysts and shareholders are eager to see if the company can repeat its strong first-quarter numbers, released in February.

I don't know whether to hope the numbers are good or bad.

In addition to setting the agenda for board meetings, the former U.S. senator has been holding two- and three-hour meetings with the division heads of each of Disney's businesses to learn exactly what each one does and what their strategic plans are. In the past, Mitchell has met only with division heads; now, for the first time, his meetings include staffers a level below.

It sounds like Mitchell is actually trying to do his job, which would be a nice change from Eisner's micromanagement, and finally

Disney directors and managers plan to hold a regularly scheduled two-day retreat this month to discuss long-term company strategy -- what new businesses might be purchased, what existing units should be sold and so on. In addition, the board continues to cinch up the process for selecting Eisner's successor, a point of contention for some who have criticized what they consider Disney's vagueness on the plan.

The board hopes to spend the next several months not only evaluating who may succeed Eisner, whose contract expires in 2006, and Mitchell, but also evaluating Disney's internal talent pool to determine whether it holds potential successors, said a source familiar with the board's thinking.

Let's all hope that they board actually does come up with a succession plan and gets it past Eisner.

Sarangel