[tigger]

...today.

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS) board is soon expected to name President Robert Iger as its new chief executive, according to a person familiar with the situation. Mr. Iger would succeed longtime chief Michael Eisner, who has announced plans to step down

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(This is the same story that appeared this morning edition of the WSJ)

[Cavey]

So, is this a good move or more of the same?

[disneyguy]

Caver, it will mean more of the same.

I wish "the eBay lady" had remained in the running. eBay is an innovative compnay, much like Disney is. I think they really need to bring someone in from the outside to change the place up. I know they might not fully understand Disney Magic, but that is something that can be taught working in the theme parks for a week.

[PrincessJill]

If I had my way, whoever took over would be all about the Disney magic!! Any knowledge of business would be a bonus.

But that's why I'm not in charge of picking the next CEO...

[tigger]

Well it look like Iger got the job. Here is the NYT article:

Disney's Board Chooses Iger as New Chief
By LAURA M. HOLSON

Published: March 13, 2005



OS ANGELES, March 13 - The Walt Disney Company announced today that Robert A. Iger will succeed Michael D. Eisner as the new chief executive.

Mr. Iger, 54, will begin in September 2005, a year before Mr. Eisner said he would step down. In a letter to the board of directors, Mr. Eisner said he would not seek the chairmanship or a seat on the board of directors after Oct. 1, 2005, something many in Hollywood thought he would want if Mr. Iger succeeded him as chief executive.

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The naming of Mr. Iger will mark the end of Mr. Eisner's storied and tumultuous two-decade reign at Disney. It was was marked by a shareholder revolt last March, leading to his announcement seven months later that he would not seek to be named chief executive after his contract expired in September 2006.

For months many inside and outside the company expected that the board would name Mr. Iger, who Mr. Eisner named as his choice. But the board also interviewed other candidates, including Meg Whitman, the chief executive of eBay. On Friday, she said she was withdrawing from the competition.

The promotion will be the realization of something Mr. Iger has patiently waited for since Mr. Eisner named him Disney president in 2000. Mr. Iger worked tirelessly in the shadow of Mr. Eisner, a position that was at times uncomfortable as he was forced to differentiate himself from his boss, who had become a lightning rod for many of Disney's troubles. At last year's annual meeting, 45 percent of the votes cast in the board election were withheld from Mr. Eisner in a public rebuke of his management.

Now Mr. Iger will have to prove that he has the ability to retool Disney, whose fortunes, after years of underperformance, are turning around as tourists have returned to the theme parks and the ABC television network appears to be improving with hits like "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost."

As little as a year ago few executives in Hollywood expected that Mr. Iger, who began his career in 1974 at Capital Cities/ABC as a studio supervisor, would get the job. But in recent months Mr. Iger has not only successfully wooed Wall Street but also members of the board.

Mr. Iger's skills as a chief executive - despite his negotiations with Hong Kong officials over construction of a Disneyland park there or his overseeing the successful ESPN businesses while president - are untested. Mr. Iger has neither attracted the ire of critics nor been celebrated for having the creative vision to run Disney. He is best known for his easy charm and cool demeanor, something that could work in his favor with Disney's disaffected partners, including Steve Jobs, the chairman of Pixar Animation Studios, who battled with Mr. Eisner.

"Clearly Bob's been a great partner to Michael Eisner in very tough times," said Jeffrey Logsdon, a media analyst at Harris Nesbitt who has followed Disney for years. "But he's got a lot of different constituencies to work with and gain confidence where he does not have it."

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I don't know what Iger means but he will have to make his mark and differentiate himself from Eisner pretty fast.

We will see

[KarenWDWCP]

The corporate drama at Disney is so interesting. I know someone else on DC mentioned that they were reading the new book Disney War that focuses on all the drama at Disney over the past 10 years or so and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about all the stuff that has gone on there on the corporate side. It is a really great read - reads more like a novel than a nonfiction business book.

The interesting thing about Iger being named is that at the point I am at in the book, Eisner seems to have no confidence at all in Iger and really never did from the moment he came in with ABC. Who knows if this will be a good or bad move for Disney. Let's hope it's a good one!