Ei$ner now has a DEADline !

[DVCDAVE]

Fresh off the Dow Jones Wire Services this morning, a New York Times Story;

I can hear the clock ticking now..........


08/14 3:31A (DJ) DJ Eisner Has Until Nov To Address Disney Problems - NYT Story 1173 (DIS, I/BRD, I/ENT, I/MED, I/XDJI, I/XGTI, I/XSP5, N/DJN...)
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The dissatisfaction with Michael D. Eisner by members of the Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS) board may be broader than previously realized, but few think Eisner is in imminent danger of losing his job, The New York Times reported in its Wednesday editions.

People close to the company and industry executives and analysts believe Eisner has at least until November to demonstrate that he is addressing the company's problems.

The Times reported that according to three people close to the board, Eisner's boardroom critics include Roy E. Disney, a nephew of the late Walt Disney, and Stanley P. Gold, the chief executive of Shamrock Holdings, which manages the Disney family fortune.

The three people said that Andrea L. Van de Kamp, chairman of the West Coast unit of the Sotheby auction house, had spoken with Eisner last month to express her concerns about the lowly state of the ABC network and the seeming lack of planning for his eventual successor.

Ms. Van de Kamp urged Eisner to ensure he was hiring the right creative talent, according to the people close to the board. Ms. Van de Camp declined to comment about any discussions with Eisner. Roy Disney and Mr. Gold also declined to comment, as did Disney executives.

 

[wdw4us2]

. . . and the plot thickens.

Lisa

 

[Jeff in BigD]

Popcorn anyone?

 

[sgtdisney]

It's about time... About 5 years past due....

 

[DISLOVE]

I just wanted to know if anyone has heard who will take over WHEN Eisner is outed. I personally think that it should go to a Disney family member. We need to get back to Walt's basics and pay close attention to guests needs and desires.

I vote for Diane Disney-Miller.... where are Walt's daughters anyhow?

Kristy

 

[indigo]

taking a page from our dear C-I-C GW Bush (I never thought I would be doing that!) ... good leadership has a lot to do with the people you surround yourself with (and, of course, listening to them).

To put it another way, a leader is someone who finds a parade and steps in front of it.

I don't see either of these things happening right now, so I don't see any significant change coming anytime soon.

 

[Captain Crook]

Diane Disney Miller is 70 years old with virtually no business experience...Would she really be a god choice?

 

[YoHo]

Ms. Miller herself may not be a good choice, but she may have some opinion on who should be involved.

 

[MikePezz]

WDW Resorts and Attractions people are saying that Pressler will be the sacrficial lamb, and Eisner will remain standing. Think about it. Pressler get the boot, and the blame for having the decline in the parks. ABC already has a new head honcho to turn things around. Eisner has shifted blame before, and it has worked. He may try to do it again.

 

[Another Voice]

Robert Iger has already been set up to take the fall for ABC and people around Pressler have been jumping ship faster than rats off the Titanic.

The problem with scapegoating is that it only works if enough people can be fooled or to go along with the lie. There are fewer and fewer of those types around these days.

 

[Bstanley]

Anyone left in the wings to step in as the theme park mogul?

Especially anyone that actually enjoys visiting the parks?

Maybe even someone that has visited TDS?

Or are we looking at bringing in some former head of 6 Flags...

 

[Captain Crook]

Al Weiss or Cynthia Hariss maybe?

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Al Weiss should be given Paul Pressler's job immediately.

Why?

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Thanks Scoop!

All that is well and good. And I hope that all you say is true. But the real question is -

Does he "get it"?

And I mean in my sense of the phrase. In our sense (yeah, we're not that far apart when it comes to WDW). In "Walt's" sense.

Thanks.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Well!! Here's to you Scoop!! (the LandBaron raises his glass of what should be wine, but is only coffee.) I certainly hope you're right and it all finally works out!!!

And while I've got that warm and fuzzy feeling:

But, instead, WDW management chose to create brand new wonderfully themed grotto pools for these two resorts.

I give BOTH those pools an "A"!! I love sitting by them and my kids love swimming in them!!

JOB WELL DONE DISNEY!!*




*(There!! Now that's something you don't hear from me too often!!)

 

[Captain Crook]

As Paul (Simon, that is )would say, "You can call me AL!"

Poly, Poly, Poly...Sorry, I had to do it...

 

[Another Voice]

It must also be mentioned, however, that the upgrade in the pools also were required because the Grand Floridian Beach Resort and the Polynesian both lost the one thing that most easterners go to Florida for - THE BEACHES.

Pools were much cheaper than completing the water treatment plants that had been in the works. And the sale of the land for the retaining ponds has added a nice chunk of change to Pressler's bottom line.

Motivations, even good ones, are rather complex these days at The Mouse.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Thanks for the balance, Sire!!

I did not know that water treatment was even in the talking stage. It's too bad they won't do it. It was great to be able to do the "beach" thing. I'll bet most here don't even remember being able to swim in the lakes or the wave machine they tried at the Poly, over and over again, never quite getting it right!!

Anyway, there goes Disney, the company that drained Bay lake and filled it up again, playing it cheap again. It's really too bad.

Now AV!! What about this Al Weiss guy? Thumbs up or down?

 

[Captain Crook]

A little disagreement. It is true that Dsney lost the ability to allow swimmers in the fresh water lakes but it has little to do with anything Disney did or could have done.

In Florida in the summer all freshwater reaches into the 90 degree temperature range. Bacteria grows in this water (always has always will). Ear infections (some serious) have always inflicted a good number of people who choose to recreate in this water in the summer.

Over time Disney started getting more and more complaints of illness & not wanting law suits up the wazoo they closed the beaches to swimming. The bacteria levels in the lakes are high, that is not to say that many people could not swim in the water safely, but certainly all people could not.

In this case Disney made the right choice and did the only thing they could realistically do...

 

[YoHo]

Certainly Disney would have exceeded expectations had they put in the treatment centers and actually made the water swimable for all wouldn't they?


I'd like to drag Cynthia Harris' name back up, I suspect she even more then Al GETS it. Consider that when Paul Presslar moved up from running Disneyland to running all parks, Disneyland was in a horrendous state. Cynthia literally turned that around. She had her office in the park. (I think before Al did) she got things back under control. and she did it being a whole heck of a lot closer to Burbank. Now Granted, Disneyland is in a world of Hurt right now, but I put it to you that Cynthia has done everything possible to keep the park that WALT built alive and well.