Here's a link to an article with news from Michael Eisner about the theme parks and ESPN:

http://www.forbes.com/2003/11/04/cx_gl_1104facesam.html

It says, among other things:

...he was pleased with vacation reservations at the firm's theme parks...
...the CEO called for more original programming for ESPN--80% owned by Disney--with the goal of reducing its reliance on more expensive sports licensing deals. ESPN has rolled out its new pro football drama Playmakers, as part of a bid to broaden its audience and cut down on deals like its $4.8 billion, 8-year deal to carry National Football League games...
...He also said Disney would "rebrand" its Fox Kids Europe and ABC Family cable channels...


My comments and questions:
1. Is "pleased with reservations" code for "still not pleased with revenues"?
2. What's the point of owning the biggest sports media outlet and then whining about what the pro leagues charge?
3. How many people are interested in watching sports-related dramas, comedies and documentaries as opposed to live sports and live sports commentary?
4. (Setting aside the propaganda value of the metaphor) Are "talent" contracts like heroin and cable channels like addicts? Aren't the contracts more like water and the channel like the plumbing? (Or excrement and plumbing if you view the media that way?)
5. Of what could the rebranding of ABC Family possibly consist? My unscientific and thoroughly biased study shows that the Family is missing from ABC Family already. Could he be proposing to put the Family back in ABC Family or turn it into something altogether different? After all, the "Family" cable market is pretty saturated with PAX, Disney, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. What new kind of cable channel does the market demand? An all holiday special channel? How about an all reality TV channel? Mouseplanet channel?

Originally posted by iwannabeanimagineer
Of what could the rebranding of ABC Family possibly consist? [...] What new kind of cable channel does the market demand? An all holiday special channel? How about an all reality TV channel? Mouseplanet channel?

"All 'Whose Line', all the time"?

Seriously though, how about a real Disney Channel. Something that shows material from the enormous library of the world's most successful entertainment company, rather than rerun after rerun of failed syndicated teen comedies.

And an hour or two of 'Whose Line' just to make me happy. :)

>>What new kind of cable channel does the market demand? <<

I want my Disney Classics Channel!

Remember Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney and Ludwig VonDrake and Annette and Hayley and Tommy and Dean and Goofy and Disneyland and Donald and Pluto and Jiminy and Zorro and Davy and Tink...? And the real art of animation?

Gee, you think anybody would want to exploit these golden properties? A Disney Classics Channel would also flow into 700 Club overnight programming okay.

No one else can do this!

If you look at the same story from Reuters:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031104/media_nm/leisure_disney_dc_1

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner said on Monday he was pleased with vacation reservations at the company's theme parks and outlined plans to improve the profitability of the conglomerate's media businesses by controlling costs.

It's that last part that concerns me the most. "Improve the profitability...by controlling costs."

There's a fine line between controlling and cutting. We've already seen the results of "cutting" costs, especially at the Parks.

I realize he's referring to the media side of things, but what does that really mean for the parks, who desperately need an infusion of expenditures to repair and improve these magical lands?

He also said Disney would "rebrand" its ABC Family cable channels...
What about re-branding ABC and getting rid of those craptacular makeover specials?:D