Somewhere Uncle Walt is not happy.
Fox Business headlines: https://www.foxbusiness.com/
Disney turns 100 as CEO Bob Iger tries to fix media giant
Iger is looking to reverse the company’s stock slide as the entertainment giant marks its 100th anniversary
The story reports this as Walt Disney’s famous empire built on a Mouse, a Duck and all manner of stories, both in cartoon and live action form, turns 100:
“As the Walt Disney Company marks its 100th anniversary on Monday with events at its theme parks and through its media channels, efforts by CEO Bob Iger to turn around the entertainment giant are facing headwinds.
Iger celebrated the milestone with a posting on X, formerly Twitter, acknowledging the company’s founders Walt and Roy Disney.
‘A century ago today, Walt Disney and his brother Roy officially founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, changing entertainment forever. To all who have imagined with us, laughed with us, and dreamed with us throughout the generations since… Thank you. #Disney100‘.
Since returning as Disney’s chief executive officer, Iger has sought to “quiet the noise” in culture wars after his predecessor made moves that irked conservatives and sparked a high-profile political showdown.
The future of Disney’s media assets is under review, with Iger telling CNBC over the summer that broadcast station ABC and cable channels like ESPN “may not be core to Disney” and could be offloaded.”
Watching all this Disney drama unfold can only make we childhood Mickey fans shake our heads.
It is blindingly obvious – or should be – that the business of Disney is….business. Not politics.
One has to be of a certain (ahem!) age to remember ABC televising the opening of Disneyland live in 1955. It was a 90-minute big deal that drew an audience of 70 million (in a country with a population of 165 million!). And it was hosted by, yes indeed, Ronald Reagan. Reagan at that point was just an actor with no public hint of the political future that was stretching out in front of him some 10 years distant.
Which is to say, Disneyland was not about politics. It took decades before left-wing Disney executives in Florida thought it wise to plunge the company into the hottest political culture wars of the day. And Disney has now paid the price for this utter stupidity.
Leaving Disney at 100 trying to reverse the slide of its stock – and its reputation.