PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Fantastic questions. Security cant be everywhere.
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A Spirited Perfect Ten
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
Fantastic questions. Security cant be everywhere.
tirian
Well-Known Member
I feel compelled to pipe in here because I worked for the company seven years and just returned from a trip yesterday.
WDW is definitely being improved in many areas. Is it the "best it's ever been"? No. That honor belongs to the late 80s and early 90s, when each year welcomed multiple blockbuster attractions and maintenance was at an all-time high. (D-MGM, Norway, WoL Pavilion, Splash, AE, fully functioning EPCOT Center, fully functioning MK, Spectromagic, PI, various resorts—Great Scott!)
But last week, WDW was shining like it hasn't for over a decade. Animatronics were moving smoothly. The new-ish FoF day parade is fantastic. Overall maintenance (except for IASW) was superb. I contend that with its short ride time, SDMT is dangerously a near-miss; but its atmosphere is worthy of TDS, and the kiddie coaster will be more enjoyable when the initial hype wears off and it doesn't command two-hour waits. I couldn't be happier to see the BAH come down. The updated Illuminations is better than any other Disney night show, including World of Color. My heavily discounted room at the Boardwalk was in good shape.
WDW still has areas that need improvement. Epcot needs to regain its EPCOT Center vitality, and a cartoon shoehorned into the tiniest WS pavilion isn't going to help Future World. And after years of price hikes, everything is finally too d@mn expensive. I cannot justify the merchandise prices, lousy QS food, limited sit-down menus, and ticket prices. I regret purchasing the DDP because I had to keep ordering huge meals to break even on the price. As many of us have suspected, FP+ is a disaster. It's a complete, utter failure. The FP system is too complicated; it crashes at least once a month; the most recent downtime wasn't its worst ever. MyMagic+ is a billion-dollar waste of resources, and I'm shocked Wall Street hasn't demanded someone's head for this. Much of the infrastructure is already going obsolete (remember, high-end tech only has about a 4-year lifespan.) The MK could've had a massive expansion with two real E-tickets, Epcot could have fixed Imagination and broken ground on a new WS pavilion, and the execs could have had bigger bonuses with all the money wasted on MyMagic+.
However...
The entire resort is not falling apart like it was a few years ago. Things are definitely on an upswing. I agree with @Goofyernmost that WDW is acting like a world-class resort again. He still needs some scrubbing, but Mickey is finally getting a much-needed bath.
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Phil12
Well-Known Member
They did more than just pull the hit piece. They pulled all of his articles and he was booted out the door. I think his credentials may have been suspect.
Lee
Adventurer
Oh...I must've missed that part.
If that's the case...yes, I'm sure there is a battle brewin'.
I don't think that's the case.
I think he hit a little too close to home for Bob. If all his work has been pulled...it's a hit job.
Bad move Bob. Now we can all assume (if we didn't already) that the article was dead on.
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TalkingHead
Well-Known Member
Funny timing.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Yeah, he was just pretending to be a Redstone and nobody noticed until after two pointed, highly critical articles on Bob Iger.
Phil12
Well-Known Member
I would think that if they found any serious misrepresentations they would act quickly.
Phil12
Well-Known Member
I don't know the guy from Adam.Yeah, he was just pretending to be a Redstone and nobody noticed until after two pointed, highly critical articles on Bob Iger.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Remember that time Bob made Horace Horsecollar wear a Captain America tee in "Get a Horse!".
englanddg
One Little Spark...
I'm not exactly sure what "credential problems" a HuffPo Op Ed author could run into...considering some of their other Op Ed (and even news story sometimes) topics.
tirian
Well-Known Member
It's certainly not known for vetting its info.
What a frigid and utterly bizarre day in the Disney UNIverse. Truly.
I know I said recently that I wasn't going to talk about China for a while, for personal reasons (nothing Disney related), but when Bob Iger uses his wife's position as a board member at the Huffington Post to get a story (an Op-Ed at that) pulled from the site because of ... well, I'll talk about my suspicions in a bit, I just have to pipe in.
Censorship makes me sick. You know how I get when Marcia takes away my fanboi jokes!
First, although I wouldn't claim the HuffPo is a great news outlet by any means, this is a prime example of how powerful people influence the media and what you get to read about and see. And it happens every day, all across this country.
Second, it was confirmed to me that Willow Bay, indeed, had the story pulled (thru an intermediary, naturally, as one must have a fall person). That is sickening beyond belief because not only does she have a Weatherman for a husband, but she is head of the prestigious USC Annenberg School of Journalism (where two nights ago she conducted a seminar with none other than her husband as the guest).
One must wonder what exactly was so damaging to Bob/Disney's dealings in China that he was willing to put his wife's reputation and position on the line and take on a member of the Redstone family to do it. People outside of the media may not understand, but the Redstone family controls/owns the majority of the Viacom and CBS corps. and will do so for the next two generations unless they decide to sell. Bob Iger is simply Disney's highest manager, a CEO who owns nothing but a chunk of stock to make sure his family will live lavishly for the next two generations. That's a big difference.
So, what exactly was it that Bob doesn't want you or, much more likely, Wall Street analysts to read so badly?
I have a few theories (not in any particular order):
1.) There's been a lot of talk about Viacom being acquired by other companies (again, this can not happen without Redstone family approval, no matter the wishes of stockholders, Wall Street or anyone else). What if Viacom is pursuing one of Disney's BRANDS? Recall all the talk when Disney was just looking into shopping a portion of P&R around. What if Viacom wants ESPN or Marvel?;
2.) The story deftly mentions the huge issue of graft and how the Communist Party is dealing with it (hint: lots of firing squads). It is on the news in China nightly and they have even gone after their own top companies and celebrities (the NYT had a story on this last week). Now, where did that $800 million dollars go because it sure didn't go into added attractions for SDL. Just to be clear: Iger is lying when he says so.;
3.) Disney isn't known much on the mainland and Bob doesn't want people to know back home that no one there is clamoring for Mickey Mouse or Buzz Lightyear or even The Sheep from Mary Poppins (yes, Disney announced a little bit about SDL's Garden of the 12 Friends last Friday and completely buried it in the USA).;
4.) Is it just a matter of Bob's pride being hurt because Disney, as the author pointed out, may have been in Hong Kong longer than the company has had theme parks, yet Viacom properties like Spongebob and Dora are far more widely seen on children and their clothing, toys etc. That's in an area that was a British colony when plans for HKDL started. An area where Disney has been very much in the public eye. The biggest film at the box office in the mainland last year? Not Frozen. Not a Disney release. Not a Chinese film. But Paramount's Transformers (again, owned by Viacom). It was also No. 1 in HK, by the way. I believe it is the top grossing film of all-time in the mainland, but I'm too lazy to check right now;
5.)Is it just CEO jealousy and pettiness? Viacom was the first western media company to gain a foothold in the mainland when China began opening itself up. The Chinese love characters like Sumner Redstone. They don't like tightly wound American business suits like Bob Iger. (I know a bit more about this subject because I have worked and lived over there).
I don't know why the column was pulled. My source doesn't either. Something really bothered Bob (which puts a huge smile on my face because any discomfort brought to that man sorta makes me happy!) I've read it over a few times and really am not sure what exactly it was because, frankly, there is so much more to Disney's dealings over there that could be said and wasn't.
But if I were Bob, I sure as hell wouldn't get into a urinating contest with a member of that family, let alone while using his wife's position to do so. Stuff like that is just asking for trouble. If I were one of the kewl kids here, I might put a popcorn chomping smiley up. But I'm not. But I think something big started today. Very big.
I know I said recently that I wasn't going to talk about China for a while, for personal reasons (nothing Disney related), but when Bob Iger uses his wife's position as a board member at the Huffington Post to get a story (an Op-Ed at that) pulled from the site because of ... well, I'll talk about my suspicions in a bit, I just have to pipe in.
Censorship makes me sick. You know how I get when Marcia takes away my fanboi jokes!
First, although I wouldn't claim the HuffPo is a great news outlet by any means, this is a prime example of how powerful people influence the media and what you get to read about and see. And it happens every day, all across this country.
Second, it was confirmed to me that Willow Bay, indeed, had the story pulled (thru an intermediary, naturally, as one must have a fall person). That is sickening beyond belief because not only does she have a Weatherman for a husband, but she is head of the prestigious USC Annenberg School of Journalism (where two nights ago she conducted a seminar with none other than her husband as the guest).
One must wonder what exactly was so damaging to Bob/Disney's dealings in China that he was willing to put his wife's reputation and position on the line and take on a member of the Redstone family to do it. People outside of the media may not understand, but the Redstone family controls/owns the majority of the Viacom and CBS corps. and will do so for the next two generations unless they decide to sell. Bob Iger is simply Disney's highest manager, a CEO who owns nothing but a chunk of stock to make sure his family will live lavishly for the next two generations. That's a big difference.
So, what exactly was it that Bob doesn't want you or, much more likely, Wall Street analysts to read so badly?
I have a few theories (not in any particular order):
1.) There's been a lot of talk about Viacom being acquired by other companies (again, this can not happen without Redstone family approval, no matter the wishes of stockholders, Wall Street or anyone else). What if Viacom is pursuing one of Disney's BRANDS? Recall all the talk when Disney was just looking into shopping a portion of P&R around. What if Viacom wants ESPN or Marvel?;
2.) The story deftly mentions the huge issue of graft and how the Communist Party is dealing with it (hint: lots of firing squads). It is on the news in China nightly and they have even gone after their own top companies and celebrities (the NYT had a story on this last week). Now, where did that $800 million dollars go because it sure didn't go into added attractions for SDL. Just to be clear: Iger is lying when he says so.;
3.) Disney isn't known much on the mainland and Bob doesn't want people to know back home that no one there is clamoring for Mickey Mouse or Buzz Lightyear or even The Sheep from Mary Poppins (yes, Disney announced a little bit about SDL's Garden of the 12 Friends last Friday and completely buried it in the USA).;
4.) Is it just a matter of Bob's pride being hurt because Disney, as the author pointed out, may have been in Hong Kong longer than the company has had theme parks, yet Viacom properties like Spongebob and Dora are far more widely seen on children and their clothing, toys etc. That's in an area that was a British colony when plans for HKDL started. An area where Disney has been very much in the public eye. The biggest film at the box office in the mainland last year? Not Frozen. Not a Disney release. Not a Chinese film. But Paramount's Transformers (again, owned by Viacom). It was also No. 1 in HK, by the way. I believe it is the top grossing film of all-time in the mainland, but I'm too lazy to check right now;
5.)Is it just CEO jealousy and pettiness? Viacom was the first western media company to gain a foothold in the mainland when China began opening itself up. The Chinese love characters like Sumner Redstone. They don't like tightly wound American business suits like Bob Iger. (I know a bit more about this subject because I have worked and lived over there).
I don't know why the column was pulled. My source doesn't either. Something really bothered Bob (which puts a huge smile on my face because any discomfort brought to that man sorta makes me happy!) I've read it over a few times and really am not sure what exactly it was because, frankly, there is so much more to Disney's dealings over there that could be said and wasn't.
But if I were Bob, I sure as hell wouldn't get into a urinating contest with a member of that family, let alone while using his wife's position to do so. Stuff like that is just asking for trouble. If I were one of the kewl kids here, I might put a popcorn chomping smiley up. But I'm not. But I think something big started today. Very big.
Phil12
Well-Known Member
Perhaps this guy went to the Brian Williams school of journalism.
englanddg
One Little Spark...
Claiming to have been at Hong Kong Disney and witnessing an apathetic audience response to Hakuna Matata and that no one was wearing Mickey Ears is a bit different than what Williams did.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
If anyone went to the Brian Williams school of narcissism, it's Bob "lemme throw my wife's credibility under the bus to protect my rep" Iger.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
This is so true and there is still so much more.
People, and especially American business people, do not get the cultural complexities of doing business over there. They see all those people and a HUGE (compared to ours, but tiny considering the size of their country) middle class and just see dollar signs. And they take the fact that the Chinese do like or love many of our exports to mean that they want to be us. They don't. Like us? Sure, in some ways. But that isn't how companies like Disney (and they aren't alone) go in.
Most pay lip service to the culture and norms over there and then wonder why they ever entered the market to start with. I'd actually say that Yum Brands, GM and McDonald's are the three that have fared the best over the long haul, although Apple is becoming quite popular too.
As to face, well, let's just say that Disney lost plenty after Iger took over the negotiations from Eisner and I still stand on my opinion that SDL wouldn't be happening at all now if our economic collapse of 2007-08 (and counting) didn't start having major repurcussions on China's economy. Look at when that deal was finalized. Look at how the job creation was a big push by Disney.
Finally...something worth talking about.
I like this bit:
A diminished product. A "McKingdom".
I wonder if the desire to avoid that sort of impression in Shanghai played a part in that mystery $800million that was allocated late in the game.
Surely that money is going to additional attractions. Isn't it? Maybe?
But that's just it. He won't ... maybe that's why he paid the $800 million in China!
American corps don't play by the rules that citizens do or that mom and pop business owners do. Now, I know someone will come in and talk laws and regulations and how they must follow them and all I'll hear is the teacher talking to Charlie Brown!