From The Orlando Sentinel.Com:
Disney Magazine nears end of run
Published April 13, 2005
By Susan Strother Clarke
More big changes at the Mouse.
Disney confirmed for me Tuesday that it was shutting down its long-running Disney Magazine at the end of the month, with the last issue hitting newsstands this summer.
The company wouldn't spill much more. The appropriate veep, it seems, was tied up in meetings.
Apparently the last issue will cover the 50th anniversary of California's Disneyland -- and then, kaput.
You have to wonder -- again -- if this is more trimming in the name of almighty "efficiency." That was the explanation given twice last week -- both when the company laid off 25 people in Orlando and when it confirmed, after a certain columnist's quizzing, that it may outsource its information-technology jobs.
Disney Magazine is a quarterly pub with features on the theme parks, movies and anything else that would drive sales for the Mouse. The circulation is in excess of 1 million, though a chunk of that was freebies for season pass holders, I'm told.
No word on how many jobs will be affected, but probably few to none in Central Florida. The pub's editorial offices are in Northampton, Mass.
Jim Hill, who tracks all things Disney on his Web site (
www.jimhillmedia.com), said the magazine has been around in one form or another for more than 40 years.
SPEAKING OF . . . that possible outsourcing, Disney still says no decision has been made about hiring a vendor to take over some of its domestic IT work.
But I can see why employees may think it's a done deal -- and fear losing their jobs.
The company is holding two-dozen resume-writing classes for IT workers in Orlando, New York and several cities in California, according to an internal e-mail.
The tech employees maintain computers and oversee software systems.
The classes began last week and are run by Drake Beam Morin, whose services include helping workers who are losing jobs.
Employees also told me Disney has said that, while it's not certain it will farm out its IT work, it has nonetheless narrowed the list of vendors to two -- IBM and Affiliated Computer Services, a Texas company. Neither company would confirm whether they were part of the bid.
But employees wonder why Disney would have a short list if outsourcing weren't all but certain. I'm told hundreds of jobs could be affected. Disney has said that, should it outsource, employees could be picked up by the new company.
Two months ago, Disney hired Tony Scott as its chief information officer. Scott, based in California, had worked in a similar capacity at General Motors.
Part of his responsibilities with the automaker included -- broadly -- working with that company's outsource vendors.
Some Disney employees see Scott's hiring as more evidence that the outside vendor question has been answered.
"Have they made up their mind? I think they have and most cast members think they have," said one IT worker in Orlando.
:brick:
