Welcome Aboard

I wanted to follow-up on my post last week regarding Michael Eisner as a potential candidate for Chairman of the Tribune Co.  It might sound a little crazy, or the term we all used, even those who worked at Disneyland – “Mickey Mouse.”  I started at D-Land when Walt we still alive in 1966 and saw him many times touring around the park.  It was a very sad day for all when he died.

After Walt the company was really run by committee.  Whenever decisions needed to be made, the question was always, “what would Walt have done.”  Nostalgic perhaps, but not effective for very long.  This all changed when Eisner came aboard.  He made decisions, and many were very good, some not so, but it totality, he was good for Disney.  Most of all he plowed new ground and continually looked forward, not backwards – and it worked and it felt good.

Perhaps if that Eisner is the new man at the Tribune Co. we can hope to see that same spirit of change – the newspaper industry needs it.  As Walt created the mega theme parks and entertainment company, perhaps Eisner can be the new “Disney” that needs to come into the media field – it is time for a major revamp, or in the Disney term, “Imagineering” – creating something unique and wonderful that others could only dream of.  I’d buy a few shares of Tribune if Eisner comes aboard.  Talk about an adventure!  I can almost hear him say = “Welcome aboard ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to be your skipper and guide down these rivers of adventure”  That would be the “E” ticket ride I remember.