Top News:
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
The Walt Disney Company's board announces Bob Chapek will step down as CEO and be replaced by Bob Iger for two years effective immediately; stock jumps 5%+ — Disney's board of directors announced the move Sunday evening.
Discussion:
Insider, New York Times, Deadline, Wall Street Journal, The Walt Disney Company, Variety, @theankler, NBC News, Variety, Axios, Variety, @jbflint, @jacobrubashkin, @stevekopack, @scottgustin, CNBC, The Wrap, @claireatki, Puck, Associated Press, @reedhastings, @radrappy, Axios, @davidlsims, @bosnerdley, @richlightshed, @laurenthomas, @levie, @sherman4949, @megjameslat, @edmundlee, @mattbelloni, @nycjim, @superweeniehtjr, @brianstelter, @mgsiegler, @benfritz, @loudmouthjulia, @benmullin, @perezhilton, @jeffrey_cane, @kantrowitz, @parismartineau, @cgasparino, @sherman4949, @karaswisher, @mgsiegler, Looper, @joannastern, @anthony, The Wrap, @nkulw, @lucas_shaw, Media Play News, The Playlist, @thatrebecca, Newslit Daily, @morgantremaine, The Streamable, @carnage4life, GoldDerby, CNET, NBC New York, @big_business_, @davejorgenson, @karaswisher, @sdkstl, @carnage4life, @gtwscar, Decider, @sarafischer, @jbflint, The A.V. Club, @thr, @rickporter, @molliedamon, @jeff_delgado, Digital TV Europe, @panzer, @kimmasters, @zemthings, CNBC, @reckless, @edmundlee, @lucas_shaw, @scottnover, @drewtailored, @latimes, @carnage4life, @bmccandless, @santucci, @micaburton, Mediaite, The Week, Digital Journal, Forbes, New York Post, Transistori, Adweek, Popculturology, Vanity Fair, Reuters, Billboard, Next TV, The Verge, Ad Age, Bloomberg, Light Reading, ScreenRant, CNN, Gizmodo, TVLine, IndieWire, The Daily Beast, The Hill, Fortune, Sportico and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Claire Atkinson / Insider: Inside Bob Iger's return to Disney: A senior executive's outreach to the former chief followed months of complaints to the board about CEO Bob Chapek
Brooks Barnes / New York Times: Disney Brings Back Bob Iger After Ousting Chapek as C.E.O.
The Walt Disney Company: The Walt Disney Company Board Of Directors Appoints Robert A. Iger As Chief Executive Officer
Cynthia Littleton / Variety: DISNEY SHAKEUP: Bob Iger Back as CEO, Bob Chapek Out; Board Cites ‘Complex Industry Transformation’ for Shocking C-Suite Shuffle
@theankler: Keep an eye on what happens to Bob Chapek's deputy Kareem Daniel. In May, @NicoleLaPorte1 reported that “Bob Iger was less of a Daniel fan...viewing him as too much of a corporate suit” https://theankler.com/...
Daniel Arkin / NBC News: Disney brought back Bob Iger and booted his hand-picked replacement. Here's why.
Matt Donnelly / Variety: ‘Disney Adults,’ Grown-Up Fans of Magic Kingdom, Are Rapturous Over Bob Iger's Return as CEO
Brent Lang / Variety: Disney CEO Bob Iger's Rich Compensation Package Revealed, Company Says Bob Chapek Fired ‘Without Cause’
Joe Flint / @jbflint: Bob Iger to Disney creatives: “Over the coming weeks, we will begin implementing organizational and operating changes within the company. It is my intention to restructure things in a way that honors and respects creativity as the heart and soul of who we are.” Kareem Daniels out
Jacob Rubashkin / @jacobrubashkin: Bob Iger just sent a company wide email telling all employees to print out their ten best pages of scripts and bring them to the 15th floor of Disney HQ by 1am for review
Steve Kopack / @stevekopack: News that Bob Iger was coming back as CEO landed in Disney executive's inboxes while they were together at Dodger Stadium where the ousted CEO Chapek was set to introduce Elton John on a live Disney+ stream, per WSJ. (Instead a host for the Dodgers TV network introduced John) https://twitter.com/...
Scott Gustin / @scottgustin: Bob Chapek was scheduled to introduce Elton John at tonight's concert currently streaming on Disney+, according to the Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/...
Claire Atkinson / @claireatki: NEW: Numerous key creative and business executives were threatening to quit Disney unless Chapek was replaced. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ... via @businessinsider
Matthew Belloni / Puck: Disney's Bob vs. Bob Blame Game
Matt Braly / @radrappy: I cannot tell you how elated the entire animation industry is to see this man gone lmao
David Sims / @davidlsims: Chapek of Disney and Jason Kilar of WB are the two best examples, IMO, of tripling down on streaming when it was a bad short AND long-term bet; there was little profit in it to begin with, but it was also increasingly obvious come 2021 that it didn't make much sense long-term
Bo Snerdley / @bosnerdley: Ron DeSantis wins again>><> https://www.wsj.com/...
@richlightshed: “I can't explain what the board did in June,” Rich Greenfield, partner at LightShed Partners, told Insider. “But the management team and the creatives did not like Chapek nor the management structure he imposed.” $DIS 🙏 @claireatki https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Lauren Thomas / @laurenthomas: NEW: Nelson Peltz's activist firm Trian earlier this month bought >$800 million worth of Disney stock after the company's dismal earnings report, sources say. Trian is pushing for a board seat & other operational changes, as Bob Iger returns as CEO. $DIS https://www.wsj.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: This was June 28! The Disney board now has to pay Chapek many millions in severance when his contract simply would have run out in Feb. 2023. That looks clumsy at best. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Meg James / @megjameslat: UPDATE: Kareem Daniel is out, Bob Iger just announced in a memo to Disney staff. We will be updating several stories, including this one. Iger is unwinding the controversial centralization of creative units under Daniel. https://twitter.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: As @MattBelloni reported a few days ago, Wall Street analyst Michael Nathanson held an investor tour this week that included the retired Bob Iger. Iger clearly knew he was about to be reappointed CEO. Was this his way of softening the ground? https://puck.news/...
Matthew Belloni / @mattbelloni: New @PuckNews: Bob Iger wasn't very coy about hiding what he wanted, you just had to look closely. https://puck.news/...
Jim Roberts / @nycjim: Elton John makes a cameo appearance in bombshell Disney drama. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: Disney board chair Susan Arnold “called Mr. Iger on Thursday and asked him to consider returning to the company, according to three people with knowledge of the matter” https://www.nytimes.com/...
M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler: The next question: do they work to bring back Kevin Mayer? But also, why didn't they go with him in the first place? Acquire Candle Media? And what does Tom Staggs think of any of this?! Seems too messy at this point?
Ben Fritz / @benfritz: I did not realize when I wrote this article five years ago that it would age like a fine bottle of wine. https://www.wsj.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Precise words here. “Creativity” being the most important. It's not that Chapek was anti-creative, but his actions were perceived as pro-corporation, creative supplemented. One of Iger's strongest attributes is his EQ, which always made corporation feel supplementary to creative. https://twitter.com/...
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: Disney BoD appointed Iger yesterday, per new 8K. Contract details (and more!) here: https://www.sec.gov/...
Perez Hilton / @perezhilton: Is this Disney admitting this last year has been a disaster?! https://deadline.com/...
Jeffrey Cane / @jeffrey_cane: “Chapek was faulted internally ... for being a leader who made big decisions without taking in sufficient information, according to the senior Disney insider and other high-level industry sources who spoke to Insider.” via @claireatki @thisisinsider https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Alex Kantrowitz / @kantrowitz: Game of thrones shit went down between the Bobs at Disney last night. All with Elton John taking the stage. https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Paris Martineau / @parismartineau: bob iger just sent a company wide email telling all disney employees they have till 5pm tomorrow to decide if theyre ready to go ‘mad for the mouse’ or take severance
Charles Gasparino / @cgasparino: .@Disney's wokeness might appeal to the edit pages of progressive newspapers, but its a horrible biz model, and as I foreshadowed, ONE of the reasons Chapek it out. Other may be the odd rumor bouncing around Hollywood of $DIS-@AAPL combo which sounds loony https://www.wsj.com/...
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: Ahaha. God, the gulf of management talent between @RobertIger and Elon is as wide as Valles Marineris on Mars. https://twitter.com/...
M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler: Far from a Disney expert, but it seemed pretty clear from basically day one that Chapek was in over his head. Yes, the pandemic exacerbated it, obviously. Hindsight 20/20, etc. But it was not a fit. They backed into the decision. Iger should never have stepped back when he did.
Brandon Shoaff / Looper: Bob Iger's Return As Disney CEO Could Lead To Some Major MCU Changes
Joanna Stern / @joannastern: Chapek is out. Iger is in again. Call it Disney-+! https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Anthony DeRosa / @anthony: Is the assumption that Iger will go out and make a high profile acquisition now that he's back in the seat? What would make the most sense? $DIS https://www.wsj.com/...
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap: Disney CEO Bob Iger Lines Up Potential $27 Million Annual Payday
Noah Kulwin / @nkulw: media execs like to invoke the william goldman line that “nobody knows anything” but everyone was championing streaming bc those execs actually do know *one* rule: do what Wall Street wants. in this case, that was to imitate Netflix, and it was a disaster https://twitter.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: Disney shares popped pre-market on the news of Bob Iger's return. Still down about 40% this year. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Erik Gruenwedel / Media Play News: Bob Iger Is Back as Disney CEO, But His Return Is Hardly Heroic
Rebecca Keegan / @thatrebecca: The One True Bob, First of His Name, King of the Nine Old Men, Lord of Burbank, Protector of the Mouse
Jose Montes de Oca / Newslit Daily: 🏟 Welcome to the Joy-Free World Cup.
Morgan Tremaine / @morgantremaine: Chapek dragged Disney through the pandemic and now the board wants things back on track with Iger, their most successful CEO since Walt. What this means for certain swashbuckling Disney franchises? Idk, but Iger was CEO in 2018 when they cut ties. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Tamanini / The Streamable: Bob Iger Returns as Disney CEO: Will He Unwind Chapek's Streaming Strategy, Price Hikes?
@carnage4life: Bob Chapek being kicked out and Iger returning is a reminder that great companies treat fans as customers you strive to please not addicts you try to squeeze every dollar from. A good reminder for the powers that be at Twitter. https://www.sfgate.com/...
Jordan Hoffman / GoldDerby: Sunday night shocker: Disney brings Bob Iger back in as CEO
Joan E. Solsman / CNET: Disney Ousts CEO Bob Chapek and Brings Back Bob Iger
@big_business_: Bob Chapek said animation is for kids not for adults and 2 weeks later he got fired and replaced by Bob Iger.
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: I'll tell you 1 thing: If Bob Iger asked me for $8 for a product, it'd be worth it. And he'd never capriciously & malignantly re-platform stone-cold racists & antisemites & then bear hug them. Or make fun of people he'd fired. Or tweet dumb/dirty/juvenile memes. You get the idea. https://twitter.com/...
Staci D Kramer / @sdkstl: >>Other Disney employees said they were baffled by Mr. Iger's Sunday email and immediately began asking if the message to employees was real or if it came from a hacked email account.<< https://twitter.com/...
@carnage4life: Bob Iger's whiteboard after a midnight EST code review of the Disney+ app after ensuring everyone left at the company is “hardcore” https://twitter.com/...
@gtwscar: I said on stream today that the winds were changing. The brand damage under Bobby paycheck was destroying creative spirit of company. You can't expect to milk your customers and expect them to come back over and over. Welcome back Iger. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Samantha Nungesser / Decider: “Not Great, Bob!” Bob Iger Replaces Bob Chapek As Disney CEO After Stock Plummets 40% In One Year
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: Iger didn't chose a successor that Wall Street trusted $DIS had a bad quarter but trend lines were there -Streaming losses were growing while linear & parks failed to bridge the gap -Whether those trends wouldve been prevented if Iger were CEO, who knows https://www.axios.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: Disney CEO Bob Chapek was supposed to introduce Elton John at Dodger Stadium concert streamed on Disney+. Instead it's Bob Iger singing I'm Still Standing. https://www.wsj.com/...
Matt Schimkowitz / The A.V. Club: Bob Iger returns as Disney CEO in a shocking conclusion of the Battle of the Bobs
@thr: Even Bob Iger acknowledged the surprise of his return to Disney in an email to employees, writing that he comes back “with an incredible sense of gratitude and humility — and, I must admit, a bit of amazement” https://thr.cm/HxNmAJa
Rick Porter / @rickporter: I will read every single “how this happened” story, but especially the ones that get into how it came to be announced at almost 10 ET on a Sunday night. https://twitter.com/...
Mollie Damon / @molliedamon: I'm going to pretend this is because he's just loving Andor THAT much. https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Delgado / @jeff_delgado: Well it's obvious Chapek was used to do all the bad shit Iger didn't want to get blamed for. https://twitter.com/...
@panzer: Iger (and some key lieutenants) has plenty of responsibility for the state of Disney here and this isn't some sort of magic pill for a company in mid recession butttt - the last guy absolutely decimated Imagineering over a tax break. Reason enough to bring in the boot.
@kimmasters: Disney will undoubtedly be re-organized (again). Creative execs rejoice. Kareem Daniels, not so much.
@zemthings: Chapek: “How can we cut back on spending?” Looks like they found a way. https://twitter.com/...
Mike Calia / CNBC: Disney shares rise after Iger replaces Chapek as CEO
Nilay Patel / @reckless: Iger coming back to Disney is the biggest “roll back the org chart changes” story in business history. We're going to have to do like a five hour Decoder
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: Did Disney's board actually consider anyone else? Here's the irony: Disney is one of the few media companies that isn't controlled by a family owner, but acts as if it is, beholden to one man. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: While Bob Iger privately criticized Bob Chapek all year, there was 0 reporting in recent months suggesting he was coming back as CEO. Remarkable that Disney kept it under wraps.
Drew Taylor / @drewtailored: The amount of behind-the-scenes maneuvering, last minute meetings and complicated payouts that had to be facilitated for this to happen makes my head spin. The stories that will be coming out soon and the major shakeups yet to happen ... buckle up. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@latimes: The Walt Disney Co.'s board announced that Bob Iger is replacing Bob Chapek as CEO. The move comes months after the board gave Chapek three more years atop the company, citing strong leadership during the pandemic. https://www.latimes.com/...
@carnage4life: Bob Iger handed off being Disney CEO to a successor just before COVID just to backseat drive so much that Bob Chapek quit and Bob Iger is back to being the CEO. Iger effectively took a COVID break as CEO and is back now it's over. 😮 https://www.cnbc.com/...
Bill McCandless / @bmccandless: Hard to step down when your legs have been cut off. https://twitter.com/...
John Santucci / @santucci: Iger has emailed all Disney employees to announce his return https://twitter.com/...
Mica Burton / @micaburton: CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY. BYE BYE CHAPEK! HELLO BETTER DISNEY PARKS!!!!!!!!!! https://twitter.com/...
Jackson Richman / Mediaite: Jim Cramer Called for Bob Chapek to Be Fired as Disney CEO Just DAYS Before He Was
Allie Griffin / New York Post: Disney ousts Bob Chapek, brings back Bob Iger as CEO
Mollie Cahillane / Adweek: Bob Iger Returns as Disney CEO, Replacing Bob Chapek, in Shocking Shakeup
Natalie Jarvey / Vanity Fair: Disney Bombshell: Robert Iger Returns as CEO, and Bob Chapek “Steps Down”
Lars Brandle / Billboard: Bob Iger Returning as Disney CEO, Bob Chapek Exits
Jon Lafayette / Next TV: Bob Iger Replaces Successor Bob Chapek As Disney CEO
Richard Lawler / The Verge: Bob Iger steps back in as Disney CEO, replacing Bob Chapek
Frank Pallotta / CNN: Bob Iger named Disney CEO in shocking development
Germain Lussier / Gizmodo: Former Disney CEO Bob Iger to Return and Replace Current CEO Bob Chapek
Michael Ausiello / TVLine: Disney Shocker: Bob Chapek Out as CEO, Bob Iger (Back) In!
Christian Zilko / IndieWire: Disney Announces Shocking CEO Shakeup: Bob Iger Returns, Bob Chapek Out
Brad Dress / The Hill: Bob Iger back, Bob Chapek out as Disney CEO
Nick Lichtenberg / Fortune: Disney replaces CEO Chapek with predecessor Bob Iger effective immediately
Matt Bok / Sportico: Bob Iger Replaces Bob Chapek as Disney CEO
RELATED:
CNBC:
Sources: Disney board rehired Bob Iger after complaints from senior leadership, including CFO Christine McCarthy, about Bob Chapek's management of the company — - Disney's board reached out to Bob Iger on Friday about coming back as CEO. — Senior Disney leadership had concerns with Chapek's management of the company.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Puck, Insider, @sherman4949, Insider, @kimmasters, Sports Business Journal, Bloomberg, CNN, MediaPost, Financial Times, New York Post, @robertmclaws, @jordiepoblete, Los Angeles Times, PRWeek, @hedgeyecomm, @loudmouthjulia, @sarthakgh, The Ringer, @sherman4949, @claireatki, @pucknews, Wall Street Journal, Deadline, @ericjackson, @yashar, @carlquintanilla, @samitsarkar, @loudmouthjulia, Looper, Bounding Into Comics, Observer, Axios, Broadband TV News and CBS News
Discussion:
Matthew Belloni / Puck: The Iger Shocker — Notes, intrigues, and analysis from across Hollywood on Iger's un-retirement …
Insider: Bob Iger's return to Disney is fueling concern over future CEO succession plan: ‘People would struggle to write down three names inside Disney’ who could step up
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: Latest details with how Disney's surprise exec swap went down this weekend. Chapek and his inner circle were totally surprised and continue to be, I'm told. Can also confirm some senior leadership expressed no confidence in him recently. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Madeline Berg / Insider: Disney CEO Bob Iger's pay package is valued at $27 million a year
@kimmasters: Here it is. Some board members were ready to fire Chapek in June... https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
John Ourand / Sports Business Journal: SBJ Media: Iger's ESPN questions
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost: Iger's Disney Plan: Decentralize Creative Decision-Making — And Cut Back On Sports Rights?
Robert McLaws / @robertmclaws: I mean, the dumb-ass head of an animation company said that animation was only for adults. Walt Disney was spinning in his grave. Last night, TikTok was filled with employees dancing in the parks, celebrating his banishment. Tells you everything you need to know. https://twitter.com/...
Jordie Poblete / @jordiepoblete: TLDR; Disney CFO Christine McCarthy not only led the charge to get Chapek fired, but did so because he was going to blame her for the poor Q4 financial results that Disney reported a few weeks ago. He previously did the same thing to Catherine Powell (now exec at Airbnb) in 2019. https://twitter.com/...
@hedgeyecomm: Yup... $DIS “He is said to have warned at a board meeting in December 2021 in New York, just before he left the company, that the culture of Disney could be transformed negatively and rapidly. It was the last time he spoke to Chapek.” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ... via @thr
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Highly recommend reading @MattBelloni piece for a great breakdown of what was, what is, and what the board would like to become. https://puck.news/... Going to thread some additional quick takes below now that I've slept on it. But more to come tomorrow once I think some more!
Sar Haribhakti / @sarthakgh: “Bob Iger messed up succession at Disney for 15 years. When he finally did it, it was a colossal mess-up. It's extraordinary that [Iger] is the guy they chose to come back. It speaks to his reputation and the board's lack of options and ineptitude.” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Alison Herman / The Ringer: Bob Iger Is Back at Disney
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: An update here: Disney CFO Christine McCarthy was one of the executives that went to the board expressing no confidence in CEO Bob Chapek, sources say. McCarthy was Iger's CFO. She's held the position since 2015 and has a relationship with the board, I'm told. https://twitter.com/...
Claire Atkinson / @claireatki: New @lmoses + @Reedalexander Bob Iger's return to Disney is fueling concern over future CEO succession plan: ‘People would struggle to write down three names inside Disney’ who could step up. $DIS https://www.businessinsider.com/ ... via @businessinsider
@pucknews: A Sunday night dagger of a press release thanked Chapek for his service and promised Iger would lead #Disney for two years to “set the strategic direction for renewed growth.” “That's the C-suite version of death by firing squad,” writes @MattBelloni. https://puck.news/...
Deadline: Did Someone Save Disney's Life Last Night? Behind Bob Iger's Stunning CEO Return & What's Next For Media Giant
Eric Jackson / @ericjackson: They called [Chapek] and said, 'You're out. Our lawyers will call your lawyers.' No statement from him, no comment from him, no grace. It's fucking insane." Incredible tick tock from @kimmasters https://twitter.com/...
@yashar: NEWS The Disney board reached out to Bob Iger on Friday and Chapek was out by Sunday. Chapek and his allies were blindsided. @sherman4949 @Lilliannnn report https://www.cnbc.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Carl Quintanilla / @carlquintanilla: “.. Bob Iger messed up succession at $DIS for 15 years. When he finally did it, it was a colossal mess-up. It's extraordinary that [Iger] is the guy they chose to come back.” (via @THR @kimmasters @alexweprin) https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Samit Sarkar / @samitsarkar: this is wild https://www.cnbc.com/... like, was the board just taking a shot in the dark on Friday? “hm, you think Iger would say yes? nahhhhh... aw, what the hell, let's give it a shot” “holy shit, he agreed?! quick, let's put out a press release before he changes his mind!”
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Great report on what happened within the board between Bob 2 and OG Bob. Notably, one other name was floated as interim CEO: Nike Chairman Mark Parker. Fascinating new details from @kimmasters https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Danny Bojic / Looper: What Does Bob Iger's Return To Disney Mean For Star Wars?
John F. Trent / Bounding Into Comics: The Walt Disney Company Attempts To Solve Its Problems By Rehiring The Architect Of Those Problems, Bob Iger Returns As CEO, Bob Chapek Is Out
Rachyl Jones / Observer: Bob Iger Returns as Disney's CEO After Bob Chapek is Ousted Less than Two Years into the Role
Chris Dziadul / Broadband TV News: Bob Iger returns to head Walt Disney
CNBC:
Bob Iger tells employees Disney plans to restructure in the coming weeks, starting with the departure of Kareem Daniel, its head of media and entertainment — - Kareem Daniel, Disney's head of media and entertainment — and right hand to now-departed CEO Bob Chapek — is out at the company.
Discussion:
@benmullin, Deadline, @sherman4949, Adweek, SlashFilm, Variety, @davidpoland, @stupolitics, The Hollywood Reporter, @ivanthek, @fangirlcantina, IndieWire, @jyarow, The Wrap, @loudmouthjulia, Next TV and Financial Times
Discussion:
Dade Hayes / Deadline: Kareem Daniel Exits Disney As Bob Iger Sets Restructuring Of Media And Entertainment Distribution Division
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: Bob Iger just sent a memo to employees — confirming two things we expected. Kareem Daniel is leaving the company and DMED will be reorganized. Read the full memo here. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Joe Otterson / Variety: Bob Iger Announces Restructuring After Taking Disney Reins, Kareem Daniel to Exit
David Poland / @davidpoland: How'd it take so long?!?! Disney CEO Bob Iger plans media restructuring, Kareem Daniel to leave https://www.cnbc.com/...
Stuart Rothenberg / @stupolitics: Wow. Again. Still. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter: Kareem Daniel to Exit Disney as Bob Iger Unwinds Chapek Era Structure
@ivanthek: It's gonna take a lot to convince me Iger hasn't been thinking about this for months. https://twitter.com/...
@fangirlcantina: “Iger announced Daniel's departure in a memo to employees Monday along with a “new structure that puts more decision-making back in the hands of our creative teams and rationalizes costs.” Some Star Wars/Marvel mention in article. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Brian Welk / IndieWire: Kareem Daniel to Exit Disney as Bob Iger Returns
Jay Yarow / @jyarow: Iger moving quickly. Big re-org coming. Full memo here soon: https://www.cnbc.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: The most inevitable move in the Game of Bobs. https://twitter.com/...
Jon Lafayette / Next TV: Bob Iger Wastes No Time With Reorganization at Disney
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
As Bob Iger becomes CEO ahead of the launch of an ad-supported Disney+ tier in the US, he will find his second tenure marked by job losses and cost cutting — Chief executive brought in Marvel, Star Wars and Fox - but he may now face job losses and cost cuts — Bob Iger is Disney's Mr Fixit.
Discussion:
Ryan Faughnder / Los Angeles Times: Disney is not what it was when Bob Iger left. Does he have the magic touch to turn it around?
Anna Nicolaou / @annaknicolaou: new: in recent weeks Disney executives including CFO Christine McCarthy have been approaching the company's board with concerns about Chapek. more details here w/ @JFK_America @alexebarker https://www.ft.com/...
@thewrap: The bombshell decision by the Disney board to replace Bob Chapek with Bob Iger came down to a big miss on quarterly earnings reported earlier this month, according to multiple individuals with knowledge of the situation. https://www.thewrap.com/...
Associated Press: Even Bob Iger is surprised by his return as Disney CEO: ‘I must admit, a bit of amazement’
@tvgrimreaper: The media loves them some Iger. “the takeover of Rupert Murdoch's Fox that helped arm Disney for a global streaming showdown with Netflix” Iger overpaid for a declining grab bag of dreck. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Jackson / @ericjackson: McCarthy is a good CFO https://twitter.com/...
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: Earlier this year, a person close to Disney's board reached out to Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs and floated a hypothetical question: Would one or both of them be interested in returning to run Disney? Both demurred (they're running a startup!) https://www.nytimes.com/...
@onetakenews: The Disney board reportedly held an emergency meeting on Saturday night to finalize Bob Chapek's removal and bring back Bob Iger as CEO. (via https://www.thewrap.com/...) https://twitter.com/...
Parkscope Joe / @parkscopejoe: painting a really dire picture of tWDC and I dunno how Iger handles this. https://www.ft.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: “It's a very different landscape than even 18 months ago,” an executive at one of Disney's competitors texted to me. “Hopefully he can figure out the model. No one has yet.” https://twitter.com/...
@edgecliffe: Disney executives loyal to Bob Iger led an insurrection which prompted the board to oust Bob Chapek, @annaknicolaou, @JFK_America & @alexebarker report via @FT $DIS https://www.ft.com/...
@thewrap: In recent months, Iger has also let it be known to his close confidantes “that he thought Chapek was a mistake,” as a second insider put it. https://www.thewrap.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: “...It is going to be hard to live up to the reputation he built as the most formidable media CEO ever. And he's going to have a short runway to pleasing Wall Street, his staff, creative partners, and the audience. So much for going out on top.” https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/ ...
Jeff Macke / @jeffmacke: Bob Iger is as stunned as Howard Schultz was when he was asked to come back to $SBUX. “Sure I've been plotting this since literally before I left but it's amazing how fast it came together for me” Iger didn't have to say. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Memo: Michael Bass, CNN's longtime programming chief who was one of three executives who led CNN after Jeff Zucker's ouster, plans to leave at the end of 2022 — His departure was revealed to staffers at the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed outlet's daily news meeting Monday.
Discussion:
The Hill, @anthony, TVNewser, Los Angeles Times, @claireatki, Next TV, Deadline, The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter
Discussion:
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill: Top CNN programming boss to exit network
Anthony DeRosa / @anthony: Michael Bass, the longtime CNN programming chief who played a role in devising the network's more passionate demeanor during the Trump era, is leaving the network https://variety.com/...
Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times: More changes at CNN as top programming executive to leave at year's end
@claireatki: Michael Bass, one of the trio of CNN execs who led the company after Jeff Zucker stepped down, is exiting CNN at the end of the year. Will the others -Amy Entelis and Ken Jautz - remain?
Daniel Frankel / Next TV: CNN's Top Remaining Zucker Holdover, Programming Chief Michael Bass, Set to Exit
RELATED:
Financial Times:
A look at Chris Licht's plans to turn CNN around, as the executive says it is “bullshit” and a big misconception that his vision is to be a “vanilla” centrist — Chris Licht, the network's recently appointed chief executive, is preparing a fresh approach to news and deep job cuts after a slump in revenues
Discussion:
@hughhewitt, @edgecliffe, @hayekmg, @michaelsocolow, @benmullin, @johnnydollar01, @frank_giustra, @annaknicolaou, Fox News and @soutikbbc
Discussion:
Hugh Hewitt / @hughhewitt: It's not possible to be “neutral,” but platforms can be “balanced.” From my @washingtonpost column today: “A 50-50 red-blue America — like it or not, that's what we have — is politically paralyzed this Thanksgiving.” Cover each 50% in good faith. https://www.ft.com/...
@edgecliffe: Chris Licht is “CNN's first leader to face a ratings crunch, an ad recession, low morale, tough cost-cutting targets, an editorial reset & structural decline in CNN's business model — all at the same time.” @alexebarker @grimes_ce @annaknicolaou via @FT https://www.ft.com/...
@hayekmg: #CNN wants to stay neutral in a divided America. Will anyone watch? Chris Licht, the network's recently appointed chief executive, is preparing a fresh approach to news and deep job cuts after a slump in revenues. - via @FinancialTimes | @CNN @cnni https://www.ft.com/...
Michael Socolow / @michaelsocolow: “CNN's share of cable subscriber fees, the boon that made its business model one of the greatest in the history of news, is expected to fall by as much as 6 per cent in 2022.” Cord-cutting is real, it's increasing and it informs editorial decision making. https://www.ft.com/...
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: “Licht's team [at CNN] estimated operating profits this year will be $700mn-$750mn, according to three people familiar with the accounts.” https://www.ft.com/...
Johnny Dollar / @johnnydollar01: CNN wants to stay neutral in a divided America. Will anyone watch? “They will get higher ratings if they stop pushing opinion but they have to hurry. Cord cutting is happening.” https://www.ft.com/...
Frank Giustra / @frank_giustra: “The Trump era — brimming with anger, division and discord — had made for spectacularly good ratings and record profits. Polarisation was good for business.” Read that last part again.. https://www.ft.com/...
Anna Nicolaou / @annaknicolaou: The Trump era was very good for business. Now, CNN's board wants it to pivot to “neutral”. That's more important to them than profit, which has fallen off a cliff. 2022 profit estimated $700mn, down almost $500mn from the peak w/ @alexebarker @grimes_ce https://www.ft.com/...
Mike Calia / CNBC:
Paramount Global scraps its $2.2B deal to sell Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House and says Penguin must pay a $200M termination fee — - Paramount Global said Monday it scrapped its $2.2 billion deal to sell book publisher Simon & Schuster to rival Penguin Random House.
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Times, @liz_a_harris, Associated Press, @barronsonline, Deadline, Financial Times, @nytimesbusiness, @adribbleofink, @liz_a_harris, @svershbow, @kerrymflynn, @abrahamjoseph, Bloomberg, @qianjuliewang, Reuters, Axios, @sarahw, The Week, @billineastala, @thedailybeast, @gregvaneekhout, @joepompeo, @ruthharrisbooks, @thelincoln, Wall Street Journal, @benmullin, @kathmschmidt, @adribbleofink, CNN, Publishers Weekly, Variety, Bloomberg Law, The Bookseller and Reuters
Discussion:
New York Times: Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster Deal Collapses, Breaking Pattern in Publishing
Elizabeth A. Harris / @liz_a_harris: NEWS: The Penguin Random House deal to buy Simon & Schuster is officially dead. Paramount has “terminated the Purchase Agreement.”
Hillel Italie / Associated Press: Proposed $2.2 billion merger of two book publishing giants is officially over
@barronsonline: The proposed $2.18 billion deal, disclosed in November 2020, was blocked on competitive grounds Oct. 31 by U.S. District Judge Florence Pan. https://www.barrons.com/...
Jill Goldsmith / Deadline: Paramount Global Terminates $2.2B Simon & Schuster Sale But Still Wants Out Of Publishing Biz
@nytimesbusiness: The breakdown of the deal with Penguin Random House extends a period of uncertainty at Simon & Schuster, but the company is in a good position to navigate it. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Aidan Moher / @adribbleofink: I can't believe Schuster and Simon are getting divorced. Everything seemed fine! https://www.nytimes.com/...
Elizabeth A. Harris / @liz_a_harris: NEWS: Penguin Random House's deal to buy Simon & Schuster is on track to collapse on Tuesday. Paramount, which owns S&S, has decided to walk away. w/ @xanalter and @BenMullin https://www.nytimes.com/...
Sophie Vershbow / @svershbow: “Penguin Random House will have to pay Paramount a termination fee of about $200 million once the deal falls through.” Solidarity with every PRH employee who knows they're about to get denied a $5000 raise next month despite doing the job of three people. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kerry Flynn / @kerrymflynn: 🚨📚 Paramount is no longer selling Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House — it will not appeal the judge's ruling from earlier this month 8K today confirms its decision to terminate and Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp emailed staff Context: https://www.axios.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Abraham Josephine Riesman / @abrahamjoseph: What if Elon buys my publisher, too https://twitter.com/...
Qian Julie Wang / @qianjuliewang: publishing is dead. long live publishing. why atty general & court got it right: this would have created a mega monopoly. Bertelsmann/PRH lost the minute they argued that indies & Amazon meant they were not the behemoth they clearly are https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Catherine Garcia / The Week: Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster merger deal dropped
WilliamThornton / @billineastala: The collapse of the $2.175 billion sale is a major blow to Penguin Random House's ambitions to expand its enormous market share. Penguin Random House will have to pay Paramount a termination fee of about $200 million once the deal falls through. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@thedailybeast: The company said in a federal filing on Monday that it would not appeal a recent court decision to block the merger on antitrust grounds. https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
Greg van Eekhout / @gregvaneekhout: PRH must pay Paramount a $200,000,000 termination fee after their failed merger with S&S. https://www.nytimes.com/....
Joe Pompeo / @joepompeo: It's official: Paramount Global has “terminated the Purchase Agreement” that would have enabled PRH to still buy S&S, pending a successful appeal of a federal judge's October 31 ruling in favor of the DOJ: https://www.sec.gov/...
Ruth Harris / @ruthharrisbooks: Deal to Merge Two Publishing Giants Is on the Verge of Collapse Penguin Random House's agreement to buy Simon & Schuster is set to fall through. Simon & Schuster's parent company decided not to extend it after a judge blocked the purchase. https://ow.ly/...
Lincoln Michel / @thelincoln: And then there were... well five still I guess https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal: Paramount Global Terminates Deal to Sell Publisher Simon & Schuster to Rival Penguin Random House
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: NEWS w/@Liz_A_Harris and @xanalter: Publishing megamerger between Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster is on the verge of collapse after Paramount decided not to fight the DOJ: https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kathleen Schmidt / @kathmschmidt: Bertelsmann must pay a $200M kill fee, S&S goes back on the market. Simon & Schuster's owner to let sale to Penguin fall apart, sources say https://www.reuters.com/...
Aidan Moher / @adribbleofink: Let's break up a few others while we're at it, huh? https://www.nytimes.com/...
Ramishah Maruf / CNN: Penguin Random House's $2.2 billon deal for Simon & Schuster is over
Jim Milliot / Publishers Weekly: PRH, S&S Deal Likely Dead
Adam Piore / Columbia Journalism Review:
A profile of Justin Smith and Ben Smith and a look at their partnership leading Semafor, which Politico founder Robert Allbritton calls “Axios for FT people” — Justin Smith and Ben Smith are not related, nor did it seem likely that they'd ever become partners; the first time they met, it didn't go so well.
Discussion:
Joseph Bernstein / New York Times:
A look at journa.host, a Mastodon server for journalists begun by Planet Money's Adam Davidson, currently with ~2,000 members and $12,000 in Tow Center funding — Journa.host promises to be a new “reliable home for journalists.” What happens when they move in?
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Global Investigative …, @ibjiyongi, @vprasadmdmph, @nytimes, @moorehn, Read Max, @jayrosen_nyu, @anildash, @tomgara, @tomfitton and Journalism.co.uk
Discussion:
Holly Pate / Global Investigative Journalism Network: Answering 6 Common Questions Journalists Have about Mastodon
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein / @ibjiyongi: So I saw this drama unfold online and the two things this journalism added to the convo and I think are maybe the most important part of the story: journa host has $12K in funding from Columbia U and Poynter is thinking about fully funding them. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@vprasadmdmph: Such a great place for journalism. A place you can write all they want, and no one will ever read it. Like a diary. I can think of a few writers who should sign up right away. Hint: they covered school closures w/o visiting europe https://www.nytimes.com/...
@nytimes: Troubled over the direction of Twitter, a veteran journalist wanted to build a “reliable home for journalists” on Mastodon. But the conflicts that have at times inflamed Twitter have already caused problems for him and his team. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn: $12,000 from the Tow-Knight Center for 10 journalists to gerrymander “who is a verified journalist” according to some arbitrary and undisclosed rules they made up. Okay. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Max Read / Read Max: What to read about Twitter — What is this? — Read Max is a newsletter devoted to explaining …
Jay Rosen / @jayrosen_nyu: “Chaos on Twitter Leads a Group of Journalists to Start an Alternative.” On Mastodon. But that's no simple matter, either. The tricky part? Content moderation— of course. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@anildash: I know the NYT is institutionally must always pretend inside-baseball journalism shit is important, but it's wild that they give more ink to “people who have never moderated an online community are bad at it” than “major political party still trying to get journalists killed”. https://twitter.com/...
Tom Gara / @tomgara: In Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy there's a planet that tells all its middle managers and telemarketers that they've been chosen to be the first to settle a new planet, but it's really just shipping them off so everyone else can live in peace https://www.nytimes.com/...
Tom Fitton / @tomfitton: Leftists angry at @ElonMusk set up @Twitter alternative for “journalists” and immediately start censoring each other. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Marcela Kunova / Journalism.co.uk: How journalists can get verified on Mastodon
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
The BBC's Qatar World Cup coverage ignored the opening ceremony, instead criticizing the treatment of migrant workers, corruption, and homosexuality bans — Coverage kicks off with focus on treatment of migrant workers and gay people, and corruption at Fifa
Discussion:
@binweevillie, @jimwaterson, @kenroth, @garylineker, @rickoshea, @dpjhodges, @ainiladra, @scottygb, Washington Post, @bbcrosatkins, @graceonfootball, @tiatia2000, @graceonfootball, @bob_cart124, @piersmorgan, @fatimabarkatula, BBC, @mattschiavenza, @sportingintel, @tomgara and The Guardian
Discussion:
@binweevillie: Gary Lineker starting the world cup showing with that speech damn https://twitter.com/...
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: Qatar spent all that money on getting Morgan Freeman to do whatever he was doing for the opening ceremony and the BBC just... didn't bother showing it on their main channel.
Kenneth Roth / @kenroth: The BBC didn't broadcast the World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar because of the country's human rights record https://www.theguardian.com/ ... but DID broadcast the opening ceremony at the Beijing 2022 Olympics despite China's horrendous human rights record. https://www.bbc.co.uk/...
@garylineker: In case you missed it, here's the opening ceremony. It's not customary for us to show any World Cup or Euros opening ceremonies in their entirety on @bbcone, but do make it available to view on @BBCiPlayer, red button and website. Very different, of course, for the Olympics. https://twitter.com/...
Rick O'Shea / @rickoshea: This. Fair play @GaryLineker, @AlexScott, @alanshearer, @BBCSport. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
@dpjhodges: Can anyone at the BBC say what objective criteria the Corporation will use going forward for deciding whether or not the opening ceremony for a sporting event is broadcast. https://twitter.com/...
Leila / @ainiladra: qatar hosts the largest us military base in the region (al udeid) where the uk's raf is headquartered ... but it seems empire can't transcend its anti-arab & anti-muslim footing, no matter how accomodating its compradors are https://twitter.com/...
Scott Bryan / @scottygb: Great point by @jimwaterson: “BBC viewers had just seen something unusual: a television broadcaster with the rights to show the world's biggest sporting event choosing to comprehensively trash the product it was about to serve up.” https://twitter.com/...
Justine McDaniel / Washington Post: FIFA head rebuffs critics, says ‘I feel’ like gay people or migrants
Ros Atkins / @bbcrosatkins: The World Cup starts today. @BBCSport asked us to look at why choosing Qatar as host continues to cause controversy. This is the 5 minute video we've made. Produced by Michael Cox, Mary Fuller and Nicholas Barrett. https://www.bbc.co.uk/... https://twitter.com/...
@graceonfootball: Yeah, BBC just decided to ignore the opening ceremony entirely. Partly just because they were showing the WSL until 5 minutes ago, but they've been straight into a basic overview of the Qatar talking points. https://twitter.com/...
@tiatia2000: Those BBC pundits sat around slaying the human rights of Qatar whilst being sat in Qatar is so bizarre
@graceonfootball: BBC are making a serious issue to discuss all the issues but, it has to be noted, it's BBC, they're not going to discuss any role British imperialism played in the modern state of Qatar.
Robert Carter / @bob_cart124: The BBC has never boycotted a World Cup opening event until now, when it was hosted by the first Muslim Arab nation. Shameful display by the British state mouthpiece. Qatar should consider giving BBC the boot. 🥾💥 #FIFAWorldCup #BBC #Qatar2022 https://twitter.com/...
Piers Morgan / @piersmorgan: Outrageously disrespectful to Qatar that the BBC didn't broadcast the World Cup opening ceremony, and instead put out more virtue-signalling guff about how awful it is. If they're that appalled, they should bring home their vast army of employees & spare us this absurd hypocrisy.
@fatimabarkatula: Is this the sort of thing from the opening ceremony that the BBC didn't want people to see? Beautiful quotes from the Qur'an? #Qatar2022 https://twitter.com/...
Matt Schiavenza / @mattschiavenza: Since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, it's been clear that authoritarian countries use prestigious athletic events like the Olympics or World Cup to gain global prestige without having to make any compromises whatsoever. https://twitter.com/...
Nick Harris / @sportingintel: BBC ignores World Cup opening ceremony in favour of Qatar criticism https://www.theguardian.com/ ... Good piece by @jimwaterson and well played by the BBC, @GaryLineker, @BBCRosAtkins, @alanshearer, @AlexScott, @BowenBBC et al.
Tom Kludt / Vanity Fair:
Sports media, which has traditionally strained to avoid politics, grapples at the Qatar World Cup with how to handle human rights concerns and protests — Reporters and broadcasters are grappling with how to handle human rights concerns, political protests, and unusual restrictions …
Discussion:
Fox News: MSNBC anchors lectures Americans and Israel about human rights while downplaying Qatar's abuses
Hannah Jane Parkinson / The Guardian: Legends of the fall: pundits bring cold comfort to World Cup viewers
Jimmy Nicholls / What It Is: Qatar has made us all hypocrites
Austin Carr / Bloomberg:
As Elon Musk throws around the phrase “citizen journalism” like a clueless media baron, his Twitter plan sounds like Forbes' infamous unpaid contributor network — Elon Musk is treating Twitter like a dying newspaper. But first... • Elizabeth Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in prison
Discussion:
Riyad Emeran / @riyademeran: Another day, another bunch of absollute shite being pushed into my timeline. Good to see that recent internal changes are having no effect on the quality of experience here 🙄 https://twitter.com/...
Alex Howard / @digiphile: Without professional oversight & a robust, ideologically diverse, & strong community, @birdwatch can & will go wrong, resulting in public notes with lies, conspiracies, slander, & BS on the tweets of public figures, like @Wikipedia entries without editors: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...