A GAP finally filled!!! Pressler is gone!


It wasn't Wal Mart but it works for me..
Paul Pressler is named CEO of the GAP today!!
I just heard it on Marketplace on NPR!

Ding dong ..de dum de dum

Best news out of Burbank since Walts Bio Video!

Jeff in OC
 

SharonKurland

Active Member
Oh SURE Jeff....stay quiet for HOW many months and all of a sudden Pressler lies the coop and you're writing a message.

Makes me wonder what you'll say when Eisner flies the coop?

-Sharon-
 
Sheesh!
And ..
THE ANGELS made it to the playoffs in the same day!!!!

Do you think a curse is lifted from Anahiem? ???

------
SH ..lurking is a source of pride for some us.. just ask Bean (DBC) It takes big events to bring us back to the water hole (not the latest .... er ..um Radio Disney release) Not dissing those who dig it, just, its not my Magic Music.

Even Trent can be quiet for months .. i think
 

Tink

Member
As much as I want to run screaming through the streets of Anaheim after hearing this WONDERFUL news, I am staying cautious, because Mr. Eisner is still there... And after all, Pressler (as horrible as he was) was only doing what Mr. Eisner wanted him to... The real joy will occur when Eisner realizes that he's an imbecile and needs to retire or when Eisner realizes that he used to be good for the company and could be good again....

Cautiously Optimistic,
Tink
 

SharonKurland

Active Member
Jeff-

Last time Trent was quiet for months, I yelled at HIM too .

Even if you're not thrilled with a lot of the more recent releases, showing your face every once in a while would STILL be a nice thing. Your messages are appreciated here, y'know.

And YOU TOO, BeanCounter!

-Sharon-
 

SharonKurland

Active Member
Ah shut yer trap Mike ...I mentioned you several weeks ago in my "Boy, I sure wish THESE PEOPLE wrote more often..." and your name was on the list. See, now if you read here more frequently, you'd already KNOW that!

-Sharon-
 
A day didn't go by that I wasn't here in these hallowed halls of Magical Music of the Mouse asking...listening... kvetching...whatever.

Don't really know why I've been away for so long. Guess life sometimes just gets in the way of our pleasurable pursuits, eh?! ;)

Hi Zarp! Long time no talk!

And, Sharon...thanks for thinking of me! The leaves are starting to change here in good ol' upstate New York!
 
Disney Radio Indeed...

Hey Jeff...

I have taken to lurking on this board often... when I warned folks about the Pan and Scan BABES IN TOYLAND dvd I got two responses.

Jeez....I used to be a contender!

Ya know Jeff...you are probably the only person around here that notices that I'm not around much. I remember the day....
 

SFMike

Member
With all the problems with the public's lack of faith in corporate America could this news be anymore telling as to WHY investors have so little faith in corporate culture. The Gap "attempts to end more than two years of slumping sales" by taking on the guy who was in charge of turning the Disney Store from one of the greatest franchises into it's current state as kids discount clothes outlet. It boggles my mind how they can be so stupid. Have these geniuses at The Gap been to a Disney Store lately? Have they followed the masterful decisions he made as head of Disney's theme parks and resorts division which has saw profits and quality plunge? And lets not forget DCA. There's a real crowd pleaser and moneymaker!! And I suspect they will be paying him millions. If I had Gap stock I would unload it as soon as possible.

The sad thing for Disney is we still have Eisner in charge and he will replace his former golden boy, who is taking the fall for Mikey's lack of vision, with another overpaid visionless "yes"man who will continue on with corporate Disney business as usual. And at this point there appears to me to be very little left of what made the Disney name what it was. Eisner has shown by his past performance that he does not have the vision to run an entertainment conglomerate. He has strip mined what was there until there is nothing left and now it has caught up with him. It's time for someone new to have a shot. It's going to take a LONG time to untarnish the Disney name as far as I'm concerned and the process won't start until the Disney board of directors realize its time for a change in leadership. And what a thankless job it will be trying to regain past innovation and excellence after all major creative departments have be downsized, shuttered, or lost its key talents to competitors.
 
SFMike that sounds like one of my rants...

I like it...

I have said for years that Disney was using up years and years of "Good Will" at a frightening pace.

It's like Walt said, and I will say it again "Spend the money now. It will cost 10 times as much to get people back once you have lost them". It is obvious that the current management has lost sight of this small piece of common sense.

I remember a story I was told by someone I trust. He said that when Disney was looking at the possibility of adding the street players at the Disney Studios, the person who had the idea was discussing how little money it would cost. He was told...why spend more when we already have their money.

And they do...A short sighted observation, but it is correct.

But for how long?

Virtually everyone I know outside of the company knew that DCA was going to be a bust. If we knew it, why didn't they know it? How much vision is that?

I agree that nothing will change until Eisner goes, and even then, it will be a long hard road uphill without a massive infusion of cash.
 

bigBrian-nc

New Member
With all the problems with the public's lack of faith in corporate America could this news be anymore telling as to WHY investors have so little faith in corporate culture. The Gap "attempts to end more than two years of slumping sales" by taking on the guy who was in charge of turning the Disney Store from one of the greatest franchises into it's current state as kids discount clothes outlet. It boggles my mind how they can be so stupid. Have these geniuses at The Gap been to a Disney Store lately? Have they followed the masterful decisions he made as head of Disney's theme parks and resorts division which has saw profits and quality plunge?


SF Mike,
Although I doubt if many people were happier than I to hear that Eisner is finally gone from the parks division I think you were wrong about one thing. You see actually Pressler was at the helm of the Disney stores during thier greatest growth you could argue that when he was in charge of the Disney stores he was really in his element(marketing), and he hasn't been in charge of them in years so he is hardly responsible for the state they are in now. However just as TDS showed off his strengths Attractions showed his weak areas, creativity mostly, cna you belive the guy was against putting Indiana jones in at Disneyland? he thought it was too expensive. Just like the poster that started this thread I heard the news while listening to Marketplace on NPR (National Public Radio) and just like him I got excited and fired off an email to some of my Disney friends (The murdza Triva list chat group and the NC RADP) what follows is the text of that message with some more basic material on Pressler for anyone who is wondering just who the heckt we are talking about:

Hi all
???? ???? Yesterday I read that WDW is re-instating early entry (albeit under a different name "the magic hour " or some such)
upon reading that I thought that it was good and wondered what it meant for the executive who I think has been behind much of the budget cutting at WDW the past few years , Paul Pressler, who i learned today was picked to lead the gap. mostly due to the fact that he lead the Disney stores through their years of greatest expansion before moving over to the theme parks division as VP in charge of Disneyland in the 90's.
???? I think many of the people who read this group are more focused on WDW than Disneyland and so may not have been familiar with Presslers tenure at Disneyland.
???? Over the course of the last year and a half or so Disneyland has been going through a large number of renovations. Most recently Toontown has been repainted also the Small World Facade restored to it's original colors, The Fantasyland carousel had extensive rot repaired. Cynthia Harris replaced Paul Pressler as VP in charge of Disneyland, when he was? moved to being in charge of the theme parks division. Until she came into the picture the maintenance issues at Disneyland seem to get worse and worse. not that it has seemed to be a total turn around Disneyland is still dealing with a lack of new attractions over the last several years, and the loss of the Submarines, People mover, and the People movers replacement the Rocket rods. Also many of their recent re-habs seem to be driven by lawyers worried about liability issues including earlier this year Splash Mountain and right now the Matterhorn, where they are increasing rider clearance by making some of the holes in the mountain bigger right now. Still it seems that possibly under her leadership maintenance has been recognized for the importance it has to Disneys reputation. hopefully someone will take over the theme park division who is also willing to see the problems instead of just slashing budgets until there is nothing left to cut.
???? Some years ago Al Lutz keeper of the Disneyland Information Guide, which is now found at mouseplanet.com
started a web site called "Promote Paul Pressler" the tounge-in cheek premise of the site was to get Pressler promoted to another company, in the original version of the site, I think the Gap was one of the companys specifically listed by name.
members.aol.com/alweho/pressler/pressler.htm
as of this writing the page there still feature information from the time of his last promotion (over the parks division) still al may update it by the time you read this.
Another site connected to the decline of Disneyland under Presslers reign (also worked on by al)
was Disneyland Blues
http://www.mouseplanet.com/shame/
as maintenance has improved at the park it has stopped being updated but some of the old photos remain
?Now hes gone, upon hearing the announcement of his new position on National public Radios "Marketplace" I stopped what I was doing looked at the Radio and said yes,yes,yes YES! pumping my fist in the air with the last couple of yeses!
???? Pressler , along with Barry Braverman, was one of the advocates of using off-the-shelf carnival type ride systems to keep the costs of new parks down, and attendance at Disney's California Adventure has suffered because of it even led One Disney "financial type" is quoted as saying: "It [DCA] would have made more money if we kept it as a parking lot." (Apparently the killer here is amortizing the construction and operating expense vs. gross.)
quoted from DIG
http://www.mouseplanet.com/archive/update45.htm
???? Though I am saddened to hear about the imagineerings departmnents recent loss of their R and D department to just such budget cuts, without imagineering Rand D and new park will probably not be any better than Disneys California Adventure or the Disney Studios Europe. Perhaps if Disney wants to get back to building quality parks they will hire back the folks who helped design Tokyo's Disney Sea!
??? So call me cautiously optimistic the course of events at the theme parks over the next year or so will tell just how much things can change with Eisner in charge, Which may be making too big an assumption, as one of the reasons Pressler was willing to leave may have been fear for what would happen to his job when Eisner goes.

Brian Martsolf
3703 Winding Creek Lane
Charlotte NC 28226

martsolf@mindspring.com

Walt Disney World: A History in Postcards

http://www.bigbrian-nc.com/pctoc.htm
 
Re:Disney Radio Indeed...

Ya know Jeff...you are probably the only person around here that notices that I'm not around much. I remember the day....

Aw, c'mon Bean. You two aren't the only old guys around who have been lurking more than posting of late. Let me try an old gambit of mine here:

Okay Bean/Jeff -- Light Magic! Discuss! **waving hands in circles-palm down-in front of his body**

;D
 
Nice try Mike!

Maybe our new guy will do more for the DL 50th now.
Now,Thats a good speculative topic.

Or the 50 years of Disneyland CD Box set...


BTW SF Mike and Brian Martsolf
Bring up some interesting issues... stay tuned.


Jeff
Miss you too Mike
 
I've got this image of Randy camped outside the office door of the "new guy" with his plans for the DL 50th Anniversary boxed set clenched firmly in his hands! ;D
 

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