Do you want to be Disney's
The early application deadline seems to indicate that the board is leaning toward sticking with Eisner's suggested choice in COO Bob Iger. Some of the bigger names that have been tossed around as possible replacements such as eBay's
The June deadline may also knock out former Disney studio whiz Jeffrey Katzenberg as a candidate given his current workload trying to take DreamWorks Animation public. Paul Pressler, who oversaw Disney's theme parks before being named CEO at Gap
So who is left? Is Iger a lock? Don't bet on it. I tagged him as a 2-to-1 front-runner last week, but he still has some things working against him. While Disney has stressed that Iger will be the only internal name considered, the fact that under his watch ABC has gone from first to last place (and the June deadline mandates a turnaround now in the fall instead of giving Iger another crack in fall 2005) finds the Disney board practically forcing itself into a regime change.
That leaves Mel Karmazin closing in for a great shot at leading Disney if he wants to. The broadcasting wunderkind left Viacom
But will the same board that turned a blind eye to the overwhelming vote of no confidence for Eisner earlier this year make the mistake of promoting from the inside? Disney has a chance to wipe away the skeptics and show a commitment to quality and financial perseverance. All it has to do now is crack open a window and see what's out there.
Who do you think should be Disney's next CEO? What would be the first five things you do if you were tapped for the position? All this and more in the Disney discussion board.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz wants to know whether he needs a passport to ride It's a Small World. He owns shares in Disney, Viacom, and Pixar.