Iger’s Profile Stays Low on His Big Day

Where was Bob?

On Sunday, when Walt Disney Co.’s chairman hosted a conference call about the company’s next chief executive, the newly anointed leader was not on the line.

Robert Iger, casual in khakis and a white button-down shirt, did make an appearance at the Hollywood premiere of the Disney movie “Ice Princess,” with his wife and two sons at his side. But requests for interviews were denied.

Disney spokeswoman Zenia Mucha said Iger’s profile was low by design, so that attention would be focused on the board’s unanimous decision to choose the lone inside candidate for the job. Iger is expected to be made available today for interviews with journalists.

Management consultants described Iger’s virtual silence as curious. Some said it gave the appearance that Disney board members and executives were more interested in wrapping up an arduous search for Michael Eisner’s successor than in unveiling a strong leader.

“If you’re proud of your selection, then you put your selection on the phone,” said Joe D. Goodwin, an Atlanta-based corporate consultant. “It seems that all they wanted was to conclude the process, and that seems to suggest that the search may have been less than sincere.”

Stephen Mader, vice chairman of New York-based executive search firm Christian & Timbers, agreed. “This all detracts from Iger’s credibility,” he said. “They are doing themselves in by handling it the way they did.”

The sidelining of Iger, even if only for one day, reinforced the perception that the 54-year-old will have to work hard to define himself as his own man. Eisner and Iger jointly called top Disney executives Sunday to deliver the news. In the official news release, which quoted both men, Eisner was allowed to go on at greater length, while Iger’s statement largely paid homage to his boss.

“I feel all the more privileged to succeed Michael, whose tremendous 20-year leadership and enormous accomplishments have built this company into the world’s preeminent leader in family entertainment,” Iger said.

Analysts and executives who have worked with Iger said they were confident that he would eventually put his own stamp on the company.

“Bob is not Michael,” said Disney Chairman George J. Mitchell. “There will be changes. “

Many say such changes will be possible only when Eisner completely exits the stage. Eisner has said he will step down as chief executive Sept. 30, but he will remain on the board until his one-year term is up, in early 2006.

Iger, a former television weatherman who is married to former CNN and ABC News anchor Willow Bay, is known as a corporate survivor who has persevered even when others -- even Eisner in the past -- have appeared to write him off.

A recently released book by James B. Stewart, “DisneyWar,” contains several examples of how Eisner regularly dismissed his No. 2’s ability, sometimes in front of the board.

Though privately irked by such treatment, Iger has managed to maintain a sense of humor in public. A year ago, when Disney was roiling from a take-over bid by Comcast Corp., an investor revolt and continued lackluster ratings on its ABC television network, Iger broke the ice at an investor conference with a joke.

Instead of talking to shareholders that day in Palm Beach, Fla., he noted wryly, “I thought I would find myself in the obituary section.”

As Iger has lobbied to be promoted to chief executive, he has had to tread carefully to appear to be neither critical of Eisner nor his lackey.

He’s enjoyed some good luck, as his candidacy has benefited from recent developments. Comcast withdrew its offer to buy Disney, the company has delivered double-digit earnings growth and ABC has roared back to life on the strength of three hit shows: “Desperate Housewives,” “Lost” and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Last month, Disney’s shares reached a three-year high.

“Clearly, Bob has been helped by the company’s performance over the last 24 months,” said Lowell Singer, a media analyst with SG Cowen & Co. “But this was the right decision for the company.”

Stephen B. Burke, Comcast president and a former Disney executive, agreed. “It would be impossible to find anybody who is harder working or more committed to making Disney a success than Bob,” he said.

Iger, who has been Disney’s president and chief operating officer since 2000, will take over the top job on Oct. 1. Until then, he will continue to work closely with Eisner.

Iger’s critics have long faulted him for failing to stand up to Eisner and for lacking vision. It was Iger, for example, who decided to sell the company’s ownership stake in Jerry Bruckheimer’s “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” which was developed by Disney’s Touchstone Television. “CSI,” which airs on rival CBS, is now television’s most popular scripted show, and has spawned a profitable franchise with two successful spinoffs.

In recent months, Iger has assumed a more visible role at Disney, meeting more regularly with investors and leading some outsiders to conclude that his selection was virtually assured.

He has been increasingly assertive about his priorities for Disney, which include expanding the company’s products into emerging markets such as China and India, experimenting more with technological advances and enhancing an environment to foster creativity.

“If you could write a song about Bob, it would contain those refrains,” said Anne Sweeney, co-chairman of Disney’s media networks division, who has worked for Iger for nine years.

Sweeney called Iger’s appointment “a validation of a real leader in our company. Bob always raises the bar. He always asks questions that probe deeper, and make you work harder.... Bob has a superb work ethic and he is always available to his people. “

Iger began his career at ABC in 1974 as a studio supervisor in New York. He then moved to ABC Sports, where he became vice president of programming in 1987. The following year he was promoted to executive vice president of ABC Television Network, and he moved to Los Angeles in 1989 to head ABC’s entertainment division.

Five years later, in 1994, Iger was appointed president and chief operating officer of ABC, which was then owned by Capital Cities/ABC Inc. Two years later, Disney acquired ABC, beginning a rocky marriage between the clashing cultures.

In the Sunday conference call, Mitchell, the Disney chairman, said it was Iger’s familiarity with the world of Disney that helped him land the job.

“He brings a deep understanding of its culture, its heritage, its complex operations and its people,” Mitchell said. “We believe that Bob’s accomplishments and vision, his energy and integrity, his ability to lead and motivate ... make him the best choice to lead the company.”

Times staff writers Sallie Hofmeister, Richard Verrier and Claudia Eller contributed to this report.