Company Town : Sagansky’s In at Sony, but What’ll He Do?

Jeffrey Sagansky was formally named executive vice president of Sony Corp. of America on Thursday, as expected, but his responsibilities within the New York-based company remain fairly murky.

In an unusually terse announcement, Sony Corp. of America President Michael P. Schulhof said Sagansky will focus on “strategic planning and development of new business opportunities” in the United States and abroad. The former CBS Entertainment chief will also seek to “leverage” Sony’s entertainment and electronics operations, according to the statement.

Schulhof declined further comment. Sagansky, for his part, was traveling and unavailable, a spokesman said.

Tensions have been running high at Sony since last week, when news of the Sagansky talks surfaced. Industry sources speculated that Sagansky was being brought in to clean up troubled Sony Pictures, but the company insists that he will focus on broader corporate issues.

“It’s somebody for Mickey (Schulhof) to talk to in New York,” one knowledgeable executive agreed. “He’s got no help. Now he’s found a soul mate.”

Sony Music executives had also complained about being kept in the dark about Sagansky’s duties. But sources say Schulhof has since calmed the concerns of records chief Thomas D. Mottola.

Whatever his ultimate responsibilities, industry executives roundly applauded the selection of Sagansky, a savvy executive who guided CBS to No. 1 in prime-time ratings before leaving earlier this year. Sagansky starts work immediately, and is expected to eventually focus on finding outside investors for Sony Pictures or for the entire entertainment unit.

*

Knowledgeable sources on Thursday confirmed reports that cable TV mogul Ted Turner is in talks to merge with General Electric’s NBC unit, but they cautioned that the discussions are at a very preliminary stage, saying: “Everybody’s in talks with everybody right now.”

Turner has for years been openly lusting after a network to link up with his Cable News Network but has been stymied by a variety of complications. On Thursday Bloomberg News Service reported that the latest talks have GE acquiring a large stake in Turner Broadcasting in return for NBC.

Time Warner is also said to be in conversations about acquiring NBC for about $2.5 billion. Under the Bloomberg scenario, Time Warner would back out of its NBC talks and would trade its 25% stake in Turner Broadcasting for one of Turner’s cable TV networks--something that it has long coveted.

Although the attention is on Turner and Time Warner, sources say there may be as many as six suitors knocking at NBC’s door. CBS and ABC are also said to be fielding various offers and partnership proposals, including exploratory feelers from Walt Disney Co.

The big three networks have moved from the bargain bin to the lead display case in recent months, as Hollywood’s major studios and other suppliers of TV programs seek guaranteed outlets for their shows. New federal laws that will allow networks to produce more of their own programs have raised fears that those traditional suppliers will be left out in the cold.

*

Outgoing Walt Disney Studios Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg wasn’t kidding when, shortly after the announcement of his imminent departure, he said he was going to Disney World. He and his family spent the past week at the Orlando theme park, with Katzenberg riding the Tower of Terror three times.

The family getaway was planned well in advance of Katzenberg’s messy breakup with Disney last month. Sources described the one-week trip as “very emotional for everyone” because of the studio chairman’s long involvement with the Florida park and its executives.

Katzenberg returned to his Burbank office on Thursday. He’s expected to remain at Disney through the end of September before setting up a temporary office on the Westside.

People close to Katzenberg insist that he’s still mulling over his job options, although they also agree that he’s way too restless and ambitious to remain at loose ends for long. With Sony Corp. eliminated from the list of possible landing places, Hollywood insiders see Katzenberg going to a rival entertainment company, or leading a buyout of a major network.

*

If Katzenberg really wants to assert his independence from Disney, a buzz cut might be the answer. Disney’s infamous grooming code--which forbids facial hair, long sideburns and anything resembling a cool haircut--previously was thought to apply only to employees at the company’s theme parks and retail stores, a group known as Disney “cast members.”

Now there’s evidence that the grooming authority’s jurisdiction is wider than that.

The animation department hands out a pamphlet called “The Disney Look” to prospective employees of its Orlando facility. Included in the booklet is a graphic representation of acceptable and unacceptable hair styles, tips on proper clothing fabric, shoes, jewelry, hygiene--and a warning against “conspicuous” tattoos. Unacceptable fabrics for women, for example, are “denim, sheers, clinging fabrics, wide knits or crochets, crepe satins or elaborate print fabrics that suggest casual sportswear.” Opaque tights and socks are taboo: Hosiery “must be sheer.” For men, “fabrics must be those traditionally acceptable for business,” and only “conservative, business-style” watches are permitted.

A Disney spokesman explained that “newly hired” animators working in Florida fall under the code because the Disney World tour passes through the animation facility.

In Burbank, where animators go unseen by the public in general, bad grooming is still OK.

‘The Disney Look’

Animators at Walt Disney Co.’s Orlando, Fla., facility are apparently now covered by the company’s strict grooming code. Here are “acceptable” and “unacceptable” hairstyles for men, as shown in a Disney pamphlet:

Acceptable (...)

Unacceptable (...)