Eisner Calls Iger His Boss

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Michael Eisner says he has already handed over the keys to the Magic Kingdom to his successor, according to an analyst’s report released Wednesday.

In a question-and-answer session with investors Tuesday, Eisner called Disney President Robert A. Iger, who takes over as CEO on Oct. 1, his “boss” and described himself as the “junior partner,” according to a report by Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen.

The “transition has already taken place,” Cohen quoted Eisner as saying. She described the session as a “passing of the torch of sorts.”

Last week, the Disney board tapped Iger, 54, to succeed the 63-year-old Eisner, who is stepping down after 21 years at the helm of the Burbank-based entertainment giant.

Eisner’s comments this week seemed to be aimed at dispelling any notion that he was reluctant to give up power, as some of his critics have suggested.

During the same session, Iger restated his three-pronged strategy for expanding Disney by building its characters and brands, using new technologies to promote sports television channel ESPN and other content, and tapping emerging markets, particularly China and India.

Iger, a former TV executive who ran ABC, has been Disney’s president and chief operating officer since 2000.