Is this who we write to about getting VMK back?

**janebanks** · 10-04-2010, 10:02 AM

Disney Names Co-Presidents for Interactive Unit

By ETHAN SMITH

Walt Disney Co. on Sunday named a pair of co-presidents to run its interactive-media unit, as it seeks a path to online profitability.

One of the new co-presidents, John Pleasants, joined Disney after it acquired his company, Playdom Inc., in July. The other, James Pitaro, recently stepped down from running Yahoo Inc.'s media properties.

They succeed Steve Wadsworth, who resigned 10 days ago as president of Disney Interactive Media Group after 11 years on the job.

Mr. Pleasants is to oversee Disney's videogames, including those made by his old company, Playdom, which Disney bought for $563.2 million. Playdom makes "social games" that are played primarily among users of online networks like Facebook. Mr. Pitaro will be responsible for Disney.com and other online properties.

In the past, the online portion of DIMG has played a largely supporting role to the company's other operating units, including the movie studio, television networks and theme parks. As a result, DIMG consistently has posted some of the weakest returns of Disney's five operating units. For the quarter ended July 3, it had a loss of $65 million on $197 million revenue.

Still, Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger has been adamant that new media and new technologies are essential to the company's future. "We view [technology] as an opportunity, rather than a challenge or a threat," Mr. Iger said in a telephone interview Sunday.

The appointments of Messrs. Pleasants and Pitaro, and the division of labor between them, is intended to allow Disney to take better advantage of that opportunity, Mr. Iger said.

Eventually, he added, Disney would like its websites to be money makers in their own right, not just marketing platforms for other parts of the company.

"Ultimately what we want is for Disney.com to be an über Disney Channel of sorts," Mr. Iger said. "You could watch a movie, watch a TV show, watch original content that was created for the website, you could play games. We're working our way to that, but it's complex."

This isn't the first time Disney has sought a new strategy for its online operations. In 2005, the company opened a free, online interactive version of Disneyland known as Virtual Magic Kingdom, then closed it in 2008.

This weekend's appointments were reported earlier Sunday by the All Things D blog, an independent affiliate of The Wall Street Journal.

**WDWfanatic742** · 10-04-2010, 03:07 PM

I love how the one game they mention is VMK

. I don't see it ever returning to what it used to be though

**janebanks** · 10-05-2010, 09:00 AM

I may write a letter anyway, though. And tell them I would pay up to $10 a month for it. I'll let you know when I find the proper address/name. I'll post a copy of my letter here if anyone wants to borrow it. Can't hurt.